Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $628 in Pekanbaru.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Pekanbaru $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $983 in Pekanbaru.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Pekanbaru $983

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,339 in Pekanbaru.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Pekanbaru $1,339

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 118% more expensive than in Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Pekanbaru is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

132.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

329.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

140.66%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

110.00%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

182.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.33 Rp 5,954

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

24.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

32.58%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

27.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

139.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

70.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

88.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

31.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

-7.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

51.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

19.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.35 Rp 6,350

51.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

7.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

22.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.29 Rp 5,230

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

4.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

-47.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.40 Rp 7,154

15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

103.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

15.79%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

5.56%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

19.81%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

33.71%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

7.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

-21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

96.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

117.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

44.55%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

413.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

-25.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

44.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

24.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

44.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

-2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$262 Rp 4.7M

336.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$145 Rp 2.6M

366.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$540 Rp 9.7M

548.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$356 Rp 6.4M

377.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

160.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$807 Rp 14.5M

177.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$176 Rp 3.2M

-6.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.46

45.67%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1% 78.6% $531

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Pekanbaru

$201 32% 30.8% $90

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8% 49.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6% 15% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Pekanbaru

$88 14% 18% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5% 46.7% $30

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Pekanbaru

$13 2% 0.2% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pekanbaru pays 7% 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 $8.00 in Pekanbaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $201 per month, with Pekanbaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,020,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Pekanbaru 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pekanbaru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Pekanbaru. 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: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pekanbaru – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $628 in Pekanbaru – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in Pekanbaru versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pekanbaru but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Pekanbaru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pekanbaru is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.