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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,397 in Ubud, Bali versus $725 in Wuwei.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,588 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,142 in Wuwei.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,778 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,560 in Wuwei.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 93% more expensive than in Wuwei, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 5% above, Wuwei is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 Rp 61.4K

$2.82 ¥19.07

21.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 Rp 572.5K

$20.54 ¥139

55.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 Rp 90.5K

$4.91 ¥33.19

2.85%

Cappuccino

$2.71 Rp 48.6K

$3.10 ¥20.97

-12.58%

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

$1.39 Rp 24.9K

$0.43 ¥2.90

223.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$0.27 ¥1.82

174.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 Rp 51.8K

$0.88 ¥5.97

228.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 Rp 67.9K

$2.10 ¥14.22

80.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 Rp 32.1K

$1.82 ¥12.34

-1.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 Rp 44.9K

$1.53 ¥10.38

64.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

$0.96 ¥6.53

26.04%

Eggs

$2.37 Rp 42.4K

$1.56 ¥10.53

51.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.43 Rp 258.4K

$12.64 ¥85.6

14.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 Rp 74.3K

$3.11 ¥21.05

33.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 Rp 217.0K

$10.26 ¥69.4

18.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 Rp 67.5K

$1.77 ¥12.01

112.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 Rp 29.1K

$1.22 ¥8.24

33.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 Rp 48.5K

$1.43 ¥9.66

89.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

$1.09 ¥7.39

107.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

$0.72 ¥4.85

168.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.3K

$0.98 ¥6.66

123.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.2K

$0.60 ¥4.05

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 12.8K

$0.56 ¥3.76

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 Rp 57.0K

$3.10 ¥20.99

2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.84 Rp 426.9K

$11.59 ¥78.4

105.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 Rp 49.7K

$0.81 ¥5.45

241.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 Rp 49.3K

$1.65 ¥11.20

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,787

$0.27 ¥1.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.20 Rp 146.8K

$16.44 ¥111

-50.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,656

$1.38 ¥9.32

-65.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,547

$0.32 ¥2.19

31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 Rp 108.0K

$6.72 ¥45.44

-10.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$1.13 ¥7.63

-27.43%

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

$26.6K Rp 475.7M

$19.7K ¥133.2K

34.92%

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

$32.2K Rp 576.7M

$16.4K ¥111.0K

96.32%

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

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$46.49 ¥315

68.32%

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

$3.91 Rp 70.1K

$9.84 ¥66.6

-60.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.91 Rp 428.3K

$11.45 ¥77.5

108.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$96.2 Rp 1.7M

$41.63 ¥282

131.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.53 Rp 116.9K

$14.07 ¥95.2

-53.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.01 Rp 71.9K

$6.13 ¥41.50

-34.58%

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

$303 Rp 5.4M

$340 ¥2,303

-11.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,551 Rp 117.3M

$16.9K ¥114.1K

-61.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 Rp 990.6K

$43.55 ¥295

27.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 Rp 686.3K

$30.13 ¥204

27.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 Rp 1.6M

$70.7 ¥478

25.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

$74.9 ¥507

2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 Rp 17.7M

$274 ¥1,852

260.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 Rp 12.2M

$189 ¥1,278

261.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,420 Rp 61.3M

$585 ¥3,962

484.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 Rp 37.2M

$356 ¥2,412

482.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,762 Rp 49.5M

$3,464 ¥23.4K

-20.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,243 Rp 40.2M

$1,836 ¥12.4K

22.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 Rp 3.0M

$620 ¥4,193

-72.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

3.87

243.15%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: July 22, 2026

Last update for Wuwei: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Ubud, Bali and $274 in Wuwei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wuwei pays 267% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $21.00 in Wuwei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $199 per month, with Wuwei 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 Wuwei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wuwei wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wuwei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 267% lower in Wuwei. 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 $274 in Wuwei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $303 in Ubud, Bali versus $340 in Wuwei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $725 in Wuwei versus $1,397 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wuwei but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Wuwei the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wuwei delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $725 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wuwei hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Wuwei 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 Wuwei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.