Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,193 in Columbia, SC, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, SC
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Columbia, SC Living Index
65

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

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,193

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,193 in Columbia, SC versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Columbia, SC $2,193
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Columbia, SC versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Columbia, SC $3,366
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,538 in Columbia, SC versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Columbia, SC $4,538
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 63% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

496.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 $61.1

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

71.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 $11.97

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

116.46%

Cappuccino

$5.42 $5.42

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

99.26%

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

$2.80 $2.80

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

186.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

104.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

45.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-43.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

279.83%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

97.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

-40.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 $11.14

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

181.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.89 $15.89

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

30.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

43.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.45 $6.45

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

189.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

213.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

67.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

80.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

103.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.51 Rp 9,316

250.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.40 $8.40

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

278.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 $15.62

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

-29.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-9.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.25 Rp 4,555

692.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.15 $40.15

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

413.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.44 Rp 7,975

350.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.43 Rp 7,804

269.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.89 $17.89

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

230.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

10.98%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

12.47%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

-20.62%

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

$277 $277

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

250.70%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

833.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

243.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.47 $34.47

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

-30.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 $18.22

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

3.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

256.44%

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

$1,117 $1,117

$491 Rp 8.9M

127.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

303.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

17.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 $39.57

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

13.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

2.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

43.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 $1,430

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

27.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$671 Rp 12.2M

23.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-10.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-3.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,313 $2,313

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-15.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,668 $1,668

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-26.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,240 $3,240

$164 Rp 3.0M

1877.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

13.78

-52.39%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, SC

$832 37.9%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 19.3% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$401 18.3%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 74.1% $297

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$389 17.7%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 25.8% $100

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$319 14.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 66.3% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$130 5.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 17.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$65 3%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 10.6% $6.9

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 80.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,430 in Columbia, SC and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, SC vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

21:56 9:56 PM

13 h ahead of Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, SC Ubud, Bali 16,730 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, SC
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

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

Ubud, Bali is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Columbia, SC is about 20 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: $1,430 in Columbia, SC 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 35% higher in Columbia, SC. 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 $61 in Columbia, SC. 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.

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

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.