Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Mussaffah

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,881 in Mussaffah, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Mussaffah
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Mussaffah Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Mussaffah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,881 in Mussaffah, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Mussaffah $1,881

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,357 in Mussaffah, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Mussaffah $3,357

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,833 in Mussaffah, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Mussaffah $4,833

Ubud, Bali is about 28% cheaper than Mussaffah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$6.89 AED 25.32

-51.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

$32.36 AED 119

10.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$9.61 AED 35.30

-42.46%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$4.82 AED 17.70

-43.57%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.74 AED 2.71

129.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.29 AED 1.06

162.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$9.70 AED 35.64

-72.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$9.44 AED 34.69

-53.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.77 AED 6.49

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.15 AED 4.24

98.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.94 AED 7.11

-38.66%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$3.21 AED 11.79

-36.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

$8.53 AED 31.33

107.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$6.55 AED 24.06

-39.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

$10.27 AED 37.73

18.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$2.27 AED 8.33

61.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.73 AED 6.37

-12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.32 AED 4.85

68.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.29 AED 4.73

52.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.04 AED 3.81

77.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.10 AED 4.05

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.48 AED 5.42

-33.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,316

$0.58 AED 2.14

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$6.28 AED 23.06

-64.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

$13.77 AED 50.6

61.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$2.52 AED 9.26

-10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.47 AED 9.06

20.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

$2.17 AED 7.96

-88.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

$33.63 AED 124

-76.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$3.26 AED 11.96

-86.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

$0.56 AED 2.05

-23.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

$8.39 AED 30.81

-35.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.94 AED 3.47

-12.77%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

$25.5K AED 93.5K

-6.40%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

$21.3K AED 78.2K

49.02%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$189 AED 695

-58.21%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

$58.4 AED 214

-88.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

$93.6 AED 344

-80.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

$56.7 AED 208

-12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

$28.09 AED 103

-37.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$13.85 AED 50.9

-69.17%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$685 AED 2,516

-28.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$8,383 AED 30.8K

-32.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

$58.8 AED 216

-24.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

$48.13 AED 177

-27.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$109 AED 399

-26.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$96.3 AED 354

-17.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$805 AED 2,958

39.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$818 AED 3,005

-17.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,818 AED 6,678

96.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$2,720 AED 9,989

-36.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$4,854 AED 17.8K

-43.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$2,376 AED 8,727

-3.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$2,910 AED 10.7K

-94.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.55

202.86%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mussaffah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Mussaffah

$818 43.5% 21.8% $147

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Mussaffah

$236 12.5% 18.3% $53

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Mussaffah

$213 11.3% 98.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Mussaffah

$140 7.5% 30.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Mussaffah

$341 18.1% 228% $237

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Mussaffah

$84 4.5% 45.4% $26

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Mussaffah

$48 2.6% 323% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $805 in Mussaffah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mussaffah are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $32 in Mussaffah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $236 – making Mussaffah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇪 Mussaffah

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

21:36 9:36 PM

4 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

243,341

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Mussaffah 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Mussaffah

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 Mussaffah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mussaffah is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,822 in Mussaffah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mussaffah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $805 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $685 in Mussaffah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Mussaffah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,881 in Mussaffah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,349 in Ubud, Bali to $1,881 in Mussaffah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mussaffah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.