Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Calamba
🇵🇭 Philippines
$518
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Calamba $518
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Calamba $764
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Calamba $1,010
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Calamba costs roughly 62% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calamba is 62% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.92 ₱247
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
17.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.02 ₱757
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-65.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.82 ₱178
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-51.38%
Cappuccino
$1.79 ₱113
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-34.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₱35.44
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-65.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₱21.06
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-60.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.94 ₱59.5
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
-65.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ₱97.7
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-63.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 ₱101
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
6.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.11 ₱70.1
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-51.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 ₱61.0
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-17.80%
Eggs
$2.00 ₱126
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
-6.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.20 ₱327
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-70.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ₱214
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
-15.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.80 ₱491
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-36.22%
Apples (1kg)
$2.31 ₱145
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-34.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 ₱96.9
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-1.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.40 ₱151
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
7.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.06 ₱66.9
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
-45.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 ₱109
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-7.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 ₱112
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-22.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ₱38.68
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
-38.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₱31.10
$0.53 Rp 9,475
-7.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 ₱184
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
28.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.87 ₱558
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-61.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 ₱60.3
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-58.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 ₱132
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-27.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.24 Rp 4,315
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 ₱51.9
$0.48 Rp 8,684
70.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₱15.75
$0.46 Rp 8,233
-45.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.88 ₱119
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-65.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 ₱58.7
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
5.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ₱1.3M
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
-13.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-39.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 ₱8,759
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
67.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.36 ₱1,093
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
169.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.85 ₱1,502
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
28.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.04 ₱317
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
15.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 ₱8,193
$493 Rp 8.9M
-73.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₱668.9K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
84.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.54 ₱1,797
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
-38.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.73 ₱1,242
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
-44.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.0 ₱4,468
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-10.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$55.3 ₱3,482
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
-29.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$676 Rp 12.2M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calamba
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$260 ₱16.4K
$165 Rp 3.0M
57.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
13.78
-51.02%

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

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calamba
$180
Ubud, Bali
$108 40.1% $72
Groceries & Markets
Calamba
$175
Ubud, Bali
$290 66.4% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Calamba
$79
Ubud, Bali
$108 36.9% $29
Eating Out
Calamba
$73
Ubud, Bali
$109 49.5% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Calamba
$10 *
Ubud, Bali
$65 541% $55
Getting Around
Calamba
$2.1 *
Ubud, Bali
$13 503% $10
Accommodation & Living
Calamba
- *
Ubud, Bali
$676

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

Cost Breakdown

Calamba pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12.00 in Calamba vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $290 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Calamba
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
17:11 5:11 PM
17:11 5:11 PM
Same time as Calamba
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
539,671
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 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
  • Calamba Ubud, Bali 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Calamba
  • 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
Calamba vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Calamba or Ubud, Bali?
Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Calamba or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 58% higher in Calamba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
Are groceries more expensive in Calamba or in Ubud, Bali?
Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Calamba compared to Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Calamba or in Ubud, Bali?
At $518 in Calamba versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Calamba or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.
How safe is Calamba compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Calamba 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% 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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