Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,161 in Sendai, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Sendai $1,161

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,835 in Sendai, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Sendai $1,835

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,510 in Sendai, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Sendai $2,510

Ubud, Bali costs about 17% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while Sendai is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$6.23 ¥984

-48.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$34.65 ¥5,474

0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.50 ¥711

26.67%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$3.62 ¥571

-27.62%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.94 ¥149

82.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.78 ¥124

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.87 ¥295

41.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$3.20 ¥505

36.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.45 ¥229

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.44 ¥227

52.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$6.64 ¥1,048

-82.23%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$2.09 ¥330

3.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$10.89 ¥1,721

62.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$11.91 ¥1,881

-68.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$9.00 ¥1,422

32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$3.55 ¥560

1.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$2.20 ¥348

-27.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$4.47 ¥707

-48.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$3.24 ¥512

-41.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$2.58 ¥407

-31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$2.27 ¥358

2.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.41 ¥222

-29.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$1.25 ¥198

-57.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$4.44 ¥701

-48.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$7.01 ¥1,107

214.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.57 ¥248

49.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.61 ¥413

14.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$1.47 ¥232

-84.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$37.26 ¥5,886

-76.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$5.23 ¥826

-91.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$18.42 ¥2,910

-70.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.06 ¥168

-21.70%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

50.81%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$24.8K ¥3.9M

32.08%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$138 ¥21.8K

-42.02%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$30.52 ¥4,822

-78.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$34.78 ¥5,495

-46.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$44.60 ¥7,046

21.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$12.84 ¥2,029

42.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$10.07 ¥1,590

-57.80%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$229 ¥36.2K

115.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$3,792 ¥599.0K

47.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$56.1 ¥8,868

-18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$33.92 ¥5,359

3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$35.34 ¥5,583

119.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$53.5 ¥8,455

46.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$560 ¥88.4K

102.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$327 ¥51.7K

105.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$692 ¥109.4K

421.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$715 ¥112.9K

138.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$2,638 ¥416.8K

3.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,424 ¥225.0K

57.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$996 ¥157.3K

-83.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

2.73

404.76%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Sendai

$327 28.2% 51.4% $346

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Sendai

$308 26.5% 7.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Sendai

$81 6.9% 24.4% $26

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Sendai

$129 11.1% 21.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Sendai

$203 17.5% 93.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 3.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Sendai

$48 * 4.2% 289% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $560 in Sendai. 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 499% higher in Sendai, 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $35.00 in Sendai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $308 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

1 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,082,159

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, 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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Sendai 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Sendai

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 Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 17% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,742 in Sendai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sendai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $35.00 in Sendai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali and $1,161 in Sendai. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Sendai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sendai costs $1,161 versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sendai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.