Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Retford

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,255 in Retford, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Retford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,255
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,255 in Retford, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Retford $2,255

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,343 in Retford, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Retford $3,343

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,432 in Retford, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Retford $4,432

Ubud, Bali is about 40% cheaper than Retford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ubud, Bali and Retford sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 0%, Retford by 66%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$14.72 £11.04
-78.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$66.5 £49.87
-47.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$7.14 £5.36
-20.17%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$3.88 £2.91
-32.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$1.75 £1.31
-1.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$1.78 £1.33
-54.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$4.30 £3.22
-38.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$4.34 £3.26
0.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.72 £1.29
-8.72%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.83 £1.38
19.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.64 £1.23
-28.05%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$4.66 £3.50
-53.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$11.18 £8.39
57.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$10.16 £7.62
-62.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$12.50 £9.38
-4.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$2.09 £1.56
72.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.80 £1.35
-11.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$1.76 £1.32
31.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.74 £1.31
9.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$1.48 £1.11
20.27%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$1.58 £1.19
47.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$0.42 £0.31
138.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$1.56 £1.17
-66.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$23.33 £17.50
-90.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$7.77 £5.83
184.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$1.70 £1.27
38.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$2.04 £1.53
46.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$3.65 £2.74
-93.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$108 £80.7
-91.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$4.93 £3.70
-90.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$3.91 £2.93
-89.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$28.85 £21.64
-81.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$2.09 £1.57
-60.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$40.1K £30.1K
-40.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$44.2K £33.2K
-25.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$342 £257
-76.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$27.87 £20.91
-76.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$46.53 £34.91
-60.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$52.7 £39.53
2.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$11.50 £8.62
-63.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$1,926 £1,445
-74.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$23.9K £17.9K
-76.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$85.1 £63.9
-46.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$60.8 £45.59
-42.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$109 £81.4
-28.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$161 £121
-51.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$1,398 £1,049
-19.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$924 £693
-27.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$2,099 £1,575
72.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$1,675 £1,257
1.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$5,059 £3,796
-46.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$3,851 £2,889
-41.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Retford
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$1,711 £1,283
-90.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.3
160.00%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Retford
$924 37.3% $251
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Retford
$276 4% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Retford
$187 75.5% $80
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Retford
$230 116% $124
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Retford
$416 296% $311
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Retford
$76 20.9% $13
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Retford
$147 1080% $134

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,398 in Retford. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 928% higher in Retford, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $66.0 in Retford. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Ubud, Bali vs $276 in Retford – so Retford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇬🇧 Retford
🕒 Local time
19:15 7:15 PM
12:15 12:15 PM
7 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
22,023
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Retford 12,490 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Retford

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 Retford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in Retford compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, $2,255 in Retford – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Retford?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $3,383 in Retford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ubud, Bali and Retford?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Retford?
Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,926 in Retford. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Retford – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than in Retford at $2,255. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Retford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Retford?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,353 in Ubud, Bali to $2,255 in Retford. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ubud, Bali or Retford safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Ubud, Bali and Retford?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Retford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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