Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,111 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Tsukuba, Japan
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Tsukuba
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,111
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,111 in Tsukuba.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Tsukuba $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,773 in Tsukuba.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Tsukuba $1,773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,434 in Tsukuba.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Tsukuba $2,434

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.2K
$6.49 ¥1,023
-48.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 645.8K
$33.75 ¥5,316
5.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.3K
$5.13 ¥808
7.80%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$2.63 ¥415
3.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
$0.96 ¥151
77.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.80 ¥126
-5.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$2.11 ¥332
25.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.4K
$3.13 ¥493
39.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$1.39 ¥219
7.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.2K
$1.67 ¥264
36.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$3.25 ¥511
-63.38%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.09 ¥329
-2.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 320.8K
$10.46 ¥1,648
69.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.8K
$6.03 ¥949
-34.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 220.9K
$14.40 ¥2,268
-15.35%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.2K
$5.63 ¥887
-34.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$2.75 ¥433
-44.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$2.83 ¥445
-21.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
$4.23 ¥666
-53.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$2.52 ¥396
-26.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$2.67 ¥420
-9.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$0.82 ¥129
20.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,303
$0.76 ¥119
-32.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$3.71 ¥584
-40.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.0K
$6.52 ¥1,027
241.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$1.74 ¥274
29.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$2.08 ¥327
42.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,548
$1.43 ¥225
-82.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.8K
$55.8 ¥8,788
-85.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,964
$3.20 ¥503
-86.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,793
$2.76 ¥435
-84.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.0K
$20.77 ¥3,271
-73.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$1.11 ¥174
-26.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.0M
$22.2K ¥3.5M
7.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.3M
$15.7K ¥2.5M
102.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$131 ¥20.7K
-39.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.8K
$24.64 ¥3,881
-73.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 336.7K
$31.74 ¥5,000
-41.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 896.7K
$56.0 ¥8,827
-11.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 319.8K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.4K
$13.27 ¥2,091
-67.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$96.3 ¥15.2K
409.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.8M
$15.1K ¥2.4M
-62.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 808.9K
$47.58 ¥7,494
-6.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 633.4K
$36.56 ¥5,759
-4.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$38.69 ¥6,095
106.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$41.36 ¥6,515
92.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$465 ¥73.3K
141.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$280 ¥44.2K
139.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.6M
$1,086 ¥171.1K
228.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.2M
$645 ¥101.6K
167.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
$4,791 ¥754.7K
-42.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$2,181 ¥343.5K
4.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Tsukuba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$1,458 ¥229.7K
-88.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
2
589.00%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tsukuba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Tsukuba
$280 58.2% $391
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Tsukuba
$285 1.2% $3.6
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Tsukuba
$123 14% $15
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Tsukuba
$74 31.3% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Tsukuba
$188 80.5% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Tsukuba
$83 42.3% $25
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Tsukuba
$79 588% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $465 in Tsukuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tsukuba pays about 8.9 times 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 $34 in Tsukuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $285 per month, with Tsukuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇯🇵 Tsukuba
🕒 Local time
05:41 5:41 AM
06:41 6:41 AM
1 h ahead of Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
230,398
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Tsukuba 5,600 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Tsukuba

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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Tsukuba?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,111 in Tsukuba, so Tsukuba is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 89% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Tsukuba?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $465 in Tsukuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Tsukuba?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 86% less than in Tsukuba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Tsukuba?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,111 in Tsukuba – Tsukuba is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $2,000 go in Ubud, Bali compared to Tsukuba?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tsukuba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Tsukuba?
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 Tsukuba safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Tsukuba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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