Good fit for
- Yoga Enthusiasts
- Wellness Seekers
- Creatives
- Nature Lovers
Ubud
🌴 Indonesia · Southeast Asia
Rice terraces and yoga retreats where Eat Pray Love actually happened
GO · pack your bags7.4/10
The Verdict
Ubud is the spiritual heart of Bali with a strong wellness and creative community. The jungle setting is magical, costs are reasonable, and the cafe scene rivals any hipster neighborhood. Internet is the Achilles heel but the lifestyle is unmatched.
Go: food is a clear strength, nightlife is the main watch-out, and our estimate is about $2,040/mo.
Should you live here?
Think twice if
- Nightlife Seekers
- Fast Internet Seekers
- City Lovers
Biggest trade-off
Strong on food (4.2/5), but weaker on nightlife (2.0/5).
Cost reality
Our estimate: $2,040/month. Biggest line items: Rent $835, Food $415, Coworking $260.
Relocation readiness
Moving to Ubud? Start here.
Relocation requirements can change. Verify legal, residency, healthcare, and entry requirements with official sources before acting.
Before departure
- high
Check current entry and residency requirements
Review the current entry or residency notes for Indonesia, then verify requirements with official sources before booking a long stay.
- high
Arrange health coverage
Confirm what health coverage you will have and how you would access care after arrival.
- medium
Prepare arrival connectivity
Prepare mobile data and a backup connectivity plan before you depend on remote work from Ubud.
- medium
Book initial accommodation
Use a short initial stay so you can test neighborhoods, commute patterns, noise, and work setup before choosing longer-term housing.
- medium
Prepare international payment access
Check card access, cash needs, and backup payment options before departure.
First 24 hours
- high
Activate mobile data
Get reliable connectivity working before you rely on maps, messaging, bookings, or work calls.
- medium
Confirm arrival transport options
Plan your first trips carefully and check whether you will need ride-hailing, taxis, or other transport for errands.
- high
Save emergency and healthcare contacts
Save local emergency numbers and nearby clinic or hospital options in advance.
First 72 hours
- medium
Check your work setup
Test your internet, workspace comfort, and backup options before scheduling important calls.
First week
- medium
Review housing and local admin steps
Before extending your stay, compare longer-term housing options and confirm any local registration, tax, or residency steps that may apply.
Data trust
Fresh
How we scored this city
The overall city score is 7.4/10. Category scores use a 1-5 scale where higher means stronger for a typical remote-worker relocation decision.
Strongest
- Food — 4.2
- Safety — 4.0
- Weather — 4.0
Weakest
- Nightlife — 2.0
- Healthcare — 2.5
- Walkability — 2.5
💰 Cost of Living
$2,040/monthour estimate
rent$835
Community — Collecting responses
$
food$415
Community — Collecting responses
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transport$105
Community — Collecting responses
$
coworking$260
Community — Collecting responses
$
entertainment$205
Community — Collecting responses
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utilities$220
Community — Collecting responses
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Our monthly estimate: a category-adjusted benchmark model, not a direct copy of a single source.
📊 Scores
⭐ Overall4.0
💰 Cost of living3.7
⚡ Internet2.8
🛡️ Safety4.0
☀️ Weather4.0
🌃 Nightlife2.0
🍜 Food4.2
🏥 Healthcare2.5
🚶 Walkability2.5
🗣️ English friendly3.5
Rate any category from your own experience, then submit. You can undo a rating at any time.
Deep Dive
$1,590 – $2,530/mo rangeOur estimate is about $2,040/month. Practical range: $1,590-$2,530/month.
Housing
Primarily consists of private villas or rooms in shared guest houses and colivings. Monthly villa rentals range from $400 to $1,200 USD, offering rice paddy views and a jungle aesthetic, which is cheaper and calmer than Canggu. Airbnb is expensive; the standard approach is to book 1-2 weeks on platforms and then negotiate directly with local landlords on Facebook groups or in person, which drops rates by 30-50%. Older villas can have mold issues during the wet season.
Climate
Tropical highland climate. Warm and humid year-round. Cooler temperatures than the coast. Rainy season runs November to March (requires good rain gear, and roads can flood), while dry/sunny season runs April to October.
Remote Work
Greatly improved fiber optic internet in the town center, consistently reaching 50 to 28 Mbps. However, internet in rural or deep jungle villas is less predictable, and ADSL can be patchy/unreliable. Telkomsel and XL Axiata are the most reliable mobile networks, costing under $10/month for 20-30GB data, which is recommended as a backup hotspot. Ubud's coworking scene is legendary: Hubud (beloved for bamboo architecture and focused vibe), Outpost Ubud (includes shared accommodation, rooftop, podcast studios, and events), BeLuna (boutique, podcast studio, personal development events), Parq Tegallalang (modern/luxurious, with multiple on-site restaurants and events, located just outside the center), Rüsters (scenic café with sunset paddy views, pottery/dyeing workshops), Titi Batu (large family wellness center with swimming pool, spa, squash courts, skate park, and coworking café), Seniman Coffee Studio, Laduma Ubud, and raw vegan workspaces like Sayuri Healing Food or The Onion Collective. Very low remote-work friction if working from designated hubs.
Safety
Genuinely very safe. Violent crime against foreigners is rare. Petty theft (bag/phone snatching from scooter baskets) and tourist scams exist. The greatest daily physical risk is riding a scooter on chaotic roads, especially during heavy rain or at night.
Healthcare
Limited by Western standards. Private clinics like Siloam and BIMC Hospitals competently handle basic emergencies. However, for serious conditions, Singapore’s world-class private hospitals remain the standard (reachable in under 2 hours by flight). Secure comprehensive medical travel insurance before arrival.
Transport & Walkability
Walkability is low outside the small core of Ubud center. Extremely dependent on scooters for daily transport. Narrow streets are frequently gridlocked, and getting between Canggu and Ubud on bad traffic days can take over an hour. Grab and Gojek apps are available but slow in heavy car traffic. Denpasar Airport (DPS) is 1-1.5+ hours away depending on traffic.
👍 Pros
- Magical jungle and rice terrace setting
- Strong wellness and yoga community
- Excellent cafes and healthy food options
- Creative and spiritual atmosphere
- Good coworking spaces like Hubud and Outpost
👎 Cons
- Internet is frustratingly slow
- No nightlife to speak of
- Monkeys will steal your things
- Need a scooter for everything
- Tourist crowds in the central area
🛂 Visa Info
30-day visa-free for many nationalities, extendable once. Indonesia's B211A social visa allows up to 180 days. The digital nomad visa (E33G) allows stays up to 1 year for qualifying remote workers.
This is general background, not official guidance. Entry, visa and residency rules change frequently, and they depend on your nationality, your purpose of stay and how long you intend to remain. Before you book travel or commit to a long stay, confirm the current requirements with the destination country's official immigration authority, or with its embassy or consulate in your country of citizenship. Nothing on this page is legal or immigration advice.
Best For
✅ yoga-enthusiasts✅ wellness-seekers✅ creatives✅ nature-lovers
Not Great For
❌ nightlife-seekers❌ fast-internet-seekers❌ city-lovers
🌡️ Weather
High: 30°C · Low: 22°C · Rainy: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Compare it with
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