Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Meru

For one person, living is cheaper in Meru: $520 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Meru
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Meru Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Meru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Meru

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ubud, Bali and in Meru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $520 in Meru.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Meru $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $853 in Meru.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Meru $853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,185 in Meru.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Meru $1,185

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 156% more expensive than in Meru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Meru 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

$6.43 KES 835

-47.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.8K

$34.99 KES 4,543

-0.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

$6.24 KES 810

-10.74%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$2.59 KES 336

1.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.66 KES 85.6

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.66 KES 86.0

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$2.35 KES 305

13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

$2.73 KES 355

56.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$0.82 KES 106

78.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$0.40 KES 51.4

472.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$1.11 KES 144

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$1.46 KES 190

43.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.3K

$10.70 KES 1,389

48.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

$6.68 KES 867

-41.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.9K

$5.12 KES 665

122.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

$3.35 KES 434

5.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.80 KES 104

92.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$0.75 KES 98.0

197.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$0.80 KES 103

146.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$1.16 KES 150

60.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.01 KES 132

139.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$0.24 KES 31.33

325.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,479

$0.40 KES 51.9

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$3.38 KES 439

-34.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.4K

$11.69 KES 1,518

86.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$2.29 KES 297

1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.67 KES 347

11.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,544

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,944

$1.57 KES 204

-71.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,493

$1.52 KES 198

-69.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$2.85 KES 370

96.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.60 KES 208

-48.13%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.4K Rp 443.7M

$19.5K KES 2.5M

25.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.7K Rp 575.2M

$21.9K KES 2.8M

44.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$57.0 KES 7,394

36.05%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$15.21 KES 1,976

-59.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.3K

$34.48 KES 4,478

-45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$7.51 KES 976

-41.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$492 Rp 8.9M

$281 KES 36.4K

75.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.8M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

1.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.6K

$27.89 KES 3,621

61.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 633.2K

$28.49 KES 3,699

22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$69.5 KES 9,027

12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$57.8 KES 7,502

34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

14.71

-6.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Meru: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Meru

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Meru

$183 35.2% 34.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Meru

$83 15.9% 22.3% $24

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Meru

$124 23.8% 17% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Meru

$107 20.5% 4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Meru

$15 * 2.9% 74.8% $45

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Meru

$9.2 * 1.8% 23.1% $2.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $35 in Meru. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $183, with Meru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇰🇪 Meru

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

5 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,833,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,148 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,345 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Meru 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Meru

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ubud, Bali vs Meru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meru wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,996 in Ubud, Bali and $781 in Meru to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $520 in Meru – Meru is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $520 in Meru versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Meru but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Meru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.