Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Siem Reap Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Siem Reap

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,438 in Ubud, Bali versus $718 in Siem Reap.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,585 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,090 in Siem Reap.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,732 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,462 in Siem Reap.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 100% more expensive than Siem Reap, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 7% above, Siem Reap is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 Rp 61.9K

$2.48 ៛9,977

43.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.58 Rp 564.7K

$23.77 ៛95.5K

37.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 Rp 87.8K

$6.82 ៛27.4K

-25.66%

Cappuccino

$2.83 Rp 49.0K

$1.65 ៛6,645

71.52%

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

$1.34 Rp 23.2K

$0.68 ៛2,741

97.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 Rp 12.0K

$0.48 ៛1,912

43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 Rp 51.8K

$0.98 ៛3,930

205.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 Rp 66.7K

$1.83 ៛7,355

110.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 Rp 30.2K

$1.79 ៛7,184

-2.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 Rp 44.0K

$1.42 ៛5,707

78.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 20.6K

$1.04 ៛4,159

14.42%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 42.0K

$1.57 ៛6,322

54.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.66 Rp 254.1K

$12.92 ៛51.9K

13.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.18 Rp 72.4K

$3.59 ៛14.4K

16.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.94 Rp 206.9K

$10.34 ៛41.5K

15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 Rp 63.9K

$3.70 ៛14.9K

-0.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 Rp 27.8K

$1.07 ៛4,303

50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 Rp 46.5K

$3.24 ៛13.0K

-16.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 40.4K

$1.32 ៛5,319

76.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 33.0K

$1.25 ៛5,022

52.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 37.9K

$0.96 ៛3,850

128.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 Rp 18.3K

$1.34 ៛5,398

-20.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 12.5K

$0.71 ៛2,845

1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 Rp 54.3K

$1.84 ៛7,374

70.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.49 Rp 407.1K

$7.46 ៛30.0K

214.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 Rp 47.5K

$0.78 ៛3,125

251.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 Rp 49.9K

$1.70 ៛6,825

69.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,029

$0.98 ៛3,936

-70.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 141.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 7,863

$1.03 ៛4,147

-56.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,305

$1.02 ៛4,113

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 Rp 106.7K

$4.52 ៛18.2K

36.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 14.6K

$1.07 ៛4,309

-21.50%

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

$26.2K Rp 454.9M

$49.8K ៛200.0M

-47.28%

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

$32.5K Rp 562.9M

$37.3K ៛150.0M

-13.03%

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

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$75.6 ៛303.5K

3.77%

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

$3.95 Rp 68.5K

$5.97 ៛24.0K

-33.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 Rp 423.0K

$19.14 ៛76.9K

27.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$96.5 Rp 1.7M

$35.89 ៛144.2K

168.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.35 Rp 110.0K

$3.47 ៛13.9K

83.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 Rp 70.0K

$4.47 ៛18.0K

-9.62%

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

$303 Rp 5.2M

$374 ៛1.5M

-19.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,523 Rp 113.1M

$5,056 ៛20.3M

29.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 Rp 933.1K

$22.12 ៛88.8K

143.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 Rp 658.3K

$18.14 ៛72.9K

109.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 Rp 1.5M

$54.8 ៛220.1K

58.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 Rp 1.4M

$35.82 ៛143.9K

120.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 Rp 17.5M

$314 ៛1.3M

222.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 11.7M

$222 ៛892.0K

203.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 Rp 58.8M

$492 ៛2.0M

588.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,098 Rp 36.4M

$324 ៛1.3M

548.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,985 Rp 51.7M

$2,461 ៛9.9M

21.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,339 Rp 40.5M

$1,075 ៛4.3M

117.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$173 Rp 3.0M

$218 ៛874.6K

-20.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

9.2

44.35%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: April 28, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,012 in Ubud, Bali and $314 in Siem Reap. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Siem Reap pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $24.00 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $217 per month, with Siem Reap cheaper across the board.

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siem Reap wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Siem Reap the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Siem Reap earns 26% less. 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: $1,012 in Ubud, Bali versus $314 in Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $303 in Ubud, Bali versus $374 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Siem Reap – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $33.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $718 in Siem Reap versus $1,438 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Siem Reap but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Siem Reap the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Siem Reap delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $718 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Siem Reap hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.