Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $593 in Semarang, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Semarang $593

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $938 in Semarang, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Semarang $938

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,282 in Semarang, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Semarang $1,282

Ubud, Bali costs about 127% more than Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

147.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$10.53 Rp 191.4K

238.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$3.04 Rp 55.4K

81.91%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

112.50%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.43 Rp 7,812

295.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.16 Rp 2,848

375.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

61.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

34.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

41.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

147.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

50.63%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

72.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

358.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

69.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

61.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

86.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

23.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

34.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.89 Rp 34.4K

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$0.40 Rp 7,362

27.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

18.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$25.05 Rp 455.4K

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

52.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$0.21 Rp 3,818

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

$13.93 Rp 253.2K

-43.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$0.50 Rp 9,132

-12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$0.29 Rp 5,334

48.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$2.69 Rp 48.9K

101.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.77 Rp 14.1K

6.49%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$24.5K Rp 446.2M

-2.84%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$32.2K Rp 585.8M

-1.44%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

-8.21%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$2.67 Rp 48.5K

141.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$18.96 Rp 344.8K

-2.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$20.30 Rp 369.1K

143.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

$4.49 Rp 81.6K

293.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

89.78%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$49.33 Rp 897.0K

894.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

173.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$34.61 Rp 629.4K

28.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$29.31 Rp 532.9K

19.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

41.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$38.07 Rp 692.2K

108.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$226 Rp 4.1M

397.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$136 Rp 2.5M

392.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$477 Rp 8.7M

646.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$380 Rp 6.9M

354.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

123.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$833 Rp 15.2M

174.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$186 Rp 3.4M

-11.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.82

56.24%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Semarang

$136 23% 79.7% $535

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Semarang

$184 31% 36.3% $105

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Semarang

$52 8.8% 51.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Semarang

$71 12% 33.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Semarang

$108 18.2% 3.5% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 57.3% $33

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 46.6% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $226 in Semarang. 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 13% higher in Semarang, 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 $11 in Semarang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $184 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Semarang 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Semarang

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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $890 in Semarang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semarang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali and $11 in Semarang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $593 in Semarang. That makes Semarang about 56% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Semarang, where all-in costs run around $593, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Semarang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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