Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $975 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $975 in Serdang, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Serdang $975

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,441 in Serdang, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Serdang $1,441

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,906 in Serdang, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Serdang $1,906

Ubud, Bali costs about 39% more than Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while Serdang is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$2.48 MYR 10.13

30.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$16.85 MYR 68.8

107.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$3.76 MYR 15.33

51.60%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$1.94 MYR 7.92

35.05%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.84 MYR 3.43

104.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.47 MYR 1.94

72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$4.39 MYR 17.92

-39.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$6.21 MYR 25.34

-29.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-23.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.12 MYR 4.55

95.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-38.86%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$2.54 MYR 10.37

-14.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$13.78 MYR 56.2

28.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$4.54 MYR 18.50

-16.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$9.91 MYR 40.41

20.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$3.33 MYR 13.57

8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-14.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$2.25 MYR 9.20

2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.61 MYR 6.58

18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.28 MYR 5.24

39.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.34 MYR 5.46

73.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.12 MYR 4.57

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.72 MYR 2.95

-26.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$4.31 MYR 17.59

-46.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$19.36 MYR 79.0

14.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$3.47 MYR 14.17

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$4.88 MYR 19.89

-38.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.76 MYR 3.10

-69.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$12.22 MYR 49.86

-27.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-60.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-65.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$4.77 MYR 19.45

14.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$0.82 MYR 3.36

1.22%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$41.2K MYR 168.1K

-42.04%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$35.2K MYR 143.7K

-6.95%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$63.2 MYR 258

26.55%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$8.89 MYR 36.28

-26.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$26.10 MYR 106

-28.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$40.33 MYR 165

34.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$7.11 MYR 29.00

157.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$5.09 MYR 20.74

-16.50%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$297 MYR 1,210

66.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-57.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$72.7 MYR 297

-37.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$41.98 MYR 171

-16.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$87.4 MYR 356

-11.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$96.0 MYR 392

-18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$409 MYR 1,669

176.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$302 MYR 1,231

123.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$682 MYR 2,783

429.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$479 MYR 1,954

255.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$2,055 MYR 8,382

32.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,069 MYR 4,360

109.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$989 MYR 4,035

-83.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

4.18

229.67%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 55.2% $371

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Serdang

$274 28.1% 4.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Serdang

$134 13.8% 25.9% $28

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 11.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Serdang

$98 10.1% 6.6% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Serdang

$51 5.2% 19.4% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Serdang

$23 2.3% 82.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $409 in Serdang. 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 495% higher in Serdang, 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 $17.00 in Serdang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $274 – making Serdang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

130,252

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Serdang 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, $975 in Serdang – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,462 in Serdang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 5% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $17.00 in Serdang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Serdang, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Serdang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Serdang to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Serdang. 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.