Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Thanjavur

For one person, living is cheaper in Thanjavur: $369 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Thanjavur
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Thanjavur Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Thanjavur

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $369 in Thanjavur.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Thanjavur $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $579 in Thanjavur.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Thanjavur $579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $789 in Thanjavur.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Thanjavur $789

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 266% more expensive than in Thanjavur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$1.88 ₹178

76.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$6.60 ₹627

440.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$4.15 ₹394

33.25%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$1.81 ₹171

50.28%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.37 ₹34.86

359.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.17 ₹16.06

347.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$0.76 ₹72.5

248.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$3.08 ₹292

42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$0.55 ₹52.6

170.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$0.51 ₹48.82

347.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.60 ₹57.1

98.33%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$0.60 ₹57.3

240.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$6.25 ₹593

183.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$2.15 ₹204

84.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$2.80 ₹265

30.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$0.82 ₹78.0

85.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.45 ₹138

53.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$0.42 ₹39.94

369.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$0.44 ₹42.14

320.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$0.40 ₹37.80

505.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.54 ₹50.9

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$0.30 ₹28.62

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$3.39 ₹322

-34.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$7.25 ₹689

206.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.32 ₹126

71.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.81 ₹267

5.69%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.52 ₹619

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$0.20 ₹19.38

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

$7.29 ₹692

7.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$1.02 ₹96.8

-56.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$0.31 ₹29.30

38.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$2.11 ₹201

156.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.09 ₹104

-24.77%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$11.4K ₹1.1M

109.24%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$20.4K ₹1.9M

55.41%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$38.70 ₹3,675

104.29%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$3.93 ₹373

64.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$7.95 ₹755

133.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$14.45 ₹1,372

242.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$6.73 ₹639

162.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$2.31 ₹220

84.85%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$86.5 ₹8,208

467.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$2,160 ₹205.1K

162.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$20.45 ₹1,942

118.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$16.83 ₹1,598

107.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$35.36 ₹3,357

125.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$26.20 ₹2,488

203.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$122 ₹11.6K

820.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$76.2 ₹7,233

781.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$262 ₹24.9K

1260.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$184 ₹17.5K

835.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$823 ₹78.2K

231.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$605 ₹57.4K

277.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$209 ₹19.8K

-21.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.99

37.94%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Thanjavur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Thanjavur

$76 20.7% 88.7% $595

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Thanjavur

$106 28.9% 63.1% $182

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Thanjavur

$61 16.6% 43.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Thanjavur

$44 12.1% 58.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Thanjavur

$51 13.7% 51.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Thanjavur

$19 5.2% 67.1% $39

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Thanjavur

$11 2.9% 6.6% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $122 in Thanjavur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thanjavur pays 27% 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 $7 in Thanjavur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $106 per month, with Thanjavur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇳 Thanjavur

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

223,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Thanjavur 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Thanjavur

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 Thanjavur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thanjavur wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Thanjavur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $122 in Thanjavur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Thanjavur runs roughly 7% less than in Ubud, Bali. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $86 in Thanjavur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $369 in Thanjavur versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $800 budget is realistic in Thanjavur but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Thanjavur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Thanjavur are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Thanjavur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.