Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $725 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Zakho, Iraq
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Zakho
🇮🇶 Iraq
$725
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $725 in Zakho.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Zakho $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,158 in Zakho.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Zakho $1,158

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,591 in Zakho.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Zakho $1,591

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 86% more expensive than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.2K
$4.18 IQD 6,310
-20.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 645.8K
$36.97 IQD 55.9K
-3.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.3K
$7.14 IQD 10.8K
-22.55%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$3.21 IQD 4,856
-15.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
$0.83 IQD 1,256
104.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.33 IQD 506
130.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$5.65 IQD 8,535
-53.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.4K
$3.94 IQD 5,960
11.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$1.10 IQD 1,669
35.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.2K
$0.68 IQD 1,023
235.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.50 IQD 2,271
-20.67%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$1.58 IQD 2,382
29.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 320.8K
$6.88 IQD 10.4K
157.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.8K
$4.26 IQD 6,440
-7.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 220.9K
$12.69 IQD 19.2K
-3.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.2K
$0.98 IQD 1,484
273.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$0.94 IQD 1,414
61.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$1.02 IQD 1,536
118.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.7K
$0.65 IQD 986
203.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$0.61 IQD 920
203.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$0.59 IQD 895
310.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$0.61 IQD 926
62.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,303
$0.51 IQD 775
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$2.18 IQD 3,300
1.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.0K
$10.80 IQD 16.3K
105.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$1.46 IQD 2,213
54.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
$1.81 IQD 2,737
64.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,548
$0.29 IQD 439
-13.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,964
$1.68 IQD 2,546
-73.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,793
$1.61 IQD 2,440
-73.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.0K
$5.65 IQD 8,531
-4.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$0.59 IQD 886
38.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.0M
$16.5K IQD 24.9M
44.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.3M
$17.1K IQD 25.8M
85.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$115 IQD 173.5K
-31.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.8K
$12.27 IQD 18.5K
-47.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 336.7K
$24.28 IQD 36.7K
-23.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 896.7K
$39.56 IQD 59.8K
25.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 319.8K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.4K
$9.75 IQD 14.7K
-56.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$298 IQD 450.7K
64.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.8M
$2,742 IQD 4.1M
106.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 808.9K
$26.56 IQD 40.1K
68.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 633.4K
$19.78 IQD 29.9K
76.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$49.59 IQD 74.9K
61.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$39.81 IQD 60.1K
99.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$207 IQD 313.3K
442.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$136 IQD 205.0K
394.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.6M
$370 IQD 558.5K
864.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.2M
$319 IQD 482.7K
439.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
$888 IQD 1.3M
207.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$551 IQD 833.0K
314.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Zakho
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$660 IQD 997.8K
-75.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
2.53
444.66%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zakho: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Zakho
$136 79.8% $536
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Zakho
$172 40.3% $116
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Zakho
$134 24.6% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Zakho
$61 43.2% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Zakho
$151 45.4% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Zakho
$59 1.8% $1
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Zakho
$11 * 4.4% $0.5

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $207 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakho pays about 4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $37 in Zakho. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $172, with Zakho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇮🇶 Zakho
🕒 Local time
02:24 2:24 AM
21:24 9:24 PM
5 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
197,163
💱 Currency
Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,687 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.93 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Zakho 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Zakho?
Zakho wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zakho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Zakho?
On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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 Zakho?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $207 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Zakho?
Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Zakho?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $725 in Zakho – Zakho is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Zakho?
At $725 in Zakho versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or Zakho?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Zakho?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Zakho are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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