Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sylhet

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylhet: $365 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Sylhet
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$365
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $365 in Sylhet.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Sylhet $365

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $617 in Sylhet.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Sylhet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $869 in Sylhet.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Sylhet $869

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 274% more expensive than in Sylhet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Sylhet is 73% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.6K
$2.46 ৳304
35.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 629.4K
$11.56 ৳1,429
204.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 103.8K
$4.01 ৳496
44.64%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.02 ৳497
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.09 ৳506
-
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 48.8K
$1.98 ৳244
37.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.4K
$0.31 ৳37.68
429.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$0.15 ৳18.51
453.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.3K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 76.9K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 26.9K
$0.79 ৳98.0
89.87%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.1K
$0.59 ৳73.1
289.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.1K
$0.65 ৳79.8
81.54%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.4K
$1.18 ৳145
81.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 312.7K
$7.83 ৳967
123.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.1K
$3.35 ৳414
20.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 218.8K
$6.55 ৳809
86.72%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.5K
$2.68 ৳331
32.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.1K
$0.90 ৳111
74.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.0K
$2.42 ৳299
-7.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.5K
$0.60 ৳74.5
221.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.7K
$0.26 ৳32.34
623.08%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.0K
$0.46 ৳57.4
397.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$0.32 ৳39.47
209.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,418
$0.27 ৳33.13
96.30%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.81 ৳347
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.05 ৳253
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.05 ৳500
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 40.9K
$2.76 ৳341
-17.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 411.7K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 41.9K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.1K
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,289
$0.70 ৳86.4
-65.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 157.8K
$24.05 ৳2,971
-63.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,632
$1.24 ৳153
-61.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,183
$0.15 ৳18.58
206.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 97.6K
$1.17 ৳144
365.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.8K
$1.08 ৳134
-18.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 439.5M
$29.9K ৳3.7M
-17.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 558.0M
$33.0K ৳4.1M
-5.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$25.97 ৳3,208
219.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 115.3K
$4.23 ৳522
52.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 332.2K
$10.48 ৳1,294
77.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 998.7K
$9.05 ৳1,118
516.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 324.0K
$4.01 ৳495
351.62%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.4K
$4.02 ৳497
8.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.8M
$28.87 ৳3,566
1607.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 102.9M
$995 ৳122.9K
478.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 826.5K
$16.22 ৳2,004
184.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 632.2K
$16.43 ৳2,030
115.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$36.99 ৳4,570
113.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$30.47 ৳3,764
157.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.4M
$129 ৳15.9K
788.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.1M
$57.6 ৳7,112
1073.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 62.7M
$173 ৳21.3K
1928.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.4M
$162 ৳20.0K
951.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 49.8M
$706 ৳87.2K
294.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.1M
$350 ৳43.3K
539.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Sylhet
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 2.9M
$224 ৳27.7K
-26.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10.48
31.49%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sylhet: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Sylhet
$58 91.5% $618
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Sylhet
$119 59.1% $172
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Sylhet
$57 47.4% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Sylhet
$41 62.4% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Sylhet
$45 58.1% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Sylhet
$17 73.5% $47
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Sylhet
$29 130% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $129 in Sylhet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sylhet pays 36% 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 $12.00 in Sylhet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $119 per month, with Sylhet cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇩 Sylhet
🕒 Local time
10:02 10:02 AM
08:02 8:02 AM
2 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
526,412
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 17,892 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,022 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.1 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Sylhet 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Sylhet

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 Sylhet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Sylhet?
Ubud, Bali and Sylhet differ by about 274% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $365 including rent). Sylhet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Sylhet. 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 Sylhet?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $129 in Sylhet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 145% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Sylhet – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $365 in Sylhet versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sylhet but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Sylhet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Sylhet?
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 Sylhet safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Sylhet are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Sylhet?
Expats usually find Sylhet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 274% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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