Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $383 in Varkala.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Varkala $383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $608 in Varkala.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Varkala $608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $833 in Varkala.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Varkala $833

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 248% more expensive than in Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 60.9K

$2.28 ₹216

48.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 625.4K

$10.35 ₹978

234.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.6K

$3.45 ₹326

61.45%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.3K

$1.57 ₹149

66.88%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

$0.37 ₹35.19

316.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.18 ₹16.55

255.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

$1.76 ₹166

51.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 76.9K

$3.13 ₹295

36.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$0.71 ₹67.4

105.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

$0.45 ₹42.46

408.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$0.66 ₹62.2

68.18%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 37.9K

$0.89 ₹84.2

135.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 287.7K

$4.87 ₹460

227.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.1K

$2.99 ₹282

29.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 205.8K

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$2.05 ₹194

73.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$0.74 ₹70.1

108.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$0.98 ₹92.6

127.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$0.54 ₹50.8

264.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

$0.38 ₹35.97

389.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$0.43 ₹40.23

462.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

$0.45 ₹42.20

126.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,427

$0.32 ₹30.08

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.7K

$3.89 ₹367

-43.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 393.2K

$7.48 ₹706

191.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.0K

$1.69 ₹160

37.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.6K

$2.76 ₹261

7.61%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

$0.28 ₹26.35

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 147.5K

$8.77 ₹829

-6.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,901

$0.83 ₹78.4

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,446

$0.25 ₹23.36

88.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

$1.43 ₹135

291.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.16 ₹110

-28.45%

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

$24.4K Rp 441.3M

$13.8K ₹1.3M

77.16%

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

$31.7K Rp 572.1M

$22.2K ₹2.1M

42.49%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$38.26 ₹3,614

102.51%

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

$6.14 Rp 110.9K

$3.52 ₹332

74.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 341.4K

$7.13 ₹673

165.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 920.4K

$15.61 ₹1,475

226.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 329.4K

$7.10 ₹671

157.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.1K

$2.85 ₹269

53.68%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$51.9 ₹4,905

848.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 220.6M

$1,542 ₹145.7K

692.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 815.1K

$24.46 ₹2,311

84.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 629.7K

$24.88 ₹2,351

40.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$41.84 ₹3,953

87.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$30.94 ₹2,922

151.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.4M

$123 ₹11.6K

774.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$75.4 ₹7,127

781.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.4M

$274 ₹25.8K

1182.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$179 ₹16.9K

833.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.2M

$1,051 ₹99.3K

122.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.4M

$599 ₹56.6K

273.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.67

58.94%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 88.7% $589

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 62.4% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 48.3% $51

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 38.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 52.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 64.3% $38

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $123 in Varkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $10 in Varkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $105 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

18:52 6:52 PM

2 h 30 min behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

50,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Varkala 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,996 in Ubud, Bali and $574 in Varkala 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $123 in Varkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $52 in Varkala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 166% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $383 in Varkala versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Varkala but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Varkala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varkala delivers better value at $383 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varkala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Varkala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.