Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Van Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Van

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,404 in Ubud, Bali versus $894 in Van.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,332 in Van.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,694 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,770 in Van.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 57% more expensive than Van, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 4% above, Van is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 Rp 64.7K

$6.53 ₺301

-45.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.50 Rp 589.5K

$17.71 ₺816

83.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 Rp 88.2K

$7.53 ₺347

-35.46%

Cappuccino

$2.75 Rp 49.8K

$2.84 ₺131

-3.17%

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

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

$0.91 ₺41.82

45.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 Rp 12.7K

$0.24 ₺10.99

191.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

$4.24 ₺196

-31.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 Rp 68.8K

$3.74 ₺173

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 Rp 31.0K

$1.05 ₺48.43

62.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 Rp 44.9K

$0.73 ₺33.64

238.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$2.30 ₺106

-47.83%

Eggs

$2.44 Rp 44.3K

$1.85 ₺85.4

31.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 Rp 260.9K

$9.63 ₺444

49.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 Rp 78.1K

$5.60 ₺258

-23.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.21 Rp 221.4K

$16.34 ₺753

-25.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 Rp 66.8K

$1.06 ₺48.69

247.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 Rp 28.1K

$2.18 ₺100

-28.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 Rp 50.5K

$1.10 ₺50.9

153.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 42.3K

$0.85 ₺39.28

174.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$0.70 ₺32.21

181.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.9K

$0.59 ₺27.24

291.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

$0.87 ₺39.97

21.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

$0.52 ₺24.16

40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 Rp 59.5K

$2.07 ₺95.2

58.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.79 Rp 413.4K

$10.69 ₺493

113.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 Rp 50.9K

$2.13 ₺98.4

31.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 50.5K

$2.58 ₺119

7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,281

$0.45 ₺20.59

-35.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.06 Rp 146.2K

$48.34 ₺2,229

-83.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,146

$1.56 ₺72.0

-71.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,193

$0.66 ₺30.26

-31.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 Rp 113.1K

$8.76 ₺404

-28.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.21 ₺55.6

-29.75%

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

$26.0K Rp 471.2M

$40.4K ₺1.9M

-35.76%

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

$31.7K Rp 574.1M

$41.7K ₺1.9M

-24.03%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$95.1 ₺4,383

-15.05%

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

$4.06 Rp 73.6K

$10.32 ₺476

-60.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.42 Rp 442.9K

$8.84 ₺407

176.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.7 Rp 1.8M

$30.31 ₺1,397

222.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 Rp 73.3K

$3.10 ₺143

30.32%

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

$304 Rp 5.5M

$615 ₺28.4K

-50.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,621 Rp 120.1M

$7,710 ₺355.5K

-14.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 983.6K

$69.8 ₺3,218

-22.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.78 Rp 703.2K

$30.04 ₺1,385

29.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

$87.2 ₺4,020

-1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$50.4 ₺2,325

52.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 Rp 17.9M

$323 ₺14.9K

205.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 Rp 11.9M

$226 ₺10.4K

191.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,369 Rp 61.1M

$544 ₺25.1K

519.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 Rp 37.5M

$380 ₺17.5K

444.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 Rp 49.7M

$1,455 ₺67.1K

88.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 Rp 40.4M

$825 ₺38.0K

169.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 Rp 3.0M

$551 ₺25.4K

-70.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

36.83

-63.94%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: June 9, 2026

Last update for Van: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Ubud, Bali and $323 in Van. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Van pays 237% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $18.00 in Van for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $218 per month, with Van cheaper across the board.

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Van wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Van the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Van earns 237% less. 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: $986 in Ubud, Bali versus $323 in Van. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $304 in Ubud, Bali versus $615 in Van. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $894 in Van versus $1,404 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Van but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Van the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Van delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $894 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Van hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Van are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Van gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.