Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $510 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $510 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Polonnaruwa $510

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $829 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Polonnaruwa $829

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,148 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Polonnaruwa $1,148

Ubud, Bali costs about 161% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ubud, Bali and Polonnaruwa are more affordable than the global median – Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Polonnaruwa 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$3.89 LKR 1,294

-13.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$25.28 LKR 8,410

37.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$7.32 LKR 2,435

-23.91%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$2.56 LKR 850

2.34%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.69 LKR 228

123.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.27 LKR 89.8

137.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$2.17 LKR 721

23.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$2.98 LKR 990

42.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.58 LKR 526

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$0.54 LKR 178

324.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$0.81 LKR 269

37.04%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$1.70 LKR 567

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$15.24 LKR 5,069

4.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$4.93 LKR 1,639

-21.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

$7.66 LKR 2,547

48.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$6.48 LKR 2,156

-45.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$0.81 LKR 269

90.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-47.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.27 LKR 423

55.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$1.04 LKR 345

78.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$0.77 LKR 255

214.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$1.26 LKR 419

-19.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$0.42 LKR 139

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$10.10 LKR 3,358

-78.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$13.57 LKR 4,513

60.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$1.87 LKR 622

24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.98 LKR 990

-0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$0.37 LKR 124

18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$0.31 LKR 102

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$0.86 LKR 285

551.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.32 LKR 439

-37.12%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-44.98%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-30.39%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

33.63%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$4.27 LKR 1,419

43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

$20.36 LKR 6,772

-7.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$4.60 LKR 1,532

-4.78%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

1124.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-28.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

$18.01 LKR 5,989

150.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

$17.32 LKR 5,761

101.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

89.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

12.5

10.24%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 13.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 34.3% $36

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 1.3% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 19.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 84.6% $51

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4% 84.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $25 in Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $242 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

15,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,384 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Polonnaruwa 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 161% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $765 in Polonnaruwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $510 in Polonnaruwa. That makes Polonnaruwa about 62% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Ubud, Bali and $40 in Polonnaruwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,331. In Polonnaruwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $510 in Polonnaruwa to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. 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.