Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Tianjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $885 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Tianjin
🇨🇳 China
$885
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $885 in Tianjin.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Tianjin $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,368 in Tianjin.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Tianjin $1,368

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,850 in Tianjin.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Tianjin $1,850

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 54% more expensive than in Tianjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Tianjin is 34% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$4.12 ¥27.58
-19.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$23.49 ¥157
49.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$5.86 ¥39.19
-1.02%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$4.09 ¥27.37
-33.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$0.47 ¥3.12
248.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.28 ¥1.88
196.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$0.94 ¥6.32
187.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$1.68 ¥11.22
155.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.44 ¥9.59
4.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$2.33 ¥15.59
-1.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.66 ¥11.09
-28.92%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$1.27 ¥8.49
68.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$14.76 ¥98.7
18.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$3.62 ¥24.18
11.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$9.61 ¥64.2
27.26%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$1.66 ¥11.09
113.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.55 ¥10.39
1.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$1.72 ¥11.47
30.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$1.19 ¥7.94
62.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$0.84 ¥5.61
123.81%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.17 ¥7.83
95.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$0.67 ¥4.46
47.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$0.71 ¥4.77
-25.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$5.31 ¥35.48
-57.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$13.36 ¥89.3
72.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$1.06 ¥7.09
120.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$2.55 ¥17.05
14.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$0.29 ¥1.91
-17.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$8.96 ¥59.9
-1.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$1.59 ¥10.66
-69.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$0.35 ¥2.35
31.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$6.40 ¥42.78
-14.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.24 ¥8.26
-29.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$19.3K ¥129.2K
27.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$17.5K ¥116.8K
78.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$93.3 ¥624
-11.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$6.26 ¥41.87
3.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$7.37 ¥49.26
151.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$16.59 ¥111
236.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$10.42 ¥69.7
73.80%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$7.65 ¥51.2
-42.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$651 ¥4,355
-24.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$56.2 ¥376
-17.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$29.41 ¥197
20.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$110 ¥735
-28.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$137 ¥914
-42.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$333 ¥2,226
243.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$249 ¥1,662
171.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$634 ¥4,242
452.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$459 ¥3,066
270.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$5,307 ¥35.5K
-47.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$2,349 ¥15.7K
-4.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Tianjin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$1,188 ¥7,942
-86.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
3.54
289.27%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tianjin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Tianjin
$249 63.2% $427
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Tianjin
$224 22.8% $66
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Tianjin
$111 1.8% $2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Tianjin
$107 1% $1.1
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Tianjin
$149 39% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Tianjin
$32 50.6% $33
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Tianjin
$13 7.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $333 in Tianjin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tianjin pays 622% 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 $23.00 in Tianjin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $224 per month, with Tianjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇨🇳 Tianjin
🕒 Local time
22:26 10:26 PM
22:26 10:26 PM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
13,866,009
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Tianjin 5,300 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Tianjin

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 Tianjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Tianjin?
Ubud, Bali and Tianjin differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $885 including rent). Tianjin 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 622% lower in Tianjin. 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 Tianjin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $333 in Tianjin. 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 30% 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 Tianjin – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 $885 in Tianjin versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tianjin but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Tianjin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Tianjin?
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 Tianjin safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Tianjin 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 Tianjin?
Expats usually find Tianjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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