Ubud vs Ueda: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?
Ueda ranks meaningfully higher on safety. Use our tool below to personalize the estimate based on your income and lifestyle.
Ueda is approximately 32% less expensive than Ubud based on cost of living including rent. This makes Ueda a more budget-friendly option for expats considering a move.
Ueda has a FIRE Score of 88/100, indicating its suitability for financial independence and early retirement. The city's safety index is 90, which is relatively safe.
Recommended profile: Ueda is ideal for GeoArbitragers and remote workers looking to maximize savings.
About Ubud
Ubud is a bargain for renters who can live on local wages, but the numbers expose the catch: a $168/mo average net salary cannot touch $544/mo city-center rent, so this town runs on foreign income, not local opportunity. The $2,000/mo income floor on both the Indonesia Retirement Visa (KITAS) and the Indonesia Remote Worker Visa (E33G) tells you exactly who Ubud is built for. Internet at 20 Mbps and a 57/100 digital nomad score make remote work possible but not painless, and healthcare rated only Fair is the real long-term risk. Come for the $3 meals and $2 cappuccinos, stay only if you have a first-world paycheck and a high tolerance for humid, monsoon-soaked air.
About Indonesia
Skip this if you need English-speaking doctors or a fast path to citizenship, both weak here. But budget retirees can live well on $429.70/mo excl. rent plus sub-$320 rent, and the $2,000/mo Retirement KITAS is achievable. Best suited for low-cost-focused retirees, not remote workers facing the $387/mo nomad visa threshold.
$2,280/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
About Ueda
Ueda is a quietly excellent bet for expats who want Japanese city life without Tokyo prices, with a 1-bedroom in the center at $412/mo and a single adult budget tier at $627/mo. The catch is income: an average net salary of $1,267/mo means locals stretch, and the $6,667/mo Japan Digital Nomad Visa threshold puts remote workers in a different league entirely. Safety at 90/100 and air quality at 30 make daily life easy, but limited English proficiency and a 39 km haul to MMJ keep it firmly a local's town. Come for the FIRE score of 88/100, stay if you can handle the language gap.
About Japan
Safe, efficient, and financially punishing for anyone chasing early retirement. A 1BR in central Tokyo runs $531.81/mo, cheap by American standards, but progressive income tax up to ~55% (incl. local) erases most remote-work savings. No retirement visa exists, and the digital nomad route requires $6,667/mo income with zero path to permanent residency or citizenship without a long, difficult grind.
$2,192/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
Which visa fits your move?
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| Metric | Ubud | Ueda |
|---|---|---|
| 1BR Apartment (Center) | $544.43 | $411.84 |
| 1BR Apartment (Outside) | $406.81 | $335.81 |
| 3BR Apartment (Center) | $1935.77 | $887.05 |
| 3BR Apartment (Outside) | $1395.99 | $411.84 |
| Safety Index | 70 | 90 |
| Internet Speed | 20Mbps | 85Mbps |
| Walkability Score | N/A | N/A |
Monthly cost by categoryOne person, computed from each city's own average prices
| Category | Ubud | Ueda |
|---|---|---|
| Total (rent included) | $736/mo | $826/mo |
| Excluding rent | $329/mo | $490/mo |
| Rent | $407/mo | $336/mo |
| Groceries | $113/mo | $148/mo |
| Dining out | $28.00/mo | $63.00/mo |
| Entertainment & lifestyle | $83.00/mo | $115/mo |
| Utilities & connectivity | $105/mo | $164/mo |
| Transport | N/A | N/A |
Usage-based estimates from this city's own average prices. A row marked N/A means that city is missing data, so no figure is shown instead of a stale one.
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