Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 10% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$4.53 ¥30.11

-26.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$30.16 ¥201

18.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$5.11 ¥34.04

8.22%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$3.41 ¥22.70

-20.23%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.58 ¥3.85

193.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.35 ¥2.36

117.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$1.23 ¥8.22

115.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$2.31 ¥15.37

89.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.88 ¥12.52

-20.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.94 ¥12.88

17.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.98 ¥6.52

21.43%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.70 ¥11.31

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$17.02 ¥113

4.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$3.22 ¥21.41

22.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$12.93 ¥86.0

-5.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.15 ¥14.31

70.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.73 ¥11.48

-12.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.03 ¥13.51

9.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.73 ¥11.54

13.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$0.83 ¥5.51

122.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$0.92 ¥6.13

163.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.67 ¥4.48

47.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.59 ¥3.92

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$3.77 ¥25.10

-41.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$11.03 ¥73.4

101.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$0.90 ¥6.00

151.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.60 ¥10.67

85.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.57 ¥3.81

-56.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$29.62 ¥197

-73.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$2.14 ¥14.25

-79.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.47 ¥3.10

-8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$8.74 ¥58.2

-38.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.34 ¥8.93

-38.81%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$19.3K ¥128.1K

23.84%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$18.3K ¥121.7K

73.68%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$58.9 ¥392

34.23%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$7.90 ¥52.5

-18.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$10.60 ¥70.5

75.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$64.8 ¥431

-23.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$17.47 ¥116

1.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$9.06 ¥60.3

-52.87%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-69.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-79.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$54.6 ¥363

-18.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$37.21 ¥248

-6.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$74.6 ¥496

7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$106 ¥707

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,026 ¥6,826

9.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$559 ¥3,722

20.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$2,618 ¥17.4K

36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,191 ¥7,926

44.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-79.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-65.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-90.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.36

310.12%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 16.7% $112

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 18% $52

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 0.6% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shanghai

$123 10% 14.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 25.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 42.9% $25

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Shanghai

$36 3% 219% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays about 10 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $30 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $237 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Shanghai 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Shanghai

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 Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,222 in Shanghai, so Shanghai is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 90% 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 $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,587 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Shanghai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.