Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Watford

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $3,008 in Watford, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Watford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,008
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,008 in Watford.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Watford $3,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,956 in Watford.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Watford $4,956

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $6,905 in Watford.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Watford $6,905

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 55% less than in Watford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Watford 123% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$20.92 £15.69
-84.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$90.3 £67.8
-61.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$10.39 £7.80
-44.18%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$4.92 £3.69
-44.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$3.02 £2.27
-45.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.83 £1.37
-54.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$7.93 £5.95
-65.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$6.54 £4.90
-34.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.58 £1.19
-5.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$2.09 £1.57
10.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$2.32 £1.74
-49.14%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$4.44 £3.33
-51.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$9.48 £7.11
84.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$9.60 £7.20
-58.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$16.61 £12.46
-26.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$3.15 £2.36
12.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.42 £1.06
10.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$3.08 £2.31
-27.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$3.38 £2.53
-42.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$1.60 £1.20
17.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.77 £1.33
29.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$1.39 £1.04
-28.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$1.85 £1.38
-71.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$23.27 £17.45
-90.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$10.95 £8.21
110.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$3.19 £2.39
-26.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$4.02 £3.01
-27.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$2.62 £1.97
-90.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$45.34 £34.01
-80.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$5.41 £4.06
-91.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$2.68 £2.01
-82.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$49.42 £37.08
-88.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$2.06 £1.55
-57.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$37.8K £28.3K
-34.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$40.0K £30.0K
-22.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$329 £247
-74.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$17.84 £13.39
-63.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$40.20 £30.16
-53.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$36.89 £27.68
51.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$38.91 £29.19
-53.46%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$17.48 £13.12
-74.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$2,586 £1,940
-80.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$35.7K £26.8K
-83.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$89.5 £67.1
-48.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$52.4 £39.30
-32.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$91.3 £68.5
-13.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$128 £96.4
-38.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$1,757 £1,318
-34.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$1,656 £1,242
-59.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$3,492 £2,620
0.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$3,938 £2,954
-56.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Watford
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$3,660 £2,746
-95.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.04
173.41%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Watford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Watford
$1.7K 145% $980
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Watford
$325 12% $35
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Watford
$330 203% $221
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Watford
$387 259% $279
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Watford
$163 51.3% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Watford
$72 11.3% $7.3
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Watford
$75 495% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $1,757 in Watford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Watford pays 2124% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $90.0 in Watford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $325 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇬🇧 Watford
🕒 Local time
07:38 7:38 AM
00:38 12:38 AM
7 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
120,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Watford 12,500 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Watford

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 Watford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Watford?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 120% lower than in Watford. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Watford?
On paper, salaries run 2124% lower in Watford. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Watford?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,757 in Watford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Watford?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,586 in Watford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Watford?
Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Watford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Watford?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,008 in Watford, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Watford. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Watford?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Watford?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Watford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Watford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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