Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living costs are similar in Cancun and in Ubud, Bali: $1,398 and $1,368 a month, rent and utilities included.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
67

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

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Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,398

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cancun vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Cancun $1,398
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $2,267 per month in Cancun vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Cancun $2,267
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $3,136 per month in Cancun vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Cancun $3,136
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Cancun costs about 2% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cancun and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Cancun by 4%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 MX$200

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

225.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$994

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

52.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 MX$213

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

99.14%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.4

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

41.39%

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

$1.34 MX$24.78

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-18.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.57

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 MX$76.3

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-3.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$30.29

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 MX$47.72

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

12.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.12

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

42.37%

Eggs

$2.80 MX$51.7

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

30.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MX$183

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-43.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 MX$163

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

118.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 MX$263

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

16.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 MX$54.1

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-17.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.88

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

6.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 MX$55.5

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

34.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.55

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

13.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.91

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

3.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.23

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

16.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.51

$0.53 Rp 9,475

130.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 MX$80.3

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

90.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$185

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-56.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.38

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-3.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.66

$0.24 Rp 4,315

183.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.10 MX$538

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

229.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MX$79.9

$0.48 Rp 8,684

802.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 MX$52.1

$0.46 Rp 8,233

513.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.71 MX$253

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

151.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.28

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

73.86%

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

$21.3K MX$394.3K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-13.15%

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

$23.8K MX$439.8K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-23.69%

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

$170 MX$3,149

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

105.29%

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

$23.44 MX$433

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

263.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.92 MX$719

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

109.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.26 MX$596

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-42.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 MX$244

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-27.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 MX$135

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

66.44%

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

$204 MX$3,761

$493 Rp 8.9M

-58.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,396 MX$99.7K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

-6.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MX$999

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

17.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 MX$1,021

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

56.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 MX$1,368

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-6.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 MX$1,737

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$12.2K

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-42.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 MX$8,445

$676 Rp 12.2M

-32.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 MX$26.0K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-59.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 MX$19.6K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-37.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 MX$23.4K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-54.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 MX$35.9K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-13.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$801 MX$14.8K

$165 Rp 3.0M

387.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.78

-16.91%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$457 32.7%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 47.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.5%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 1.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$233 16.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 53.6% $125

Eating Out

Cancun

$200 14.3%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 45.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$125 8.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 13.8% $17

Getting Around

Cancun

$50 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 75% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$47 3.4%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 37.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $660 in Cancun versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 387% higher in Cancun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54.0 in Cancun versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Cancun vs $290 in Ubud, Bali – so Cancun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

04:00 4:00 AM

13 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

74,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun Ubud, Bali 17,260 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,398 in Cancun, $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Cancun and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Cancun and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Cancun – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Cancun at $1,398. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cancun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cancun has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,368 in Ubud, Bali to $1,398 in Cancun. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cancun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.