Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Scalea

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,723 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
Learn more

Scalea Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,723 in Scalea.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Scalea $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,482 in Scalea.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Scalea $2,482

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,241 in Scalea.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Scalea $3,241

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 22% less than in Scalea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$16.80 €14.99

-80.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

$56.6 €50.5

-36.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$11.02 €9.83

-49.82%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.10 €1.88

29.52%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.96 €2.64

-42.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$2.08 €1.86

-63.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$6.59 €5.88

-59.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$4.13 €3.68

6.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.26 €1.13

18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.68 €1.49

35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.62 €2.34

-54.58%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$3.41 €3.04

-40.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

$11.04 €9.85

60.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$11.70 €10.44

-66.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

$15.79 €14.08

-22.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$1.99 €1.77

83.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.73 €1.54

-12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.39 €1.24

60.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$2.64 €2.35

-25.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.74 €1.55

6.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.30 €1.16

86.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.28 €1.14

-22.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,316

$0.46 €0.41

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$6.82 €6.08

-67.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

$7.81 €6.97

184.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.83 €1.63

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$1.53 €1.36

94.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

$1.66 €1.48

-84.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

$38.62 €34.46

-79.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$4.57 €4.08

-90.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

$1.14 €1.01

-62.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

$22.00 €19.63

-75.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$2.12 €1.89

-61.32%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

$36.0K €32.1K

-33.76%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

$37.6K €33.5K

-15.56%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$315 €281

-74.86%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

$10.52 €9.38

-38.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

$34.57 €30.84

-46.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

$53.1 €47.40

-6.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

$22.55 €20.12

-21.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$9.07 €8.09

-52.92%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$445 €397

10.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$6,807 €6,073

-16.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

$83.0 €74.1

-46.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

$34.18 €30.49

2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$84.9 €75.8

-5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$129 €115

-38.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$700 €625

60.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$556 €496

20.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,099 €980

224.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$819 €730

110.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$1,452 €1,295

88.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,141 €1,018

100.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.55

288.17%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Scalea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Scalea

$556 32.3% 17.2% $115

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Scalea

$278 16.1% 3.7% $11

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Scalea

$254 14.7% 136% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Scalea

$149 8.6% 38.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Scalea

$360 20.9% 246% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Scalea

$71 4.1% 22.8% $13

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Scalea

$56 3.2% 386% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $700 in Scalea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $57 in Scalea. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $278, with Scalea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇹 Scalea

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

7 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

10,913

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Scalea 11,420 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Scalea

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 Scalea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,723 in Scalea, so Ubud, Bali is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $2,585 in Scalea 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $700 in Scalea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $445 in Scalea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Scalea pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Scalea are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.