Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carolina and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,257 in Carolina, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Carolina
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Carolina Living Index
65

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

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Carolina

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,257

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,257 in Carolina versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Carolina $2,257
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Carolina versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Carolina $3,121
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,986 in Carolina versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Carolina $3,986
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Carolina is roughly 67% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.48 $13.48

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

306.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 $54.6

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

53.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 $10.16

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

83.73%

Cappuccino

$3.19 $3.19

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

17.28%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

74.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

127.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

14.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

34.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

50.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

43.70%

Eggs

$4.62 $4.62

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

126.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-59.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 $8.53

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

115.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.70 $12.70

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-17.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

64.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

13.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

84.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

61.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

37.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

111.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.51 Rp 9,332

298.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

343.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 $18.32

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-17.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

64.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.25 Rp 4,562

1128.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.06 $40.06

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

412.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.79 $49.79

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

820.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

42.68%

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

$39.8K $39.8K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

67.11%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-6.19%

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

$599 $599

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

657.48%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

690.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

325.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.70 $10.70

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-78.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

69.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 $8.20

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

92.04%

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

$509 $509

$491 Rp 8.9M

3.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,423 $9,423

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

66.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 $89.7

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

100.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.49 $25.49

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

-27.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 $88.7

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 $746

$671 Rp 12.2M

11.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,913 $1,913

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 $1,210

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-29.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,479 $3,479

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

27.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 $2,307

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

1.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,964 $1,964

$164 Rp 3.0M

1098.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

13.78

-54.79%

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

Last update for Carolina: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carolina

$746 33%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 9.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carolina

$729 32.3%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 85.7% $625

Groceries & Markets

Carolina

$350 15.5%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 17.5% $61

Eating Out

Carolina

$221 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 51.2% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Carolina

$133 5.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 18.9% $25

Getting Around

Carolina

$52 * 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 78.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Carolina

$27 1.2%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 114% $31

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 $1,078 in Carolina and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carolina pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Carolina vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Carolina

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

21:20 9:20 PM

12 h ahead of Carolina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,304

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 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).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Carolina Ubud, Bali 18,910 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Carolina
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

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Carolina. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Carolina is about 12 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: $1,078 in Carolina versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Carolina. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $55 in Carolina. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Carolina on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.