Ubud
Ubud works for the right person — affordable (~$1,000/mo on our price-index model; see the basket breakdown below for lifestyle-specific totals), but check the tradeoffs below.
WhereNext composite score
6-dimension index (safety, healthcare, education, career, climate, transport) · Indonesia avg 50 · global avg 63
- Cost index
- 28
- lower = cheaper · ~$1,000/mo single
- Safety (modeled)
- 63/100
- moderately safe
- Healthcare
- 58/100
- below average
- Climate
- 55/100
- moderate seasons
- Transport
- 42/100
- mixed
- Air quality
- 59/100
- watch AQI
This plan is not currently for sale while its figures are being re-verified against their sources.
Quick answer
Key facts
- ~$1,000/mo single-person estimated cost of living · 1-bed center $700/mo.
- Safety (modeled): 63/100 moderately safe city by modeled safety index using country-level inputs.
- Healthcare: 58/100 below-average healthcare access.
- Internet: 50 Mbps national median fixed broadband download, not a Ubud-specific measurement — adequate for remote work.
- Top neighborhoods Central Core, Historic Quarter, Modern Suburbs — researched expat-friendly areas.
City composite
On par with peers
- Ubud
- 51/100
- Indonesia avg
- 50/100
- Global avg
- 63/100
Compared against 4 indexed cities in Indonesia and 380 indexed cities globally.
Source: WhereNext 6-dimension city composite (safety, healthcare, education, climate, career, transport) · updated
The short version
How much does it cost to live in Ubud?
~$1,000/mo for a single person. A central 1-bed is ~$700/mo. Outside the center: ~$445/mo.
Is Ubud safe?
Safety score (modeled from country-level inputs): 63/100. Generally safe with normal urban precautions.
Can I work remotely from Ubud?
Internet: 50 Mbps avg. Adequate for most remote work.
What's the climate like in Ubud?
Climate score: 55/100. Moderate climate with distinct seasons.
The honest take
What's great
- Safety — scored 63/100
- Air Quality — scored 59/100
- Healthcare — scored 58/100
Watch out for
- Education — scored 27/100
- Transport — scored 42/100
Is this place viable for you?
Quick decision check — Ubud
Strengths
- Affordability86/100
- Safety63/100
- Healthcare58/100
Likely blockers
Infrastructure trails comparable destinations
Re-rank destinations against your priorities
Decision Snapshot
Quality scores are out of 100, higher is better. Cost uses a 0–200 index, where lower is cheaper.
Monthly Reality Check
What things actually cost in Ubud. Estimated total: ~$1,000/mo for a single person.
Flagship coverage — itemised costs and neighborhood-level detail are first-party researched for this city.
Itemised Costs in Ubud
Verified local pricing from researched sources. 7 of 12 core fields populated.
Rent (1BR, center)
$700/mo
Rent (1BR, outskirts)
$445/mo
Utilities (single)
$89/mo
Transit pass
$12/mo
Mobile plan
$5/mo
Inexpensive meal
$3
Cappuccino
$1.71
Landing Friction in Ubud
What it actually takes to sign a lease and physically land here.
Daily Life Infrastructure in Ubud
Connectivity, getting around, air quality, English support.
Climate & Seasonality in Ubud
Year-round temperature, rain, and sunshine.
Monthly average temperature (°C)
- Jan26°
- Apr26°
- Jul25°
- Oct26°
Family & Schools in Ubud
High-level family snapshot — full directory in the schools section.
Will you find your people in Indonesia?
Community density signals — quant + qualitative. Loneliness is a top-three relocation-failure factor; this section flags whether Indonesia has the expat scene to match your profile.
Expat density
Low0.1% foreign-born
English proficiency
15/100 (EF EPI)
Coworking density
High
Top nomad hubs
Bali (Canggu), Bali (Ubud), Jakarta
Adult community vibe
Hub
Family expat community
Active
What recurring expats complain about
“Bali's expat community is vibrant but the digital-nomad reputation has triggered local backlash; navigating respect/integration matters.”
Best neighborhoods for community
- · Bali: Canggu (nomads), Ubud (yoga/wellness), Sanur (families)
- · Jakarta: Menteng, Pondok Indah (families)
Internet reality in Indonesia
Median speed is a misleading single metric. What remote workers actually need to know: do Zoom calls survive peak hours, what happens during outages, what’s the mobile backup like.
Peak-hour Zoom quality
Mixed
Power outage frequency
Frequent
Mobile backup
Good
Coworking fallback
Dense
Recommended eSIM providers
Telkomsel · XL Axiata · Holafly
What to actually expect
Bali sees 2-4 outages/month, especially Canggu/Ubud. UPS + 4G mobile hotspot are standard nomad gear. Indihome fibre is generally reliable in Jakarta.
Safety reality in Indonesia
7 dimensions of safety, each scored separately so a single weak axis doesn’t drag the cross-dimensional view. Per Global Peace Index + WHO + national crime statistics.
GPI 2026Institute for Economics & Peace · Verified HDR 2025 (HDI 2023 data)United Nations Development Programme · Verified- Moderate
Overall public safety
Ring of Fire location; extremely high natural disaster risk; Aceh province enforces Sharia law.
- Serious
Political stability38/100
Material political instability — track-record of policy reversals or civil unrest. Verify residency rights are durable before committing.
- Serious
Natural disaster resilience20/100
High exposure (earthquake, tsunami, volcano, flood). The score reflects raw frequency — countries with strong infrastructure (e.g. Japan) handle this well, but plan for periodic disruption.
- Caution
Women's safety42/100
Elevated harassment / personal-safety reports — research neighbourhoods and apply additional precautions.
- Serious
LGBTQ+ safety15/100
Hostile legal regime — same-sex relationships may be criminalised or unrecognised. Do not relocate without legal advice.
- Caution
Emergency healthcare quality45/100
Limited emergency capacity — international medical evacuation insurance strongly advised. Avoid relocation without local-network research if managing chronic conditions.
- Moderate
Terrorism risk
Periodic incidents; standard urban awareness advised.
National averages only. Within-country variation is large — safety, cost, and services can differ materially between a capital and a smaller city, and between neighbourhoods. Cross- reference at the city / neighbourhood level before relocating.
Verify with current government advisories
Static-data signals don’t reflect this week’s situation. Cross-check against your home government’s current travel advisory before any irreversible commitment.
Neighborhoods
Where expats and locals actually live in Ubud.
Central Ubud
premiumThe walkable spine of Ubud — Jalan Raya Ubud, the Royal Palace, Saraswati Temple, the Ubud Art Market, and most of the boutique shops and restaurants. Touristy by day, calm by 9pm. Most walkable Bali address but also the busiest.
Penestanan
midQuiet rice-paddy village 1 km west of central Ubud — anchored by Yellow Flower Café, Alchemy raw-food, and the famous Penestanan rice-field walk. Heavy nomad and yoga-retreat concentration. Calmer rents and atmosphere than central Ubud.
Nyuh Kuning
midTraditional Balinese village south of the Monkey Forest — a residential area with strong banjar (community council) life, the Nyuh Kuning football field (free yoga at sunset), and a much more local atmosphere than central Ubud. Popular with longer-term nomads embedded in the community.
Sayan
luxuryUpscale jungle valley west of Ubud above the Ayung River — the Four Seasons Sayan, Mandapa Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and a cluster of high-end villa developments with river-gorge views. Most expensive Ubud area, popular with wellness retreat operators and high-income remote workers.
Tegalalang
midFamous rice-terrace village 9 km north of Ubud — the iconic Tegalalang rice paddies, jungle swings, and a slower, more rural pace. Cheaper rents and pure Balinese village life, but you need a scooter for daily life. Popular with nature-oriented long-stay nomads.
Neighborhood profiles are WhereNext editorial assessments (modeled). Rent index (100 = city median), walkability, and safety feel are relative estimates to compare areas within Ubud — not third-party-verified figures.
Housing reality: Standard rental laws apply. Direct landlord negotiations are common, with 1-2 months deposit standard.
Premium Report
Plan your move to Ubud
A personalized report covering visa pathways, monthly budgets, neighborhood deep-dives, tax optimization, and a step-by-step relocation timeline — built for Ubud.
Deep Research
Expand any section for detailed data and narrative.
Transport & Getting Around
Transport & Getting Around
Ridesharing apps (Uber/Bolt/Local equivalent) are highly recommended outside the walkable core.
Monthly transport pass: $12
Indonesia — Policy & Systems
Indonesia — Policy & Systems
Visa, tax, healthcare, and education policies are set at the national level. See the Indonesia country guide for full details.
Language & Expat Community
Language & Expat Community
Official Languages
Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)
English Proficiency
Low
Foreign-born
0.1%
Expat Level
Low
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud a good place to live for expats?
Ubud scores 51/100 overall. It is very affordable (~$1,000/mo), moderately safe on the modeled safety index, and has a healthcare score of 58/100. Top neighborhoods include Central Core, Historic Quarter, Modern Suburbs.
What does it cost to live in Ubud?
The estimated monthly cost of living in Ubud is ~$1,000 for a single person. A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs about $700/mo. Standard rental laws apply. Direct landlord negotiations are common, with 1-2 months deposit standard.
What are the best neighborhoods in Ubud?
The most recommended neighborhoods are Central Core, Historic Quarter, Modern Suburbs. A growing hub balancing local authenticity with emerging remote-work infrastructure.
How do I get around Ubud?
Ubud has a transport score of 42/100. Ridesharing apps (Uber/Bolt/Local equivalent) are highly recommended outside the walkable core.
Cities Like Ubud
Similar cities worldwide, scored across cost, safety, healthcare, education, career, climate, and transport.
Suggested citation
CC BY 4.0This dataset is free to redistribute, quote, and embed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. The composite form below preserves source lineage so AI assistants can cite both WhereNext and the underlying institutional publishers.
WhereNext composite — WhereNext Ubud, Indonesia City Profile 2026 (2026-05-20). Derived from: Numbeo (city-level cost; verified via WhereNext audit); World Bank ICP (country-level PPP anchor); OECD + Eurostat (where applicable); WhereNext flagship-city research (qualitative + neighborhood depth). Available at https://getwherenext.com/city/id/ubud?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
WhereNext. (2026). WhereNext Ubud, Indonesia City Profile 2026. Retrieved from https://getwherenext.com/city/id/ubud?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
WhereNext. "WhereNext Ubud, Indonesia City Profile 2026." WhereNext, 20 May 2026, https://getwherenext.com/city/id/ubud?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. Accessed via https://getwherenext.com/city/id/ubud?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
@misc{wherenext_getwherenext_com_city_id_ubud,
author = {{WhereNext}},
title = {WhereNext Ubud, Indonesia City Profile 2026},
year = {2026},
url = {https://getwherenext.com/city/id/ubud?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation},
note = {CC BY 4.0}
}<a href="https://getwherenext.com/city/id/ubud?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation">WhereNext — WhereNext Ubud, Indonesia City Profile 2026</a>
Next step
Anchor Ubud as your destination. Cost, neighborhoods, visa, healthcare and schools tools inherit the same context.
Important Notice
WhereNext provides data-driven insights for informational purposes only. Scores and rankings are algorithmically generated from public institutional data and may not reflect your individual circumstances. This tool does not replace professional advice for immigration, legal, tax, or financial matters.