Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,004 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
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Alajuela Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,004 in Alajuela versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Alajuela $1,004
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,609 in Alajuela versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Alajuela $1,609
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Alajuela versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Alajuela $2,213
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Alajuela costs roughly 26% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 ₡5,481

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

265.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.06 ₡19.9K

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

23.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 ₡4,964

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

98.92%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,055

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

67.65%

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

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

42.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₡787

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

128.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 ₡1,304

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

9.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 ₡1,733

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-12.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,081

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

60.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₡510

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-50.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ₡978

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

82.35%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,569

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

70.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.79 ₡4,869

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-39.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,722

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

164.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,314

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₡964

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡712

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ₡974

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,735

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

94.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 ₡978

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

17.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 ₡973

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-10.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡463

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

4.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₡457

$0.51 Rp 9,332

98.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 ₡2,470

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

146.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.08 ₡9,059

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₡634

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-38.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₡461

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-65.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡347

$0.25 Rp 4,562

208.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$126 ₡56.7K

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

1507.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ₡793

$0.44 Rp 7,989

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡705

$0.43 Rp 7,817

262.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 ₡3,650

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

49.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡685

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

85.37%

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

$34.0K ₡15.4M

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

42.74%

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

$28.2K ₡12.7M

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-11.04%

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

$79.8 ₡36.0K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

0.96%

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

$30.12 ₡13.6K

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

366.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

223.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,484

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

80.80%

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

$993 ₡448.2K

$491 Rp 8.9M

102.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

197.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 ₡31.9K

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

58.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ₡25.2K

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

60.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.8K

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

62.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ₡32.6K

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡342.9K

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-32.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 ₡643.6K

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-59.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,112 ₡953.2K

$164 Rp 3.0M

1189.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.78

-37.45%

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

Last update for Alajuela: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alajuela

$309 30.7%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 6.6% $20

Eating Out

Alajuela

$224 22.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 51.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alajuela

$170 16.9%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 38.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Alajuela

$148 14.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 27.4% $41

Getting Around

Alajuela

$138 13.8%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 91.7% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 276% $43

Accommodation & Living

Alajuela

- * 0%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $760 in Alajuela and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays about 13 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Alajuela vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

14 h ahead of Alajuela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,228 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alajuela Ubud, Bali 17,870 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Alajuela
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

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

Alajuela is cheaper overall, especially in leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Alajuela is about 13 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: $760 in Alajuela versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 94% less than in Alajuela. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $993 in Alajuela versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Alajuela gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.