Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Thika, Kenya
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Thika
🇰🇪 Kenya
$516
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $516 in Thika.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Thika $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $880 in Thika.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Thika $880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,245 in Thika.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Thika $1,245

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 158% more expensive than in Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Thika 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
$3.42 KES 444
-1.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 629.1K
$33.96 KES 4,410
2.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
$6.26 KES 813
-11.02%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.6K
$1.93 KES 251
35.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.30 KES 38.66
413.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$0.63 KES 81.6
1.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$1.96 KES 255
36.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
$2.15 KES 279
98.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$0.73 KES 95.3
100.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$0.44 KES 57.6
420.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$1.20 KES 155
-7.50%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$1.41 KES 183
48.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.4K
$10.96 KES 1,423
45.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
$6.73 KES 873
-42.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 207.0K
$3.94 KES 511
189.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
$1.58 KES 206
124.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.61 KES 79.2
152.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$0.74 KES 96.6
201.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.15 KES 149
71.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$0.37 KES 47.84
402.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$0.45 KES 58.4
437.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$0.69 KES 89.4
47.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,483
$0.39 KES 50.8
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$2.79 KES 363
-21.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.6K
$5.72 KES 742
280.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$1.78 KES 231
30.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$1.97 KES 256
50.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,546
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,947
$1.52 KES 198
-71.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,496
$0.96 KES 125
-51.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.7K
$2.93 KES 380
91.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.41 KES 184
-41.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.8M
$19.3K KES 2.5M
26.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.5M
$21.5K KES 2.8M
47.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$34.90 KES 4,532
122.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.6K
$14.86 KES 1,930
-58.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.4K
$34.82 KES 4,521
-45.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.8K
$45.48 KES 5,906
12.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.3K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$7.47 KES 970
-41.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$54.0 KES 7,005
812.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.9M
$3,528 KES 458.2K
246.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.9K
$28.24 KES 3,666
59.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 633.4K
$29.33 KES 3,808
18.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$69.2 KES 8,991
13.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$19.51 KES 2,533
299.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
$99.5 KES 12.9K
982.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$56.8 KES 7,380
1069.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$270 KES 35.0K
1201.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$178 KES 23.1K
837.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
$611 KES 79.3K
282.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Thika
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
14.71
-6.32%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Thika
$57 91.5% $608
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Thika
$154 44.7% $125
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Thika
$66 38.1% $40
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Thika
$87 17.6% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Thika
$85 17.5% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Thika
$60 1.1% $0.7
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Thika
$6.3 * 47.1% $5.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $100 in Thika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $34 in Thika for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $155 per month, with Thika cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇰🇪 Thika
🕒 Local time
22:02 10:02 PM
17:02 5:02 PM
5 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
83,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,353 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Thika 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thika cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Thika is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,996 in Ubud, Bali and $773 in Thika to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Thika?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $100 in Thika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $54 in Thika. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Ubud, Bali or in Thika?
Dining out is cheaper in Thika – a meal for two runs $34 versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Thika?
At $516 in Thika versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thika but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Thika the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Ubud, Bali or in Thika?
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.

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