Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Vung Tau

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $608 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
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Vung Tau Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Vung Tau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $608 in Vung Tau.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Vung Tau $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,015 in Vung Tau.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Vung Tau $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,423 in Vung Tau.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Vung Tau $1,423

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 125% more expensive than in Vung Tau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Vung Tau is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$1.95 ₫50.5K

70.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$15.66 ₫405.5K

124.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$3.75 ₫97.0K

54.67%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.84 ₫47.6K

48.37%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.41 ₫10.6K

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.33 ₫8,662

151.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$0.78 ₫20.2K

246.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$1.01 ₫26.3K

325.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.40 ₫36.3K

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.11 ₫28.7K

107.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.89 ₫23.1K

32.58%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$1.65 ₫42.8K

29.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$4.79 ₫124.0K

264.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$3.60 ₫93.1K

11.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$9.44 ₫244.4K

29.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$3.06 ₫79.3K

16.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.24 ₫32.1K

26.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$0.63 ₫16.3K

255.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$1.29 ₫33.5K

49.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.15 ₫29.8K

63.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.19 ₫30.8K

92.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.60 ₫15.7K

65.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.43 ₫11.0K

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$1.20 ₫31.1K

90.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$12.74 ₫329.7K

80.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$0.81 ₫21.1K

188.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$1.01 ₫26.2K

188.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$0.70 ₫18.1K

-31.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.59 ₫15.3K

-22.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$1.15 ₫29.7K

373.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.80 ₫20.7K

10.00%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$30.2K ₫782.2M

-18.69%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$31.4K ₫811.9M

-0.55%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$46.69 ₫1.2M

77.79%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$5.90 ₫152.7K

9.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$7.99 ₫206.9K

132.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$17.04 ₫441.1K

227.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$9.41 ₫243.6K

92.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$3.54 ₫91.6K

23.73%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$117 ₫3.0M

322.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$9,586 ₫248.2M

-39.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$21.13 ₫547.1K

118.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$18.89 ₫489.1K

87.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$92.2 ₫2.4M

-14.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$67.9 ₫1.8M

15.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$304 ₫7.9M

275.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$199 ₫5.2M

239.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$752 ₫19.5M

365.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$504 ₫13.0M

237.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$7,301 ₫189.0M

-61.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$4,367 ₫113.1M

-48.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$572 ₫14.8M

-71.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.64

59.49%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vung Tau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Vung Tau

$199 32.7% 70.6% $477

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Vung Tau

$173 28.4% 40.6% $118

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Vung Tau

$58 9.5% 46.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Vung Tau

$61 10% 43.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Vung Tau

$90 14.8% 16.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Vung Tau

$24 4% 62.7% $40

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Vung Tau

$3.7 * 0.6% 70.8% $8.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $304 in Vung Tau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vung Tau pays 247% 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 $16.00 in Vung Tau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $173 per month, with Vung Tau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

380,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Vung Tau 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Vung Tau

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 Vung Tau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vung Tau wins on cost – living expenses run 125% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vung Tau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 247% lower in Vung Tau. 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: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $304 in Vung Tau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $608 in Vung Tau – a 125% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $608 in Vung Tau versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vung Tau but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Vung Tau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Vung Tau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Vung Tau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Vung Tau 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 Vung Tau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.