Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Muar

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
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Muar Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Muar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $951 in Muar.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Muar $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,505 in Muar.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Muar $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,059 in Muar.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Muar $2,059

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 42% more expensive than in Muar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$4.82 MYR 19.65

-31.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$29.01 MYR 118

22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$3.88 MYR 15.81

42.53%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$3.05 MYR 12.42

-10.82%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.76 MYR 3.11

123.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.46 MYR 1.87

65.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$4.44 MYR 18.08

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$6.27 MYR 25.54

-30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-30.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.07 MYR 4.36

113.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-35.68%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.44 MYR 9.93

-16.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$14.25 MYR 58.1

24.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$4.44 MYR 18.10

-10.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$9.95 MYR 40.53

22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$3.36 MYR 13.70

8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.85 MYR 7.52

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.25 MYR 9.15

-0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.51 MYR 6.16

30.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.22 MYR 4.96

51.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.37 MYR 5.58

76.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.16 MYR 4.73

-14.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$0.71 MYR 2.90

-28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$19.48 MYR 79.4

14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$3.48 MYR 14.19

-35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$4.99 MYR 20.35

-40.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$0.64 MYR 2.62

-60.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

$10.62 MYR 43.28

-26.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-63.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-65.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$4.87 MYR 19.86

11.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.81 MYR 3.31

1.23%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$44.4K MYR 181.0K

-46.34%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$34.9K MYR 142.0K

-8.93%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$62.0 MYR 253

27.45%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$8.88 MYR 36.19

-27.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$26.21 MYR 107

-29.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$37.02 MYR 151

33.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

$5.79 MYR 23.57

204.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$4.85 MYR 19.76

-11.96%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$240 MYR 977

104.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$13.3K MYR 54.3K

-57.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$72.2 MYR 294

-38.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$41.83 MYR 170

-16.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$84.3 MYR 343

-5.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$96.3 MYR 392

-17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$445 MYR 1,811

152.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$253 MYR 1,029

165.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$617 MYR 2,512

478.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$518 MYR 2,109

232.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$2,001 MYR 8,151

36.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,229 MYR 5,005

85.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$603 MYR 2,456

-72.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.17

230.46%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Muar

$253 26.6% 62.4% $419

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Muar

$274 28.9% 4.9% $14

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Muar

$126 13.3% 17.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Muar

$133 14% 23.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Muar

$97 10.2% 6.7% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Muar

$47 4.9% 19.5% $11

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Muar

$21 2.2% 80.5% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $445 in Muar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muar pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $29 in Muar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $274 per month, with Muar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Muar

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

314,776

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Muar 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Muar

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 Muar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $951 in Muar, so Muar is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $445 in Muar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 26% less than in Muar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $240 in Muar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $951 in Muar versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Muar but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Muar 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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Muar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.