Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
Learn more

Xiamen Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Xiamen versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Xiamen $832
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Xiamen versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Xiamen $1,337
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,842 in Xiamen versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Xiamen $1,842
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Xiamen costs roughly 38% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.50

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

-11.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

-33.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.54

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

-5.97%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.07

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

-5.51%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-72.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

-43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.58

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

-32.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

-1.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

-20.17%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.88

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

-19.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.9

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

-32.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.25

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

-38.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.2

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

-3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.17

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

-29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

-2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-25.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.24

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

1.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.48

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

-47.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.05

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-25.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.16

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

-6.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.51 Rp 9,313

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.37

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

31.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-48.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-65.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.56

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-41.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.25 Rp 4,553

-36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.3

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

52.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$0.44 Rp 7,972

231.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.43 Rp 7,801

-32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.09

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

36.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

62.20%

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

$19.7K ¥131.2K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

-17.19%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

-44.67%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-45.32%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

34.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥69.0

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

-44.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

-4.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

-41.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.1

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

139.81%

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

$496 ¥3,298

$491 Rp 8.9M

1.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

336.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥261

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

-12.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

-15.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

33.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥562

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

6.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,342

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-68.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,767

$671 Rp 12.2M

-60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,589

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-76.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,612

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-68.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.1K

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

214.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

112.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,837

$164 Rp 3.0M

619.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.78

-74.89%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 153% $406

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 33.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 8.2% $9.6

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 24.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 14.4% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 67% $42

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 26.2% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $352 in Xiamen and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays about 7.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24 in Xiamen vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $288 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

Same time as Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Xiamen Ubud, Bali 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

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

Xiamen wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Xiamen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Xiamen is about 7.2 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: $352 in Xiamen versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Xiamen 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 33% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $832 in Xiamen versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Xiamen 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.