Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Skudai

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Skudai, Malaysia
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Skudai
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$900
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $900 in Skudai.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Skudai $900

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,370 in Skudai.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Skudai $1,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,840 in Skudai.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Skudai $1,840

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 50% more expensive than in Skudai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$3.63 MYR 14.84
-8.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.7K
$18.25 MYR 74.6
95.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$4.90 MYR 20.05
12.86%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$2.87 MYR 11.73
-5.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$0.83 MYR 3.40
104.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.45 MYR 1.83
68.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$3.33 MYR 13.62
-20.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$5.62 MYR 22.97
-22.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.74 MYR 7.11
-14.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$1.02 MYR 4.18
123.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.48 MYR 6.06
-19.59%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$1.66 MYR 6.78
22.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.2K
$9.64 MYR 39.43
83.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$3.20 MYR 13.09
23.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.2K
$9.61 MYR 39.28
26.85%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$3.42 MYR 13.98
7.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.70 MYR 6.94
-10.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$2.61 MYR 10.68
-14.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.64 MYR 6.69
20.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$1.41 MYR 5.75
31.21%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$1.73 MYR 7.08
39.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$1.37 MYR 5.59
-27.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,316
$0.51 MYR 2.09
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$4.28 MYR 17.49
-48.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.6K
$13.83 MYR 56.5
60.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$2.74 MYR 11.19
-17.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$2.99 MYR 12.22
-0.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,555
$0.83 MYR 3.40
-69.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.0K
$10.95 MYR 44.78
-28.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,975
$1.01 MYR 4.13
-56.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,804
$0.36 MYR 1.46
19.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.2K
$9.03 MYR 36.92
-40.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$0.86 MYR 3.51
-4.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.6M
$44.3K MYR 181.0K
-46.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 576.1M
$36.0K MYR 147.2K
-11.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$48.79 MYR 199
62.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.0K
$8.16 MYR 33.38
-20.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.1K
$26.88 MYR 110
-30.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.9K
$36.95 MYR 151
33.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.2K
$7.55 MYR 30.86
133.77%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.6K
$4.93 MYR 20.17
-13.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$235 MYR 962
108.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.0M
$4,393 MYR 18.0K
29.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 810.0K
$50.5 MYR 206
-11.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.2K
$16.62 MYR 68.0
110.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$77.2 MYR 316
3.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$85.4 MYR 349
-7.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$357 MYR 1,461
214.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$311 MYR 1,270
116.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
$650 MYR 2,659
448.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$565 MYR 2,310
205.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
$1,956 MYR 7,997
39.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$1,161 MYR 4,746
96.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Skudai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
4.06
239.41%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Skudai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Skudai
$311 53.7% $361
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Skudai
$226 21.5% $62
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Skudai
$111 3.3% $3.5
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Skudai
$103 3.8% $4.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Skudai
$84 19.5% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Skudai
$47 19.3% $11
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Skudai
$17 49.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $357 in Skudai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $18 in Skudai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $226 per month, with Skudai cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇲🇾 Skudai
🕒 Local time
01:09 1:09 AM
01:09 1:09 AM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
159,733
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Skudai 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Skudai

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 Skudai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Skudai?
Ubud, Bali and Skudai differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,349 vs $900 including rent). Skudai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Skudai?
You’d need roughly $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $1,349 in Skudai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Skudai?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $357 in Skudai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Skudai?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $900 in Skudai – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Skudai?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 29% less than in Skudai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $900 in Skudai versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Skudai but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Skudai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Skudai?
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.
Is Ubud, Bali or Skudai safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Skudai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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