Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Salem: $353 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Salem
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Salem Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Salem

🇮🇳 India

$353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $353 in Salem, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Salem $353

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $561 in Salem, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Salem $561

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $768 in Salem, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Salem $768

Ubud, Bali costs about 282% more than Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$2.13 ₹202

55.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$7.27 ₹690

390.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$3.72 ₹353

48.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$1.26 ₹120

115.87%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.44 ₹41.80

286.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.17 ₹16.32

347.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$2.16 ₹205

22.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$4.76 ₹452

-7.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$0.54 ₹51.2

175.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$0.44 ₹42.18

418.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.55 ₹52.4

116.36%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$0.73 ₹69.8

179.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$4.96 ₹471

256.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$2.54 ₹242

55.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$2.03 ₹193

80.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$0.69 ₹66.0

120.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.42 ₹135

57.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$0.38 ₹35.66

418.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$0.38 ₹36.08

386.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$0.47 ₹44.41

414.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.25 ₹23.88

296.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$0.29 ₹27.50

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$5.02 ₹477

-55.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$3.02 ₹287

636.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.38 ₹131

63.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.11 ₹200

40.76%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.70 ₹351

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$0.22 ₹20.93

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

$9.63 ₹915

-18.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$1.02 ₹97.2

-56.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$0.11 ₹10.88

290.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$1.02 ₹97.1

430.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.08 ₹102

-24.07%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

109.45%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$18.9K ₹1.8M

67.87%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$53.4 ₹5,073

47.97%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$2.80 ₹266

130.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$9.95 ₹945

86.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$17.46 ₹1,658

183.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$9.44 ₹896

86.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$2.12 ₹202

101.42%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$53.7 ₹5,102

812.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$1,661 ₹157.7K

241.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$19.38 ₹1,840

130.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$14.28 ₹1,356

144.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$30.73 ₹2,917

160.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$26.95 ₹2,558

194.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$102 ₹9,730

997.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$58.0 ₹5,510

1056.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$264 ₹25.1K

1249.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$170 ₹16.1K

915.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$1,297 ₹123.1K

110.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$431 ₹40.9K

429.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$345 ₹32.8K

-52.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.4

32.50%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Salem: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Salem

$58 16.4% 91.4% $613

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Salem

$88 25% 69.4% $200

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Salem

$66 18.7% 38.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Salem

$41 11.6% 61.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Salem

$66 18.7% 36.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Salem

$22 6.1% 62.6% $36

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Salem

$12 3.4% 6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $102 in Salem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Salem are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $7 in Salem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $88 – making Salem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇳 Salem

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

831,038

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Salem 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Salem

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 Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $353 in Salem – Salem comes out roughly 74% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $530 in Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $102 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $353 in Salem. That makes Salem about 74% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Salem, where all-in costs run around $353, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Salem it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.