Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sungai Petani

For one person, living is cheaper in Sungai Petani: $804 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Sungai Petani, Malaysia
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Sungai Petani
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$804
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Sungai Petani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $804 in Sungai Petani.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Sungai Petani $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,203 in Sungai Petani.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Sungai Petani $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,602 in Sungai Petani.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Sungai Petani $1,602

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.2K
$2.51 MYR 10.19
32.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 645.8K
$17.12 MYR 69.5
108.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.3K
$4.49 MYR 18.23
23.16%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$2.47 MYR 10.03
10.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
$0.75 MYR 3.06
126.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.39 MYR 1.56
94.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$3.53 MYR 14.30
-24.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.4K
$4.44 MYR 18.03
-1.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$1.79 MYR 7.28
-16.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.2K
$1.10 MYR 4.47
107.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.69 MYR 6.85
-29.59%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.26 MYR 9.18
-9.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 320.8K
$9.98 MYR 40.49
77.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.8K
$4.52 MYR 18.34
-12.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 220.9K
$8.89 MYR 36.06
37.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.2K
$3.02 MYR 12.24
21.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.62 MYR 6.56
-6.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$2.71 MYR 11.01
-17.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
$1.40 MYR 5.68
40.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$1.09 MYR 4.44
69.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$1.07 MYR 4.35
126.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$1.13 MYR 4.60
-12.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,303
$0.59 MYR 2.38
-13.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$4.31 MYR 17.48
-48.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.0K
$19.25 MYR 78.1
15.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$2.86 MYR 11.61
-20.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$5.15 MYR 20.90
-42.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,548
$0.70 MYR 2.84
-64.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.8K
$12.26 MYR 49.74
-36.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,964
$1.75 MYR 7.08
-74.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,793
$0.38 MYR 1.53
13.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.0K
$7.49 MYR 30.38
-27.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$0.48 MYR 1.97
70.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.0M
$44.6K MYR 181.1K
-46.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.3M
$35.0K MYR 141.9K
-9.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$36.69 MYR 149
115.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.8K
$9.93 MYR 40.28
-35.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 336.7K
$19.96 MYR 81.0
-6.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 896.7K
$24.41 MYR 99.0
102.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 319.8K
$14.42 MYR 58.5
22.40%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.4K
$2.86 MYR 11.62
49.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$397 MYR 1,609
23.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.8M
$10.6K MYR 42.8K
-46.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 808.9K
$59.4 MYR 241
-24.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 633.4K
$34.60 MYR 140
1.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$74.4 MYR 302
7.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$69.8 MYR 283
13.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$180 MYR 731
524.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$241 MYR 976
179.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.6M
$480 MYR 1,947
642.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.2M
$365 MYR 1,481
372.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
$1,202 MYR 4,877
127.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$480 MYR 1,948
375.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Sungai Petani
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$490 MYR 1,986
-66.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
4.04
241.09%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sungai Petani: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Sungai Petani
$241 64.2% $431
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Sungai Petani
$247 14.5% $42
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Sungai Petani
$94 12.4% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Sungai Petani
$107 0.3% $0.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Sungai Petani
$67 36% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Sungai Petani
$30 48.1% $28
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Sungai Petani
$19 63.7% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $180 in Sungai Petani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sungai Petani pays about 3 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 $17 in Sungai Petani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $247 per month, with Sungai Petani cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇲🇾 Sungai Petani
🕒 Local time
08:12 8:12 AM
08:12 8:12 AM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
545,053
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Sungai Petani 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Sungai Petani

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 Sungai Petani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Sungai Petani?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $804 in Sungai Petani, so Sungai Petani is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 67% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Sungai Petani?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $180 in Sungai Petani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Sungai Petani?
Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $397 in Sungai Petani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $804 in Sungai Petani versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sungai Petani but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Sungai Petani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Sungai Petani?
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 Sungai Petani safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Sungai Petani are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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