Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Taiping

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiping: $851 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Taiping
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Taiping Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Taiping

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $851 in Taiping, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Taiping $851

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,309 in Taiping, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Taiping $1,309

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,768 in Taiping, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Taiping $1,768

Ubud, Bali costs about 59% more than Taiping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 59.9K

$2.00 MYR 8.17

66.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 642.4K

$24.84 MYR 102

43.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 99.7K

$4.87 MYR 19.90

13.55%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

$1.50 MYR 6.12

81.33%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.7K

$0.76 MYR 3.09

123.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.7K

$0.23 MYR 0.94

230.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.8K

$2.14 MYR 8.73

23.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.0K

$6.06 MYR 24.78

-27.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$1.31 MYR 5.37

13.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

$0.76 MYR 3.11

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

$1.92 MYR 7.85

-38.02%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.7K

$1.45 MYR 5.91

40.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 319.1K

$13.73 MYR 56.1

28.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.4K

$1.98 MYR 8.10

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 219.7K

$4.83 MYR 19.73

152.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 65.9K

$1.91 MYR 7.79

91.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.4K

$1.77 MYR 7.23

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$1.97 MYR 8.07

13.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$0.96 MYR 3.90

105.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.3K

$0.95 MYR 3.89

94.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.7K

$1.24 MYR 5.07

95.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.02 MYR 4.19

-2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,255

$0.47 MYR 1.93

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$4.42 MYR 18.07

-49.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 400.9K

$14.97 MYR 61.2

48.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

$2.93 MYR 11.97

-22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

$5.01 MYR 20.46

-40.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,525

$0.72 MYR 2.93

-65.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.0K

$12.12 MYR 49.55

-35.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,923

$1.03 MYR 4.19

-57.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,753

$0.51 MYR 2.09

-15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 97.5K

$4.90 MYR 20.03

10.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$0.49 MYR 2.00

67.35%

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

$23.8K Rp 429.7M

$24.1K MYR 98.4K

-0.95%

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

$31.7K Rp 572.3M

$24.3K MYR 99.1K

30.88%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$63.2 MYR 258

25.15%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.2K

$5.45 MYR 22.26

18.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 334.9K

$24.56 MYR 100

-24.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 892.0K

$36.81 MYR 150

34.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 318.1K

$6.43 MYR 26.30

174.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.0K

$4.86 MYR 19.86

-12.14%

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

$491 Rp 8.8M

$237 MYR 967

107.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.3M

$13.1K MYR 53.6K

-56.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 804.7K

$72.6 MYR 297

-38.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 630.1K

$42.74 MYR 175

-18.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$72.5 MYR 296

10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$94.5 MYR 386

-15.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.3M

$407 MYR 1,665

176.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.1M

$288 MYR 1,177

133.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.3M

$711 MYR 2,906

401.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.1M

$543 MYR 2,218

217.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.2M

$2,044 MYR 8,352

33.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.2M

$1,142 MYR 4,665

100.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$361 MYR 1,476

-54.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

244.50%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taiping: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Taiping

$288 33.8% 57.1% $384

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Taiping

$202 23.8% 29.9% $86

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Taiping

$75 8.9% 30.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Taiping

$127 14.9% 18.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Taiping

$93 11% 10.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Taiping

$47 5.5% 19.8% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Taiping

$19 2.2% 62.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $407 in Taiping. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Taiping are about 2.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $25 in Taiping. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $202 – making Taiping the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇾 Taiping

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

241,517

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Taiping 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Taiping

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 Taiping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 59% more than Taiping, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,276 in Taiping. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taiping, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $237 in Taiping. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $851 in Taiping. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Taiping – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.