Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $290 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
65

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

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$290

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Varanasi and in Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $290 in Varanasi versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Varanasi $290
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $475 in Varanasi versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Varanasi $475
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $661 in Varanasi versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Varanasi $661
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Varanasi costs roughly 79% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ₹174

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

-44.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.76 ₹739

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

-78.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.19 ₹303

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

-42.31%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

-41.54%

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

$0.42 ₹39.71

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-75.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ₹9.99

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-86.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 ₹147

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-41.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₹196

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-52.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 ₹58.3

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-59.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.31 ₹29.62

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-86.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.53 ₹50.7

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

-55.46%

Eggs

$0.84 ₹80.2

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

-58.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.14 ₹299

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-82.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹203

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

-46.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 ₹130

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-62.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 ₹63.0

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-56.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 ₹91.0

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-56.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 ₹30.04

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

-83.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.67

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-87.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.77

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-90.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹43.03

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

-54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.79

$0.51 Rp 9,332

-45.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹305

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

44.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 ₹546

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-74.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₹151

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₹181

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-36.03%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.12 ₹392

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹51.9

$0.25 Rp 4,562

116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ₹927

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

24.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.26 ₹24.91

$0.44 Rp 7,989

-40.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.11 ₹10.03

$0.43 Rp 7,817

-74.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

-80.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₹106

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

35.37%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

-52.83%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-31.28%

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

$12.55 ₹1,195

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-84.13%

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

$3.62 ₹344

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

-43.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.04 ₹670

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

-62.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.58 ₹1,197

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-74.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 ₹288

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

-29.27%

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

$38.76 ₹3,691

$491 Rp 8.9M

-92.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$990 ₹94.3K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

-82.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.78 ₹2,169

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

-48.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.17 ₹2,397

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

-27.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.77 ₹3,597

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

-52.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.59 ₹2,437

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-67.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$111 ₹10.6K

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-90.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$47.39 ₹4,513

$671 Rp 12.2M

-92.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₹18.5K

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-94.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 ₹13.1K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-92.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$571 ₹54.4K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-79.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$345 ₹32.8K

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-84.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$571 ₹54.4K

$164 Rp 3.0M

248.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

13.78

-38.10%

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

Last update for Varanasi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$81 27.8%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 258% $208

Eating Out

Varanasi

$57 19.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 88.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$50 17.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 115% $57

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16.4%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 1317% $624

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 8%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 348% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.4%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 212% $39

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 10.1% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $111 in Varanasi and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varanasi pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8 in Varanasi vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $81 vs $288 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varanasi Ubud, Bali 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Varanasi
Ubud, Bali

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

Varanasi vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi wins on cost – living expenses run 79% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varanasi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Varanasi is about 3.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $111 in Varanasi versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $39 in Varanasi versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 258% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $290 in Varanasi versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.