Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $808 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
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Shymkent Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $808 in Shymkent.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Shymkent $808

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,390 in Shymkent.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Shymkent $1,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,971 in Shymkent.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Shymkent $1,971

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 68% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Shymkent is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$11.25 ₸5,086

-71.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$33.35 ₸15.1K

4.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$6.50 ₸2,938

-12.31%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$2.54 ₸1,147

3.15%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.03 ₸467

66.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.54 ₸246

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.09 ₸492

143.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$1.35 ₸609

223.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.46 ₸661

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$0.41 ₸184

434.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.79 ₸811

-34.08%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.73 ₸783

24.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$10.04 ₸4,538

75.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$5.26 ₸2,376

-28.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$8.98 ₸4,059

33.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$1.19 ₸538

202.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$2.12 ₸957

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$2.58 ₸1,166

-10.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.35 ₸610

41.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$0.55 ₸250

223.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$0.41 ₸184

468.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.88 ₸397

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.83 ₸376

-36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$2.46 ₸1,114

-6.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$4.55 ₸2,057

385.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.03 ₸466

128.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.51 ₸683

97.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.14 ₸64.0

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$0.87 ₸395

-45.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.34 ₸156

26.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$10.02 ₸4,532

-45.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$0.64 ₸291

29.69%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$27.2K ₸12.3M

-12.15%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$29.0K ₸13.1M

12.85%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$47.29 ₸21.4K

69.15%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$9.60 ₸4,338

-31.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$14.79 ₸6,685

25.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$38.82 ₸17.5K

39.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$8.82 ₸3,986

107.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$5.68 ₸2,567

-25.18%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$57.8 ₸26.1K

752.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$37.55 ₸17.0K

21.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$33.85 ₸15.3K

3.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$187 ₸84.4K

-58.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$52.9 ₸23.9K

48.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$338 ₸153.0K

234.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$203 ₸92.0K

230.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$698 ₸315.6K

417.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$545 ₸246.2K

212.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$1,104 ₸499.1K

146.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$986 ₸445.6K

127.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$442 ₸199.6K

-62.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

18.25

-24.49%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Shymkent

$203 25.2% 69.8% $469

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Shymkent

$185 22.9% 35.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Shymkent

$140 17.3% 31.4% $33

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Shymkent

$154 19.1% 45.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Shymkent

$72 8.9% 31.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Shymkent

$50 6.2% 19.9% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Shymkent

$3.2 * 0.4% 74.6% $9.3

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $338 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shymkent pays 165% 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 $33.00 in Shymkent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $185 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

2 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Shymkent 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Shymkent differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $808 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 165% lower in Shymkent. 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $338 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $57.8 in Shymkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $808 in Shymkent versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Shymkent are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.