Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Shaab

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,386 in Shaab, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. The total is higher in Shaab despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
Learn more

Shaab Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,386 in Shaab.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Shaab $1,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,294 in Shaab.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Shaab $2,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,201 in Shaab.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Shaab $3,201

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 3% less than in Shaab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$12.70 KWD 3.91

-73.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$63.2 KWD 19.47

-43.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$8.88 KWD 2.74

-37.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 KWD 1.53

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$5.21 KWD 1.61

-47.79%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.70 KWD 0.22

142.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.29 KWD 0.09

162.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.58 KWD 0.49

-5.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.46 KWD 0.45

56.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.98 KWD 0.61

-39.90%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.07 KWD 0.64

-1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$4.42 KWD 1.36

300.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$6.74 KWD 2.08

-41.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$10.17 KWD 3.13

19.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.52 KWD 0.78

45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.87 KWD 0.58

19.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.48 KWD 0.46

33.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.32 KWD 0.41

40.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.49 KWD 0.46

62.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$2.30 KWD 0.71

-56.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.57 KWD 0.18

-10.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$2.69 KWD 0.83

-17.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.81 KWD 0.25

-69.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-90.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$3.30 KWD 1.02

-86.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$15.86 KWD 4.89

-65.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.35 KWD 0.11

134.29%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$23.6K KWD 7,262

1.15%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$19.5K KWD 6,015

62.62%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$66.5 KWD 20.47

18.98%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$22.82 KWD 7.03

-71.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$29.54 KWD 9.10

-37.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$102 KWD 31.37

-51.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$12.90 KWD 3.97

-66.90%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$503 KWD 155

-2.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$9,302 KWD 2,866

-39.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$37.18 KWD 11.46

20.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$39.66 KWD 12.22

-11.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$97.4 KWD 30.01

-17.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$87.5 KWD 26.94

-9.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$796 KWD 245

41.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$617 KWD 190

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$1,694 KWD 522

110.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,320 KWD 407

30.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$3,175 KWD 978

-94.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.53

111.03%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shaab: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Shaab

$617 44.5% 8.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Shaab

$186 13.4% 35.5% $102

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shaab

$195 14.1% 80.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shaab

$118 8.5% 9.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Shaab

$119 8.6% 14.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Shaab

$128 9.2% 120% $70

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Shaab

$25 * 1.8% 116% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $796 in Shaab. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shaab pays about 19 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $63 in Shaab. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $186, with Shaab cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇰🇼 Shaab

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

00:50 12:50 AM

5 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

164,212

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Shaab 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Shaab

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 Shaab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $796 in Shaab. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shaab pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,386 in Shaab – Ubud, Bali is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Shaab are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Shaab on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.