Who thrives here
Ideal for
- Yoga, breathwork and wellness-focused nomads
- Writers and quiet creators who need jungle silence
- Long-stay nomads doing a 3-6 month reset
- Anyone healing from a corporate life
Probably skip if
- Party people - Ubud is early to bed
- Beach nomads - you're 90 minutes inland
- Traffic-averse people - the main road is a scooter jam
Why people move here
For nomads who want the Bali experience without the Canggu chaos - greener, quieter, more grounded.
Planning a stay in Ubud
A month or more in Ubud is a different trip from a week's holiday. The order you sort things out in matters more than the brands you pick, so here is the sequence most long-stayers follow, with what to look out for at each step.
1. Pick your dates
The most comfortable months in Ubud are May, Jun, Jul, Aug and around. Arriving at the start of that window gets you the weather without the peak-season rents, and gives you room to extend if you like it. Fares move a lot with weekday, so search a range of dates on Aviasales or Kiwi.com rather than a single day.
2. Plan the first day
Late arrivals are where most first-day stress comes from: no local data, an unfamiliar taxi rank, and a check-in that is still hours away. A fixed-price transfer booked ahead, for example through Kiwitaxi, removes the guesswork, and if your room is not ready you can leave bags nearby with Radical Storage.
3. Find a base, then a home
Book one or two weeks somewhere central with free cancellation, then walk the neighborhoods above before committing to a month. Furnished one-bedrooms run around €1,000/mo here; ask for a recent internet speed test and photos of the desk, and expect monthly discounts of 20-40% off nightly rates.
4. Get connected before you fly
Install a travel eSIM at home, while you still have reliable Wi-Fi, so maps and messages work at the airport. Airalo and Saily both sell data-only plans for Indonesia. If you stay longer than a month, a local SIM is usually cheaper, and your eSIM becomes the backup for the day the apartment Wi-Fi drops.
5. Sort insurance and money
Ordinary holiday policies often stop covering you after 30 to 90 days, so check the maximum trip length before you go and look for cover that runs by the month. If a visa is involved, confirm the policy meets its requirements. A card with low foreign exchange fees makes rent and deposits in Indonesia cheaper.
6. Leave the weekends open
Don't book every tour in week one. Settle in, then pick the one or two trips that matter; sites like Klook and Tiqets let you cancel most bookings a day ahead. For places outside the city, comparing rental cars on Localrent is often cheaper than a guided day trip for two people.
If a flight is delayed or cancelled, you may be owed compensation; services like AirHelp handle the claim. Our Travel Kit has the full list of tools we recommend.
What life looks like
Morning yoga overlooking rice fields, deep-work in a jungle café, temple walk, sound bath, sleep by 10.
Sunrise yoga at Yoga Barn, breakfast bowl on a rice terrace, deep-work at Outpost or Hubud, warung lunch for €3, a jungle walk, a massage for €8, dinner and bed by 10. Weekends: waterfalls, temples, or a scooter to the coast.
Bali's spiritual and creative heart - rice terraces, temples, yoga studios and cafés built into the jungle.
Neighborhoods to live in
Penestanan
Rice-field paths, artist villas, quiet mornings. Where writers live.
Nyuh Kuning
Village edge of Monkey Forest, walkable, calm, mid-range.
Sayan
River-gorge luxury zone west of town. Big villas, big views, big prices.
Peliatan
A village just southeast of central Ubud with a strong tradition of dance, music and carving.
Kedewatan
A northern Ubud village overlooking the Ayung valley, with resorts and quieter residential lanes.
Food & café scene
Warungs serve nasi campur for €2, and a parallel world of vegan/health cafés serves smoothie bowls for €7. Both are legitimate. Balinese suckling pig at Ibu Oka, chef's tables at Locavore, and coffee shops that would slot into Melbourne.
Nightlife & evenings
Almost none by design. A few live-music nights, ecstatic dance twice a week, sound baths and jazz at Laughing Buddha. If you want a proper night out, you drive to Canggu.
Activities & things to do
Tegallalang rice terraces, Monkey Forest, Yoga Barn, warungs, waterfalls.
beach
Campuhan Ridge Walk
A narrow path follows a grassy ridge above Ubud’s river valleys. Early morning is the kindest time to walk before the exposed sections heat up.
beach
Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
This forest sanctuary in central Ubud combines temple grounds with a large macaque population. Keep belongings secure and avoid feeding the monkeys.
nightlife
No Más
A central Ubud bar with cocktails and music, No Más offers a livelier evening than the town’s usual early dinners.
nightlife
Laughing Buddha Bar
A longstanding Monkey Forest Road venue, Laughing Buddha is known for live bands and a convivial bar setting.
Working from here
coworking
Outpost Ubud
Outpost’s Ubud coworking location in Nyuh Kuning has long attracted remote workers looking for a dedicated workspace away from café tables.
cafe
Seniman Coffee Studio
A longstanding Ubud specialty-coffee destination, Seniman combines Indonesian beans with a playful design sensibility.
cafe
Clear Cafe
This central Ubud café is known for its elaborate bamboo-and-wood interior and broad health-focused menu.
Cost of living, in real numbers
Averages hide what actually happens on a Tuesday. Here's what everyday things cost in Ubud for a nomad on the short-let lifestyle. Numbers are illustrative and can swing 20-30% by neighborhood and season, but they'll give you a realistic feel before you book a flight.
Housing is where costs move most. A furnished short-let (1-3 months) in a central area is roughly €1,000/mo. The same apartment on a 12-month local lease is typically noticeably cheaper. Book 2-3 months out and you'll pay 15-25% less than last-minute weekly rates.
Food swings the second most. Cooking most meals with a couple of dinners out per week runs around €380/mo. Eat out or order in daily and you'll add €400-700/mo on top - especially in the tourist zones.
Everything else is fairly stable. Coworking (€150-280/mo unlimited or €15-25 for a day pass), gym or yoga (€40-70/mo), local SIM with 20 GB (€10-20), and getting around town by transit or the occasional ride will together come in around €520/mo.
Weather & best months
Tropical, 22-30°C. Wetter than Canggu.
Visa & residency
B211A or E33G Remote Worker Visa.
Last checked: November 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- Very affordable
- Nature everywhere
- Wellness scene
- Slow, mindful pace
Cons
- Not on the beach
- Damp in wet season
- Tourist heavy in centre
