Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
65

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

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Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Cartago $1,733
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Cartago $2,363
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Cartago $2,993
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Cartago is roughly 29% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

159.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

-0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

76.31%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

67.28%

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

$2.24 ₡1,013

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

31.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

80.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

-18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

-4.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

60.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

8.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

103.36%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

75.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

-50.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

167.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

14.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

37.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

95.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

51.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

16.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-7.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$0.51 Rp 9,313

327.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

169.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-29.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

26.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-31.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$0.25 Rp 4,553

408.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

847.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$0.44 Rp 7,972

197.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$0.43 Rp 7,801

265.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

61.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

82.93%

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

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

45.50%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

33.18%

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

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-32.96%

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

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

462.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

222.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

37.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

339.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

67.68%

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

$559 ₡252.2K

$491 Rp 8.9M

13.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

38.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

63.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

62.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

52.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

9.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$671 Rp 12.2M

7.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-59.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

$164 Rp 3.0M

696.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.78

-37.45%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$725 41.8%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 7.3% $53

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 17.7% $62

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 42.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 29.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 30.3% $45

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 87.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 29.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $288, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

14 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

74,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cartago Ubud, Bali 17,900 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
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

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

Ubud, Bali is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cartago is about 8 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: $733 in Cartago 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 Cartago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,733 per month in Cartago versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Cartago and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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