Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,208 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index
65

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

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Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Cuernavaca $1,208
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Cuernavaca versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Cuernavaca $1,788
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Cuernavaca versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Cuernavaca $2,368
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Cuernavaca costs roughly 10% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.98 MX$149

$3.32 Rp 59.9K

140.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.14 MX$694

$35.64 Rp 642.4K

4.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 MX$128

$5.53 Rp 99.7K

23.51%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$46.28

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

-8.82%

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

$1.31 MX$24.45

$1.70 Rp 30.7K

-22.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 MX$11.42

$0.76 Rp 13.7K

-19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 MX$45.52

$2.65 Rp 47.8K

-7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$61.1

$4.38 Rp 79.0K

-25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.31

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$41.29

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

-3.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.50

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

19.33%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$35.23

$2.04 Rp 36.7K

-7.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 MX$145

$17.70 Rp 319.1K

-56.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 MX$90.0

$3.96 Rp 71.4K

21.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 MX$253

$12.19 Rp 219.7K

11.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 MX$41.26

$3.66 Rp 65.9K

-39.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.73

$1.52 Rp 27.4K

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.45

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

-0.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.95

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

-15.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.94

$1.85 Rp 33.3K

-4.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.94

$2.42 Rp 43.7K

-29.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.89

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

50.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.50

$0.51 Rp 9,255

62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 MX$79.1

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

90.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 MX$150

$22.24 Rp 400.9K

-63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.63

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

-46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MX$61.6

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MX$13.31

$0.25 Rp 4,525

184.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 MX$653

$7.82 Rp 141.0K

346.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MX$35.62

$0.44 Rp 7,923

334.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 MX$46.60

$0.43 Rp 7,753

479.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.64 MX$199

$5.41 Rp 97.5K

96.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.94

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

62.20%

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

$24.5K MX$456.9K

$23.8K Rp 429.7M

2.57%

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

$23.4K MX$436.5K

$31.7K Rp 572.3M

-26.42%

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

$56.4 MX$1,054

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-28.69%

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

$18.52 MX$346

$6.45 Rp 116.2K

187.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$462

$18.58 Rp 334.9K

33.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.09 MX$543

$49.48 Rp 892.0K

-41.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 318.1K

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$97.9

$4.27 Rp 77.0K

22.72%

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

$218 MX$4,072

$491 Rp 8.8M

-55.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,055 MX$94.5K

$5,674 Rp 102.3M

-10.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.44 MX$756

$44.64 Rp 804.7K

-9.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.23 MX$602

$34.95 Rp 630.1K

-7.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 MX$1,728

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

15.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,826

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

23.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 MX$11.6K

$1,125 Rp 20.3M

-44.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 MX$9,882

$671 Rp 12.1M

-21.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.8K

$3,565 Rp 64.3M

-74.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MX$15.0K

$1,723 Rp 31.1M

-53.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 MX$15.9K

$2,732 Rp 49.2M

-68.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 MX$11.1K

$2,284 Rp 41.2M

-74.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$638 MX$11.9K

$164 Rp 3.0M

289.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

13.78

-17.27%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: 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

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 27% $143

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$229 19%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 26% $59

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 23.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 9.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 4.5% $4.5

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 78.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 46.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Cuernavaca and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cuernavaca pays about 3.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Cuernavaca vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $229 vs $288, with Cuernavaca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

14 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

74,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cuernavaca Ubud, Bali 16,120 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

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

Cuernavaca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cuernavaca is about 3.9 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: $619 in Cuernavaca 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 26% higher in Ubud, Bali. 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 $37 in Cuernavaca. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Cuernavaca gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Cuernavaca 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.