Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sarawak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $954 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
Learn more

Sarawak Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $954 in Sarawak, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Sarawak $954

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,408 in Sarawak, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Sarawak $1,408

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,862 in Sarawak, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Sarawak $1,862

Ubud, Bali costs about 41% more than Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$3.58 MYR 14.60

-7.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$19.96 MYR 81.3

78.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$4.70 MYR 19.16

17.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$2.96 MYR 12.06

-8.11%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.77 MYR 3.13

120.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.39 MYR 1.59

94.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$3.95 MYR 16.08

-32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$4.57 MYR 18.63

-4.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.75 MYR 7.13

-14.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.22 MYR 4.98

86.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.26 MYR 9.20

-9.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$14.46 MYR 58.9

22.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$4.07 MYR 16.58

-2.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$9.85 MYR 40.13

23.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.90 MYR 11.81

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.45 MYR 5.89

4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-6.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.31 MYR 5.34

50.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.23 MYR 5.02

50.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.24 MYR 5.06

95.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.11 MYR 4.50

-10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.46 MYR 1.89

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.27 MYR 17.41

-48.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$16.86 MYR 68.7

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$2.93 MYR 11.94

-22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$4.03 MYR 16.40

-26.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$10.56 MYR 43.04

-25.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-60.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.51 MYR 2.08

-15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$6.93 MYR 28.22

-21.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.77 MYR 3.15

6.49%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$50.4K MYR 205.2K

-52.67%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$39.9K MYR 162.5K

-20.38%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$52.9 MYR 216

49.37%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$10.66 MYR 43.43

-39.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$29.13 MYR 119

-36.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$40.05 MYR 163

23.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$7.22 MYR 29.42

144.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$5.60 MYR 22.83

-23.75%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$241 MYR 981

103.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$6,956 MYR 28.3K

-18.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$58.1 MYR 237

-23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$29.97 MYR 122

16.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$87.0 MYR 354

-8.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$75.9 MYR 309

4.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$410 MYR 1,669

174.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$318 MYR 1,297

110.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$704 MYR 2,870

406.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$491 MYR 2,000

251.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$2,170 MYR 8,841

25.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,323 MYR 5,393

72.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$349 MYR 1,420

-53.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.06

239.41%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Sarawak

$318 33.4% 52.6% $353

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Sarawak

$249 26.1% 13.6% $39

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Sarawak

$112 11.7% 3.8% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Sarawak

$113 11.8% 5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Sarawak

$93 9.7% 10.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 11.7% $6.8

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Sarawak

$17 1.8% 50.9% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $410 in Sarawak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sarawak 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 $20 in Sarawak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $249 – making Sarawak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Sarawak 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $954 in Sarawak – Sarawak comes out roughly 29% 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 $1,430 in Sarawak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $410 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $241 in Sarawak. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sarawak, where all-in costs run around $954, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Sarawak it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.