Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Ningbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $691 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $691 in Ningbo.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Ningbo $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,179 in Ningbo.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Ningbo $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,668 in Ningbo.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Ningbo $1,668

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 96% more expensive than in Ningbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Ningbo is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$2.89 ¥19.32

11.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$30.12 ¥201

15.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.46 ¥29.83

27.80%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$3.52 ¥23.55

-25.57%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.44 ¥2.93

290.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.31 ¥2.08

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.04 ¥6.95

154.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$3.44 ¥23.00

27.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.74 ¥11.65

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.16 ¥7.79

88.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.70 ¥4.66

68.57%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.56 ¥10.46

38.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$15.18 ¥101

16.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$3.67 ¥24.53

3.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$8.78 ¥58.7

36.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$1.07 ¥7.13

236.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.56 ¥10.42

1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.57 ¥10.52

47.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.22 ¥8.13

56.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$0.62 ¥4.12

187.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$0.70 ¥4.69

232.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.65 ¥4.32

53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.57 ¥3.83

-7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$4.61 ¥30.79

-50.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$8.03 ¥53.7

174.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$0.81 ¥5.43

190.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.50 ¥10.04

98.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.31 ¥2.08

-25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$16.67 ¥111

-46.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.68 ¥11.21

-72.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.35 ¥2.31

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$7.16 ¥47.90

-23.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.33 ¥8.88

-37.59%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$19.6K ¥131.1K

21.72%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$18.1K ¥121.3K

80.78%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$51.9 ¥347

54.09%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$6.67 ¥44.63

-1.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$7.80 ¥52.1

138.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$25.44 ¥170

112.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$14.16 ¥94.7

29.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$8.05 ¥53.8

-47.20%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$932 ¥6,234

-47.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$15.9K ¥106.6K

-64.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$63.8 ¥427

-28.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$26.75 ¥179

30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$62.2 ¥416

24.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$52.6 ¥351

49.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$358 ¥2,394

216.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$184 ¥1,230

265.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$766 ¥5,121

371.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$469 ¥3,136

262.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$3,784 ¥25.3K

-28.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$2,053 ¥13.7K

9.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$1,193 ¥7,977

-86.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.18

333.33%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ningbo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Ningbo

$184 26.6% 72.7% $489

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Ningbo

$191 27.7% 33.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Ningbo

$92 13.4% 13.3% $14

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Ningbo

$94 13.6% 11.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Ningbo

$66 9.6% 36.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Ningbo

$42 6% 33.7% $21

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Ningbo

$21 3.1% 71.5% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $358 in Ningbo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ningbo pays 617% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $30.00 in Ningbo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $191 per month, with Ningbo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

7,605,689

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Ningbo 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Ningbo

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 Ningbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningbo wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ningbo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 617% lower in Ningbo. 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $358 in Ningbo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $932 in Ningbo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $691 in Ningbo versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ningbo but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Ningbo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ningbo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $691 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ningbo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Ningbo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.