Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Pai

For one person, living is cheaper in Pai: $887 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Pai, Thailand
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Pai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$887
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $887 in Pai, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Pai $887

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,447 in Pai, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Pai $1,447

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,006 in Pai, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Pai $2,006

Ubud, Bali costs about 52% more than Pai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$2.99 ฿101
11.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 647.8K
$24.41 ฿824
46.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
$6.89 ฿233
-19.74%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$2.04 ฿68.8
33.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$0.71 ฿23.94
139.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.37 ฿12.50
105.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$2.12 ฿71.6
25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$3.60 ฿122
21.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.77 ฿59.7
-15.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$1.40 ฿47.23
62.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.26 ฿42.56
-5.56%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$2.12 ฿71.5
-3.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.7K
$16.96 ฿573
4.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.0K
$3.09 ฿104
28.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.6K
$10.89 ฿368
11.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.4K
$2.91 ฿98.3
25.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$1.18 ฿39.89
28.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.86 ฿63.0
19.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$1.52 ฿51.5
29.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$1.55 ฿52.5
19.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$1.25 ฿42.08
93.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$0.98 ฿33.08
1.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,332
$0.51 ฿17.37
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$4.25 ฿143
-47.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.2K
$18.32 ฿619
21.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$1.80 ฿60.9
25.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
$2.76 ฿93.3
7.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,562
$0.95 ฿32.06
-73.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,989
$1.10 ฿37.00
-60.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,817
$1.19 ฿40.15
-63.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.3K
$6.31 ฿213
-14.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.31 ฿44.12
-37.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.3M
$27.4K ฿925.0K
-12.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.0M
$27.0K ฿911.5K
17.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$72.5 ฿2,448
9.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$13.31 ฿449
-51.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.7K
$18.34 ฿619
1.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.4K
$50.2 ฿1,696
-1.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.8K
$13.12 ฿443
34.53%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
$6.78 ฿229
-37.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$293 ฿9,888
67.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.1M
$9,600 ฿324.2K
-40.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.4K
$32.04 ฿1,082
39.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.3K
$34.86 ฿1,177
0.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$82.1 ฿2,774
-2.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$67.5 ฿2,279
17.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$446 ฿15.1K
152.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$270 ฿9,135
148.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
$822 ฿27.7K
333.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$650 ฿22.0K
164.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
$2,474 ฿83.5K
10.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
$1,826 ฿61.7K
25.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Pai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.45
152.84%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Pai
$270 59.7% $401
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Pai
$249 13.6% $39
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Pai
$91 15.3% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Pai
$97 9.4% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Pai
$104 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Pai
$64 9.9% $5.8
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Pai
$11 * 5.1% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $446 in Pai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $24 in Pai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $249 – making Pai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇹🇭 Pai
🕒 Local time
04:33 4:33 AM
03:33 3:33 AM
1 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
2,284
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Pai 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Pai

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 Pai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in Pai compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $887 in Pai – Pai comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Pai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,331 in Pai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ubud, Bali and Pai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $446 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Pai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $887 in Pai. That makes Pai about 34% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Pai?
Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $293 in Pai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pai, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Pai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Pai?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $887 in Pai to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ubud, Bali or Pai safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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