Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Taichung, Taiwan
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Taichung
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,112
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,112 in Taichung.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Taichung $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,856 in Taichung.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Taichung $1,856

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,601 in Taichung.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Taichung $2,601

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 21% more expensive than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.2K
$4.69 NT$153
-29.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 645.8K
$31.30 NT$1,021
13.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.3K
$4.64 NT$151
19.18%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$2.89 NT$94.4
-5.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
$1.03 NT$33.52
65.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.76 NT$24.62
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$1.50 NT$48.83
76.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.4K
$2.66 NT$86.8
64.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$3.08 NT$101
-51.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.2K
$1.65 NT$53.7
38.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$2.59 NT$84.3
-54.05%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.54 NT$82.9
-19.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 320.8K
$28.53 NT$930
-37.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.8K
$7.76 NT$253
-48.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 220.9K
$16.59 NT$541
-26.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.2K
$4.21 NT$137
-13.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.94 NT$63.2
-21.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$3.01 NT$98.2
-25.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
$2.13 NT$69.5
-7.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$1.21 NT$39.53
52.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$1.93 NT$63.0
25.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$2.25 NT$73.5
-56.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,303
$0.89 NT$29.05
-42.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$3.79 NT$124
-41.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.0K
$15.10 NT$492
47.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$1.60 NT$52.0
41.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$2.43 NT$79.1
22.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,548
$0.63 NT$20.59
-60.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.8K
$18.67 NT$609
-58.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,964
$2.58 NT$84.0
-82.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,793
$0.90 NT$29.30
-52.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.0K
$9.19 NT$300
-41.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$1.04 NT$33.92
-21.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.0M
$35.3K NT$1.2M
-32.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.3M
$22.2K NT$725.0K
42.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$122 NT$3,981
-35.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.8K
$14.52 NT$473
-55.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 336.7K
$20.46 NT$667
-9.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 896.7K
$31.28 NT$1,020
58.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 319.8K
$11.39 NT$372
54.96%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.4K
$10.22 NT$333
-58.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$326 NT$10.6K
50.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.8M
$16.5K NT$536.4K
-65.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 808.9K
$71.8 NT$2,340
-37.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 633.4K
$35.78 NT$1,167
-2.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$81.7 NT$2,662
-2.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$111 NT$3,610
-28.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$382 NT$12.5K
194.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$266 NT$8,667
152.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.6M
$1,188 NT$38.7K
200.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.2M
$739 NT$24.1K
133.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
$5,811 NT$189.5K
-52.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$4,266 NT$139.1K
-46.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Taichung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$1,400 NT$45.6K
-88.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
2.27
507.05%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Taichung
$266 60.4% $406
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Taichung
$368 27.4% $79
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Taichung
$106 1.4% $1.5
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Taichung
$135 25.5% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Taichung
$157 50.9% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Taichung
$52 10.9% $6.3
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Taichung
$28 148% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $382 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays about 8.5 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 $31 in Taichung. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $368, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇹🇼 Taichung
🕒 Local time
02:05 2:05 AM
02:05 2:05 AM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
2,767,239
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Taichung 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Taichung

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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Taichung?
Taichung wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Taichung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Taichung?
On paper, salaries run 88% 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 much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Taichung?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $382 in Taichung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Taichung?
Dining out is cheaper in Taichung – a meal for two runs $31 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Taichung?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,112 in Taichung – Taichung is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Taichung?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taichung is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or Taichung?
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.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Taichung?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Taichung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?