Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in Buenos Aires despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
66

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

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 22% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 21% above, Ubud, Bali 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

451.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

86.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

130.18%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

47.33%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

19.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

107.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

54.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

8.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

18.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

33.05%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

26.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-38.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

166.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

10.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

31.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-37.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

4.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-32.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-48.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

69.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.53 Rp 9,509

237.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

74.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-74.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-9.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.23 Rp 4,112

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

213.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$0.47 Rp 8,466

246.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.43 Rp 7,737

125.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

44.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

71.08%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

-2.26%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-2.57%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

149.34%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

256.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

69.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-9.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

154.12%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$493 Rp 8.9M

-6.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

57.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

162.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

170.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

49.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

75.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$673 Rp 12.1M

-23.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-56.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-29.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-3.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-16.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$166 Rp 3.0M

455.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

13.78

315.46%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 30.8% $159

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 0.9% $2.5

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 61% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 58.6% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 49.4% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 12.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 66.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 456% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $287, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

21:33 9:33 PM

11 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Ubud, Bali 15,180 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

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

Buenos Aires and Ubud, Bali differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,353 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 456% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires 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.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.