Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Seremban

For one person, living is cheaper in Seremban: $793 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Seremban
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$793
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $793 in Seremban.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Seremban $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,246 in Seremban.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Seremban $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,700 in Seremban.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Seremban $1,700

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 71% more expensive than in Seremban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Seremban is 41% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$3.60 MYR 14.68
-10.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$18.22 MYR 74.3
91.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$3.65 MYR 14.88
56.16%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$2.85 MYR 11.65
-8.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$0.79 MYR 3.23
117.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.42 MYR 1.71
92.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$3.70 MYR 15.08
-28.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$4.79 MYR 19.54
-8.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.76 MYR 7.17
-10.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.10 MYR 4.48
99.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.45 MYR 5.92
-18.62%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$1.75 MYR 7.13
23.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$17.99 MYR 73.4
-1.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$4.53 MYR 18.46
-16.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$10.23 MYR 41.73
16.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$3.29 MYR 13.41
9.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.33 MYR 5.43
19.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$4.80 MYR 19.57
-51.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.32 MYR 5.40
44.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$1.09 MYR 4.44
63.30%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$1.19 MYR 4.85
95.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$1.20 MYR 4.88
-16.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.55 MYR 2.23
-3.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$4.20 MYR 17.13
-45.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$14.14 MYR 57.7
56.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$2.85 MYR 11.63
-17.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$3.01 MYR 12.27
-1.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$1.24 MYR 5.08
-81.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$24.21 MYR 98.8
-63.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$0.75 MYR 3.05
-37.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.74 MYR 3.03
-41.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$9.89 MYR 40.36
-44.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$0.70 MYR 2.85
18.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$43.5K MYR 177.4K
-45.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$35.2K MYR 143.7K
-6.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$44.55 MYR 182
79.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$10.71 MYR 43.69
-38.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$28.91 MYR 118
-35.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$67.0 MYR 273
-19.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$4.34 MYR 17.70
-2.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$180 MYR 735
173.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$4,453 MYR 18.2K
25.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$48.14 MYR 196
-5.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$16.82 MYR 68.6
107.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$81.3 MYR 332
-4.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$86.3 MYR 352
-8.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$181 MYR 738
525.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$123 MYR 503
445.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$303 MYR 1,237
1091.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$255 MYR 1,042
566.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Seremban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$798 MYR 3,257
-79.16%
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 19, 2026

Last update for Seremban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Seremban
$123 81.7% $550
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Seremban
$264 7.9% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Seremban
$105 1.8% $1.9
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Seremban
$107 0.4% $0.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Seremban
$84 20% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Seremban
$76 20.8% $13
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Seremban
$34 171% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $181 in Seremban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seremban pays 380% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $18.00 in Seremban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $264 per month, with Seremban cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇲🇾 Seremban
🕒 Local time
10:30 10:30 AM
10:30 10:30 AM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
681,541
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Seremban 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Seremban

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 Seremban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Seremban?
Seremban wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Seremban the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Seremban?
On paper, salaries run 380% lower in Seremban. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Seremban?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $181 in Seremban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Ubud, Bali compared to Seremban?
A monthly transit pass in Seremban runs roughly 172% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Seremban?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $180 in Seremban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Seremban?
At $793 in Seremban versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Seremban but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Seremban the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Seremban?
Both work as nomad bases, but Seremban delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $793 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Seremban hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Seremban?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Seremban are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Seremban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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