Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Xining

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $714 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
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Xining Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Xining

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $714 in Xining.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Xining $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,130 in Xining.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Xining $1,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,545 in Xining.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Xining $1,545

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 90% more expensive than in Xining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Xining is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$2.82 ¥18.87

14.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$21.76 ¥145

60.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$4.77 ¥31.89

19.50%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$3.11 ¥20.77

-15.76%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$0.44 ¥2.94

290.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.27 ¥1.80

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$0.87 ¥5.80

204.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$2.10 ¥14.05

108.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.78 ¥11.88

-11.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.55 ¥10.39

41.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$0.91 ¥6.08

29.67%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.56 ¥10.42

38.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$12.75 ¥85.2

38.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$3.24 ¥21.67

16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$10.02 ¥67.0

19.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$1.85 ¥12.40

94.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.20 ¥7.99

32.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.54 ¥10.26

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.09 ¥7.30

75.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$0.70 ¥4.70

154.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$0.94 ¥6.30

147.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.59 ¥3.97

69.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.55 ¥3.69

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$3.18 ¥21.26

-27.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$10.61 ¥70.9

108.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$0.75 ¥5.02

213.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.66 ¥11.13

79.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.27 ¥1.79

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$16.78 ¥112

-46.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.40 ¥9.36

-66.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.36 ¥2.38

19.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$6.50 ¥43.46

-15.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.16 ¥7.76

-28.45%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

23.13%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$17.1K ¥114.2K

91.95%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$45.89 ¥307

74.31%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$9.55 ¥63.9

-31.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$11.58 ¥77.4

60.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$42.43 ¥284

27.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$13.68 ¥91.5

33.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$5.99 ¥40.04

-29.05%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$329 ¥2,201

49.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$16.6K ¥111.1K

-66.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$43.59 ¥291

4.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$30.36 ¥203

15.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$70.9 ¥474

9.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$70.9 ¥474

10.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$274 ¥1,831

313.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$192 ¥1,283

250.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$593 ¥3,968

508.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$356 ¥2,379

378.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$3,085 ¥20.6K

-11.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$2,043 ¥13.7K

9.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.89

254.24%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Xining: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Xining

$192 26.9% 71.5% $481

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Xining

$197 27.6% 31.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Xining

$97 13.6% 8.9% $9.5

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Xining

$86 12% 19.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Xining

$67 9.4% 36.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Xining

$54 7.6% 13.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Xining

$21 3% 69.2% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $274 in Xining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $22.00 in Xining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $197 per month, with Xining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇳 Xining

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

2,333,700

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Xining 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Xining

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 Xining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xining wins on cost – living expenses run 90% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Xining the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,030 in Ubud, Bali and $1,071 in Xining 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $274 in Xining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $329 in Xining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $714 in Xining versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Xining but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Xining the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Xining delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $714 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Xining hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Xining 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 Xining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.