Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,549 in Muscat, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Muscat despite lower rent and utilities.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Muscat
🇴🇲 Oman
$1,549
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,549 in Muscat.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Muscat $1,549

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,294 in Muscat.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Muscat $2,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,038 in Muscat.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Muscat $3,038

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 13% less than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 0% above, Muscat 14% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$5.21 OMR 2.01
-38.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$39.54 OMR 15.22
-11.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$7.84 OMR 3.02
-27.30%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$4.96 OMR 1.91
-47.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$0.85 OMR 0.33
102.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.27 OMR 0.10
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$12.99 OMR 5.00
-79.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$13.02 OMR 5.01
-66.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$2.30 OMR 0.89
-31.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.23 OMR 0.47
78.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.87 OMR 0.72
-36.90%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$2.89 OMR 1.11
-25.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$7.12 OMR 2.74
147.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$6.86 OMR 2.64
-44.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$10.54 OMR 4.06
13.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$3.58 OMR 1.38
0.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$2.03 OMR 0.78
-21.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$2.31 OMR 0.89
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.31 OMR 0.51
45.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$1.16 OMR 0.45
53.45%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$1.29 OMR 0.50
80.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$1.86 OMR 0.72
-46.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.67 OMR 0.26
-20.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$6.64 OMR 2.56
-65.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$15.54 OMR 5.98
42.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$5.78 OMR 2.22
-59.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$10.16 OMR 3.91
-70.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$1.29 OMR 0.49
-82.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$78.6 OMR 30.26
-88.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$3.21 OMR 1.23
-85.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$2.64 OMR 1.02
-83.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$7.75 OMR 2.98
-29.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$0.65 OMR 0.25
27.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$25.5K OMR 9,824
-6.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$20.9K OMR 8,027
57.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$182 OMR 70.0
-56.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$30.88 OMR 11.89
-78.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$69.4 OMR 26.71
-73.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$61.3 OMR 23.59
-11.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$29.84 OMR 11.49
-38.74%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$10.51 OMR 4.05
-59.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$283 OMR 109
73.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$10.6K OMR 4,089
-47.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$55.4 OMR 21.33
-17.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$43.74 OMR 16.84
-20.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$88.3 OMR 34.01
-12.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$87.2 OMR 33.58
-9.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$685 OMR 264
65.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$451 OMR 174
49.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$1,303 OMR 502
177.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$807 OMR 311
110.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$2,866 OMR 1,103
-5.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$1,643 OMR 633
36.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Muscat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$1,656 OMR 638
-89.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.25
162.48%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Muscat
$451 33% $222
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Muscat
$289 0.8% $2.2
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Muscat
$124 16% $17
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Muscat
$220 107% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Muscat
$282 168% $177
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Muscat
$82 31.4% $20
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Muscat
$100 706% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $685 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muscat pays 896% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $40.00 in Muscat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $289 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇴🇲 Muscat
🕒 Local time
19:38 7:38 PM
15:38 3:38 PM
4 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
1,090,797 Capital
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Muscat 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Muscat

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 Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Muscat?
Ubud, Bali and Muscat differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $1,549 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 896% lower in Muscat. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Muscat?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $685 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $40.00 in Muscat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Muscat?
All in, you'll spend $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,549 in Muscat – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,549 in Muscat, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Muscat. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Muscat?
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.
Is Ubud, Bali or Muscat safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Muscat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Muscat?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Muscat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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