Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,117 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,117 in Shenzhen.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Shenzhen $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,714 in Shenzhen.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Shenzhen $1,714

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,310 in Shenzhen.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Shenzhen $2,310

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 21% more expensive than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$3.66 ¥24.35

-9.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$29.39 ¥196

21.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$5.28 ¥35.17

4.73%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$3.36 ¥22.34

-19.05%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.58 ¥3.84

193.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.36 ¥2.37

111.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$1.48 ¥9.82

79.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$2.14 ¥14.26

104.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.54 ¥10.22

-3.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.63 ¥10.84

39.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.14 ¥7.60

4.39%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.75 ¥11.63

16.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$20.74 ¥138

-14.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$3.41 ¥22.71

16.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$14.42 ¥96.0

-15.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.25 ¥14.96

62.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.62 ¥10.79

-6.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.94 ¥12.88

14.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.42 ¥9.47

38.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.08 ¥7.20

71.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.28 ¥8.52

89.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.60 ¥3.97

65.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$0.56 ¥3.76

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.43 ¥29.50

-49.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$12.08 ¥80.4

84.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$0.92 ¥6.15

145.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.83 ¥12.15

62.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$0.44 ¥2.90

-43.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$18.05 ¥120

-56.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$1.53 ¥10.15

-71.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$0.41 ¥2.75

4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

$7.36 ¥48.98

-26.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.32 ¥8.77

-37.88%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$19.2K ¥127.9K

24.00%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$18.0K ¥120.1K

75.93%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$64.8 ¥431

22.06%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$9.90 ¥65.9

-34.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$16.40 ¥109

13.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$48.95 ¥326

1.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$16.95 ¥113

4.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$7.28 ¥48.44

-41.35%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$537 ¥3,572

-8.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-76.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$55.7 ¥371

-19.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$40.56 ¥270

-13.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$73.1 ¥486

9.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$93.9 ¥625

-15.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$753 ¥5,010

49.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$471 ¥3,132

42.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$1,847 ¥12.3K

92.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$830 ¥5,525

107.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$13.2K ¥87.8K

-79.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-64.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-90.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.35

311.34%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 29.9% $201

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 13.7% $39

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 6.4% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 10.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 12.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 9.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 105% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $753 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenzhen pays about 11 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 $29 in Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $249 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

12,528,300

💱 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 →

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Ubud, Bali Shenzhen 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
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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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shenzhen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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 $753 in Shenzhen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 57% less than in Shenzhen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $537 in Shenzhen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Shenzhen 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.