Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
67

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

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,842 in Cary, NC versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Cary, NC $2,842
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,173 in Cary, NC versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Cary, NC $4,173
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,505 in Cary, NC versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Cary, NC $5,505
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 108% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 $19.35

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

481.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

182.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

79.66%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

85.35%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

23.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

122.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

67.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

48.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

139.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

423.73%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

87.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 $17.74

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

312.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

46.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

76.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

67.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

257.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

72.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

82.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.53 Rp 9,475

349.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

341.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-57.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

38.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.24 Rp 4,315

954.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 $78.7

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

792.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

5.68%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-8.10%

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

$179 $179

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

115.47%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

631.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

264.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

39.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 $21.88

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

20.82%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

248.40%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$493 Rp 8.9M

195.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

42.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 $32.18

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-8.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

50.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

74.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

66.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$676 Rp 12.2M

108.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

27.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

2.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

17.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,032 $6,032

$165 Rp 3.0M

3565.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

13.78

-53.41%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 52% $732

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 17.1%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 40.3% $196

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$298 10.5%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 63.5% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$294 10.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 63.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$160 5.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 32.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$108 3.8%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 40.4% $44

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 85.9% $76

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 $1,904 in Cary, NC and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 3566% 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: $99.0 in Cary, NC vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $290 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

17:43 5:43 PM

12 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cary, NC Ubud, Bali 16,660 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, NC
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

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

Ubud, Bali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 108% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3566% higher in Cary, NC, 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: $1,904 in Cary, NC versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,455 in Cary, NC versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,842 in Cary, NC, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cary, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cary, NC 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 108% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.