Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $767 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Boracay
🇵🇭 Philippines
$767
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $767 in Boracay versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Boracay $767
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,309 in Boracay versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Boracay $1,309
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,852 in Boracay versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Boracay $1,852
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Boracay costs roughly 43% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boracay is 43% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.41 ₱341
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
67.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.31 ₱1,216
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
-44.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.92 ₱373
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
3.86%
Cappuccino
$2.34 ₱147
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-10.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₱41.15
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-62.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 ₱14.45
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
-71.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.16 ₱73.1
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
-56.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 ₱118
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-56.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.84 ₱179
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
80.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 ₱76.3
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
-44.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 ₱57.4
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-22.88%
Eggs
$1.89 ₱119
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
-12.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.35 ₱337
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-69.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.69 ₱295
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
24.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.68 ₱484
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-35.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.64 ₱166
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
-26.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₱98.0
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
-1.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 ₱165
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
13.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ₱79.7
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
-33.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 ₱115
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
2.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 ₱108
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-26.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 ₱56.3
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
-11.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₱31.88
$0.53 Rp 9,509
-3.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 ₱144
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
-0.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.74 ₱487
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-64.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 ₱66.0
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-55.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ₱129
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-31.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₱16.36
$0.23 Rp 4,112
13.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.28 ₱710
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
26.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.21
$0.47 Rp 8,466
63.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.19 ₱11.90
$0.43 Rp 7,737
-55.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.82 ₱114
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
-66.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.12 ₱70.5
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
34.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K ₱1.3M
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
-14.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.4K ₱1.1M
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-46.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$109 ₱6,893
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
36.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.77 ₱930
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
125.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.01 ₱2,141
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
82.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.58 ₱2,240
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-34.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.31 ₱334
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-70.95%
Cinema Ticket
$5.03 ₱317
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
18.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$113 ₱7,126
$493 Rp 8.9M
-77.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,986 ₱502.8K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
42.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.97 ₱2,076
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
-27.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.20 ₱1,272
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
-42.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.0 ₱4,031
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
-17.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$53.1 ₱3,345
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
-32.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$263 ₱16.6K
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-76.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$173 ₱10.9K
$673 Rp 12.1M
-74.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$520 ₱32.7K
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-85.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 ₱39.0K
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-63.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,427 ₱152.8K
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-10.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$996 ₱62.7K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-55.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Boracay
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$226 ₱14.2K
$166 Rp 3.0M
35.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
13.78
-50.73%

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

Last update for Boracay: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Boracay
$197
Ubud, Bali
$287 45.8% $90
Accommodation & Living
Boracay
$173
Ubud, Bali
$673 289% $500
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Boracay
$158
Ubud, Bali
$105 33.5% $53
Eating Out
Boracay
$102
Ubud, Bali
$106 4.1% $4.2
Clothing & Footwear
Boracay
$77
Ubud, Bali
$107 39% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Boracay
$46
Ubud, Bali
$63 37.2% $17
Getting Around
Boracay
$14
Ubud, Bali
$12 11.4% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $263 in Boracay and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boracay pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Boracay vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $287 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Boracay
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
20:31 8:31 PM
20:31 8:31 PM
Same time as Boracay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,296
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Boracay Ubud, Bali 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Boracay
  • 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
Boracay vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Boracay and in Ubud, Bali?
Boracay and Ubud, Bali differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($767 vs $1,353 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Boracay or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 36% higher in Boracay, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Boracay and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $263 in Boracay versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $767 in Boracay versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Boracay and Ubud, Bali?
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.
Is Boracay or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Boracay and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Boracay or Ubud, Bali?
Expats usually find Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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