Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Townsville

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,606 in Townsville.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Townsville $2,606

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,842 in Townsville.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Townsville $3,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $5,078 in Townsville.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Townsville $5,078

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 49% less than in Townsville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Townsville is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.1K

$22.82 A$33.19

-85.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 627.3K

$70.4 A$102

-50.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.9K

$12.16 A$17.68

-54.19%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.4K

$3.58 A$5.21

-26.82%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.64 A$3.83

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.47 A$3.59

-74.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.3K

$8.53 A$12.41

-68.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.2K

$7.20 A$10.48

-40.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.77 A$2.58

-17.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.5K

$2.27 A$3.30

0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.36 A$1.98

-18.38%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.0K

$5.23 A$7.61

-59.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 288.6K

$8.16 A$11.87

95.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.3K

$9.89 A$14.38

-60.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.4K

$13.37 A$19.45

-14.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

$4.13 A$6.01

-14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

$2.70 A$3.93

-42.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$3.58 A$5.20

-37.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$4.29 A$6.24

-54.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.6K

$2.64 A$3.84

-29.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.8K

$2.85 A$4.15

-15.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$2.30 A$3.35

-55.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,456

$3.26 A$4.74

-84.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

$30.58 A$44.48

-92.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 394.4K

$10.71 A$15.57

103.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.1K

$6.93 A$10.08

-66.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$8.54 A$12.42

-65.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,533

$2.11 A$3.07

-88.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.0K

$55.2 A$80.3

-85.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,925

$2.62 A$3.82

-83.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,472

$2.04 A$2.97

-76.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.4K

$44.02 A$64.0

-87.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.24 A$1.80

-33.06%

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

$24.4K Rp 442.6M

$28.1K A$40.9K

-13.14%

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

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

$27.8K A$40.5K

13.82%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$383 A$557

-79.76%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.2K

$36.42 A$53.0

-83.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 342.4K

$66.0 A$96.0

-71.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 923.1K

$55.4 A$80.5

-7.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 330.4K

$19.73 A$28.69

-7.50%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.3K

$15.23 A$22.16

-71.24%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$2,084 A$3,031

-76.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.2M

$12.2K A$17.8K

-0.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 817.6K

$92.5 A$135

-51.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 631.6K

$70.1 A$102

-50.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$164 A$238

-52.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$131 A$191

-40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$1,286 A$1,870

-16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$1,025 A$1,490

-35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.5M

$2,313 A$3,364

51.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$1,845 A$2,684

-9.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

$4,976 A$7,237

-52.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.5M

$4,112 A$5,981

-45.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$4,066 A$5,914

-95.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.68

142.61%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Townsville

$1K 39.3% 54.1% $360

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Townsville

$389 14.9% 39% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Townsville

$206 7.9% 93.8% $100

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Townsville

$340 13% 221% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Townsville

$485 18.6% 373% $383

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Townsville

$86 3.3% 43.6% $26

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Townsville

$77 2.9% 540% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,286 in Townsville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Townsville pays about 24 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $70 in Townsville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $389 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇺 Townsville

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

00:29 12:29 AM

2 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

173,724

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1 AUD = 0.688 USD

1 AUD = 0.612 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.45 AUD (1 AUD = 0.688 USD). 1 EUR = 1.63 AUD (1 AUD = 0.612 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Townsville 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Townsville

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 Townsville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 96% 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,286 in Townsville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35 versus $70 in Townsville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,606 in Townsville – Ubud, Bali is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Townsville are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Townsville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.