Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Rui'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Rui'an: $714 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Rui'an
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Rui'an Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Rui'an

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Rui'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $714 in Rui'an.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Rui'an $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,133 in Rui'an.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Rui'an $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,552 in Rui'an.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Rui'an $1,552

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 89% more expensive than in Rui'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Rui'an is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$2.83 ¥18.91

14.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$21.42 ¥143

62.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.92 ¥32.91

15.85%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$3.11 ¥20.77

-15.76%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.43 ¥2.89

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.29 ¥1.96

179.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$0.92 ¥6.17

188.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$2.06 ¥13.79

112.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.85 ¥12.39

-15.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.61 ¥10.73

36.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.95 ¥6.34

24.21%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.55 ¥10.38

39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$12.91 ¥86.3

36.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$3.24 ¥21.64

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$10.13 ¥67.7

17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$1.79 ¥11.95

101.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.20 ¥8.03

32.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.54 ¥10.32

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.14 ¥7.64

67.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$0.69 ¥4.61

157.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$0.92 ¥6.14

153.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.60 ¥4.00

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.55 ¥3.70

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$3.22 ¥21.50

-28.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$10.43 ¥69.7

111.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$0.74 ¥4.93

217.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.65 ¥11.04

80.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.27 ¥1.80

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$16.57 ¥111

-46.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.38 ¥9.21

-65.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.32 ¥2.17

34.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$6.72 ¥44.95

-18.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.13 ¥7.53

-26.55%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$19.4K ¥130.0K

22.84%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$17.4K ¥116.1K

88.73%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$44.23 ¥296

80.85%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$10.04 ¥67.1

-34.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$11.61 ¥77.6

60.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$41.34 ¥276

30.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$13.91 ¥93.0

31.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$5.77 ¥38.60

-26.34%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$341 ¥2,279

44.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$16.5K ¥110.6K

-66.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$43.27 ¥289

5.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$30.29 ¥203

15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$71.0 ¥475

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$72.3 ¥484

8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$275 ¥1,839

311.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$192 ¥1,285

250.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$600 ¥4,010

502.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$362 ¥2,418

370.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$3,056 ¥20.4K

-11.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$2,008 ¥13.4K

11.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.89

254.24%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rui'an: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Rui'an

$192 26.9% 71.4% $481

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Rui'an

$199 27.8% 30.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Rui'an

$98 13.7% 8.4% $9

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Rui'an

$86 12.1% 18.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Rui'an

$66 9.2% 37.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Rui'an

$53 7.4% 15.5% $9.7

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Rui'an

$21 2.9% 66% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $275 in Rui'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $21.00 in Rui'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $199 per month, with Rui'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇳 Rui'an

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

213,600

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Rui'an 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Rui'an

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 Rui'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rui'an wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rui'an the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,030 in Ubud, Bali and $1,071 in Rui'an to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $275 in Rui'an. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rui'an – a meal for two runs $21.00 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 $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $714 in Rui'an – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $714 in Rui'an versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rui'an but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Rui'an the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Rui'an delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $714 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Rui'an hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Rui'an 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 Rui'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.