Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Zhenjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $702 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Zhenjiang
🇨🇳 China
$702
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $702 in Zhenjiang.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Zhenjiang $702

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,190 in Zhenjiang.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Zhenjiang $1,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,677 in Zhenjiang.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Zhenjiang $1,677

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 93% more expensive than in Zhenjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Zhenjiang is 48% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$3.05 ¥20.36
5.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$30.20 ¥202
15.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$4.53 ¥30.29
25.83%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$2.64 ¥17.63
-0.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$0.63 ¥4.18
173.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.38 ¥2.57
113.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$1.22 ¥8.13
117.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$2.21 ¥14.81
97.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.86 ¥12.44
-15.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.47 ¥9.80
48.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$0.88 ¥5.89
34.09%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$1.68 ¥11.23
28.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$14.06 ¥94.0
25.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$3.02 ¥20.21
25.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$13.02 ¥87.0
-8.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$1.81 ¥12.07
98.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.66 ¥11.10
-4.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$1.83 ¥12.21
26.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.66 ¥11.08
15.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$0.75 ¥5.04
137.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$1.00 ¥6.69
133.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$0.43 ¥2.90
132.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.62 ¥4.13
-14.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$3.78 ¥25.24
-39.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$11.00 ¥73.6
100.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$0.83 ¥5.56
183.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$1.63 ¥10.87
82.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$0.16 ¥1.08
43.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$7.64 ¥51.1
16.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$1.51 ¥10.12
-68.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.43 ¥2.89
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$4.41 ¥29.50
24.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.22 ¥8.17
-31.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$18.0K ¥120.4K
32.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$18.3K ¥122.2K
79.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$58.4 ¥390
36.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$7.82 ¥52.3
-16.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$7.53 ¥50.3
147.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$45.05 ¥301
20.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$29.54 ¥198
-38.12%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$9.02 ¥60.3
-52.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$454 ¥3,039
8.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$27.8K ¥185.6K
-79.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$44.72 ¥299
1.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$29.79 ¥199
17.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$68.5 ¥458
13.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$80.8 ¥541
-2.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$223 ¥1,492
407.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$151 ¥1,012
344.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$531 ¥3,549
580.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$370 ¥2,474
359.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$2,017 ¥13.5K
34.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$906 ¥6,061
147.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Zhenjiang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$947 ¥6,329
-82.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
3.36
310.12%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zhenjiang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Zhenjiang
$151 77.5% $522
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Zhenjiang
$217 24.3% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Zhenjiang
$101 5.5% $5.8
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Zhenjiang
$84 20.9% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Zhenjiang
$74 29.9% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Zhenjiang
$63 0.8% $0.5
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Zhenjiang
$12 3.9% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $223 in Zhenjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhenjiang pays 469% 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 $30.00 in Zhenjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $217 per month, with Zhenjiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇨🇳 Zhenjiang
🕒 Local time
02:50 2:50 AM
02:50 2:50 AM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
3,210,418
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Zhenjiang 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Zhenjiang

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 Zhenjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Zhenjiang?
Zhenjiang 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 Zhenjiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Zhenjiang?
On paper, salaries run 469% lower in Zhenjiang. 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 Zhenjiang?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $223 in Zhenjiang. 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 Zhenjiang?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $454 in Zhenjiang. 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 Zhenjiang?
Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Zhenjiang?
At $702 in Zhenjiang versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhenjiang but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Zhenjiang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Zhenjiang?
Both work as nomad bases, but Zhenjiang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $702 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhenjiang hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Zhenjiang?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Zhenjiang 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 Zhenjiang 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.

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