Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cotonou, Benin
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Cotonou
🇧🇯 Benin
$897
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Cotonou versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cotonou $897
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,428 in Cotonou versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cotonou $1,428
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Cotonou versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cotonou $1,958
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Cotonou costs roughly 33% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.18 F CFA 3,050
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
56.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.68 F CFA 21.0K
$35.64 Rp 647.8K
0.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.39 F CFA 5,527
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
69.80%
Cappuccino
$5.25 F CFA 3,093
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
93.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 F CFA 590
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
-41.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 F CFA 523
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
17.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.87 F CFA 511
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
-67.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 F CFA 1,525
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
-40.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.10 F CFA 1,824
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
108.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.23 F CFA 725
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
-46.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 F CFA 1,108
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
57.98%
Eggs
$2.74 F CFA 1,614
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
34.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.25 F CFA 5,449
$17.70 Rp 321.7K
-47.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 F CFA 3,196
$3.96 Rp 72.0K
37.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.04 F CFA 2,966
$12.19 Rp 221.6K
-58.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 F CFA 2,351
$3.66 Rp 66.4K
9.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 F CFA 1,046
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
17.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 F CFA 781
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
-40.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 F CFA 1,595
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
37.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.27 F CFA 746
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
-31.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 F CFA 989
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
-30.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 F CFA 253
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
-56.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 F CFA 672
$0.51 Rp 9,332
123.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 F CFA 1,982
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
51.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.30 F CFA 2,530
$22.24 Rp 404.2K
-80.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 F CFA 690
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
-48.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 F CFA 1,094
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
-37.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.30 F CFA 766
$0.25 Rp 4,562
420.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$7.82 Rp 142.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 F CFA 810
$0.44 Rp 7,989
213.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 F CFA 778
$0.43 Rp 7,817
206.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.41 Rp 98.3K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 F CFA 696
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
43.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$23.8K Rp 433.3M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K F CFA 13.8M
$31.7K Rp 577.0M
-25.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 F CFA 85.3K
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
83.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.52 F CFA 19.7K
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
419.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.06 F CFA 28.9K
$18.58 Rp 337.7K
164.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.60 F CFA 28.0K
$49.48 Rp 899.4K
-3.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.36 F CFA 1,978
$17.65 Rp 320.8K
-80.96%
Cinema Ticket
$8.58 F CFA 5,055
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
100.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$131 F CFA 77.1K
$491 Rp 8.9M
-73.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,544 F CFA 3.3M
$5,674 Rp 103.1M
-2.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.39 F CFA 15.0K
$44.64 Rp 811.4K
-43.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$34.95 Rp 635.3K
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$33.44 F CFA 19.7K
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
-58.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.9 F CFA 40.0K
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
-14.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$176 F CFA 103.6K
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-84.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$163 F CFA 95.9K
$671 Rp 12.2M
-75.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$600 F CFA 353.4K
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
-83.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$412 F CFA 242.9K
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-76.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cotonou
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$251 F CFA 147.5K
$164 Rp 3.0M
52.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
13.78
-70.97%

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

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cotonou
$227
Ubud, Bali
$104 54.2% $123
Groceries & Markets
Cotonou
$222
Ubud, Bali
$288 29.9% $66
Accommodation & Living
Cotonou
$163
Ubud, Bali
$672 312% $509
Eating Out
Cotonou
$150
Ubud, Bali
$108 28.1% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Cotonou
$65
Ubud, Bali
$58 10.4% $6.7
Clothing & Footwear
Cotonou
$57 *
Ubud, Bali
$108 88.4% $50
Getting Around
Cotonou
$13 *
Ubud, Bali
$11 13.4% $1.8

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 $176 in Cotonou and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cotonou pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Cotonou vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $288 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇯 Cotonou
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
17:06 5:06 PM
00:06 12:06 AM
7 h ahead of Cotonou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
780,000
74,800
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 655 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cotonou Ubud, Bali 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cotonou
  • 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
Cotonou vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cotonou cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Cotonou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cotonou or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 53% higher in Cotonou, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Cotonou and Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $176 in Cotonou versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cotonou and in Ubud, Bali?
Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $131 in Cotonou versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Cotonou or in Ubud, Bali?
At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cotonou or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
For families, Cotonou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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