Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Nilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nilai: $963 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Nilai
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Nilai Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Nilai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $963 in Nilai.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Nilai $963

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,477 in Nilai.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Nilai $1,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,991 in Nilai.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Nilai $1,991

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Nilai 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.1K

$3.61 MYR 14.63

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 627.3K

$19.39 MYR 78.6

78.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.9K

$6.13 MYR 24.86

-9.14%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.4K

$3.47 MYR 14.08

-24.50%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.80 MYR 3.23

92.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.35 MYR 1.43

82.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.3K

$4.02 MYR 16.33

-33.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.2K

$4.48 MYR 18.17

-4.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.77 MYR 7.18

-17.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.5K

$1.37 MYR 5.57

67.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.48 MYR 6.00

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.0K

$2.24 MYR 9.07

-6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 288.6K

$13.39 MYR 54.3

19.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.3K

$4.46 MYR 18.10

-13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.4K

$9.63 MYR 39.06

18.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

$3.42 MYR 13.86

3.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

$1.66 MYR 6.74

-7.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.47 MYR 10.03

-9.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$1.52 MYR 6.16

29.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.6K

$1.24 MYR 5.03

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.8K

$1.37 MYR 5.55

76.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$1.13 MYR 4.58

-9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,456

$0.52 MYR 2.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

$4.49 MYR 18.22

-51.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 394.4K

$19.51 MYR 79.2

11.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.1K

$3.25 MYR 13.17

-28.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$4.77 MYR 19.37

-37.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,533

$0.83 MYR 3.37

-69.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.0K

$13.60 MYR 55.2

-39.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,925

$1.17 MYR 4.74

-62.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,472

$0.55 MYR 2.22

-14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.4K

$6.05 MYR 24.55

-7.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.92 MYR 3.74

-9.78%

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

$24.4K Rp 442.6M

$50.1K MYR 203.2K

-51.19%

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

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

$30.6K MYR 124.1K

3.57%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$50.2 MYR 204

54.40%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.2K

$9.96 MYR 40.38

-38.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 342.4K

$28.89 MYR 117

-34.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 923.1K

$40.43 MYR 164

26.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 330.4K

$6.47 MYR 26.23

182.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.3K

$4.83 MYR 19.61

-9.32%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$246 MYR 999

99.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.2M

$12.4K MYR 50.3K

-1.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 817.6K

$58.4 MYR 237

-22.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 631.6K

$32.07 MYR 130

8.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$90.1 MYR 366

-13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$83.4 MYR 338

-6.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$407 MYR 1,653

164.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$298 MYR 1,208

123.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.5M

$750 MYR 3,042

368.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$561 MYR 2,276

197.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

$1,847 MYR 7,493

26.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.5M

$1,205 MYR 4,887

85.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$1,425 MYR 5,779

-88.32%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nilai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Nilai

$298 30.9% 55.2% $367

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Nilai

$264 27.4% 5.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Nilai

$119 12.3% 11.7% $12

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Nilai

$123 12.7% 15.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Nilai

$89 9.2% 13.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Nilai

$50 5.2% 16.2% $9.7

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Nilai

$21 2.2% 74.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $407 in Nilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nilai pays about 8.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $19 in Nilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $264 per month, with Nilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Nilai

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

38,612

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Nilai 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Nilai

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 Nilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nilai wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nilai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $407 in Nilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $963 in Nilai – Nilai is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 40% less than in Nilai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Nilai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Nilai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.