Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Surat Thani

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Surat Thani $2,053

Ubud, Bali costs about 75% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while Surat Thani is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$1.89 ฿63.0

70.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$17.87 ฿597

95.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.51 ฿151

26.39%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$1.50 ฿50.2

74.67%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.50 ฿16.68

244.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.29 ฿9.66

179.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$2.56 ฿85.4

3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$3.69 ฿123

18.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.66 ฿55.4

-5.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.19 ฿39.89

84.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.17 ฿39.13

0.85%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.87 ฿62.4

15.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$19.18 ฿641

-7.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$3.33 ฿111

13.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$7.44 ฿249

60.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$2.91 ฿97.2

23.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.68 ฿56.3

-5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.76 ฿58.7

31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$2.05 ฿68.4

-6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.30 ฿43.57

36.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.37 ฿45.90

70.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.11 ฿37.24

-9.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.41 ฿13.66

29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$3.07 ฿103

-25.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$18.86 ฿630

17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.54 ฿51.6

52.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.82 ฿60.7

63.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$1.02 ฿34.00

-77.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$20.95 ฿700

-57.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.18 ฿39.50

-60.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.63 ฿21.05

-31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$3.49 ฿117

56.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.16 ฿38.93

-28.45%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

-10.35%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$27.3K ฿911.7K

20.18%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$72.9 ฿2,437

9.70%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$11.12 ฿372

-41.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$17.32 ฿579

7.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$48.24 ฿1,612

12.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$11.52 ฿385

58.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$4.53 ฿151

-6.18%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$549 ฿18.3K

-10.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$11.6K ฿386.5K

-51.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$61.9 ฿2,070

-26.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$29.16 ฿974

19.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$97.3 ฿3,252

-20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$86.5 ฿2,892

-9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$237 ฿7,910

378.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$149 ฿4,985

351.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$1,150 ฿38.4K

214.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$709 ฿23.7K

140.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$2,226 ฿74.4K

22.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,404 ฿46.9K

59.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.57

147.40%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 77.8% $524

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 15% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 16.1% $17

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 34.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 3.6% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 8.5% $5.3

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 136% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $237 in Surat Thani. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $18.00 in Surat Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $244 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

132,040

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Surat Thani 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, $775 in Surat Thani – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $549 in Surat Thani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $775 in Surat Thani to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Surat Thani. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.