Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Wakayama
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,276
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wakayama 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 Wakayama and in Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,276 in Wakayama versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Wakayama $1,276
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Wakayama versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Wakayama $2,031
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,785 in Wakayama versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Wakayama $2,785
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Wakayama costs roughly 6% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wakayama is 6% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.47 ¥1,022
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
100.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.22 ¥4,932
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
-10.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.89 ¥773
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
-14.21%
Cappuccino
$2.46 ¥389
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-6.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 ¥197
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-27.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 ¥136
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
6.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.20 ¥506
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
20.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 ¥293
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-57.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ¥248
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 ¥242
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-30.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.27 ¥675
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
261.86%
Eggs
$2.11 ¥334
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-2.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.04 ¥2,534
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-9.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.05 ¥1,114
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
86.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.10 ¥2,701
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
43.10%
Apples (1kg)
$8.20 ¥1,296
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
127.78%
Banana (1kg)
$3.02 ¥478
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
89.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.15 ¥814
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
122.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.94 ¥1,255
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
315.71%
Potato (1kg)
$4.01 ¥633
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
125.28%
Onion (1kg)
$4.59 ¥726
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
97.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 ¥179
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
14.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥139
$0.53 Rp 9,509
66.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 ¥630
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
74.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.33 ¥1,475
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-57.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.49 ¥393
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
5.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 ¥340
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-27.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 ¥236
$0.23 Rp 4,112
552.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.8 ¥8,496
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
504.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 ¥485
$0.47 Rp 8,466
553.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 ¥460
$0.43 Rp 7,737
576.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.69 ¥2,478
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
186.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 ¥167
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
27.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K ¥3.5M
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
-7.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.0K ¥2.4M
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-54.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 ¥18.4K
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
45.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.45 ¥3,705
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
257.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.45 ¥4,968
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
69.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.3 ¥8,109
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-5.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 ¥1,771
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
163.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$564 ¥89.1K
$493 Rp 8.9M
14.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ¥2.3M
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
165.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.37 ¥7,800
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
8.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.42 ¥5,596
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
1.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.4 ¥9,385
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
-23.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.7 ¥15.6K
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
25.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$526 ¥83.1K
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-53.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$337 ¥53.3K
$673 Rp 12.1M
-49.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,093 ¥172.7K
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-69.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$738 ¥116.5K
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-56.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,206 ¥664.5K
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
54.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,756 ¥277.4K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-21.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wakayama
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,965 ¥626.4K
$166 Rp 3.0M
2283.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.67
13.78
-87.88%

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

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Wakayama
$382
Ubud, Bali
$287 24.9% $95
Accommodation & Living
Wakayama
$337
Ubud, Bali
$673 99.5% $336
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wakayama
$172
Ubud, Bali
$105 38.7% $66
Eating Out
Wakayama
$124
Ubud, Bali
$106 14.3% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Wakayama
$109
Ubud, Bali
$107 2.5% $2.7
Getting Around
Wakayama
$77
Ubud, Bali
$12 83.9% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Wakayama
$74
Ubud, Bali
$63 15.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Wakayama and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wakayama pays 2283% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Wakayama vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $287, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Wakayama
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
09:54 9:54 AM
08:54 8:54 AM
1 h behind Wakayama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
362,163
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wakayama Ubud, Bali 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wakayama
  • 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
Wakayama vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Wakayama and in Ubud, Bali?
Wakayama and Ubud, Bali differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,276 vs $1,353 including rent). Wakayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Are salaries higher in Wakayama or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 2283% higher in Wakayama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Wakayama compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $526 in Wakayama versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Wakayama and in Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $564 in Wakayama versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Wakayama or in Ubud, Bali?
Shoppers in Ubud, Bali pay roughly 33% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Wakayama or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,276 in Wakayama versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Wakayama or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Wakayama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,276 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wakayama hard to pass up.
How safe is Wakayama compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Wakayama and Ubud, Bali 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 Wakayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% 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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