Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $692 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cusco
🇵🇪 Peru
$692
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Cusco versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cusco $692
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,102 in Cusco versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cusco $1,102
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Cusco versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Cusco $1,512
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Cusco costs roughly 49% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cusco is 49% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.07 PEN 7.11
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
-37.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.09 PEN 69.0
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
-42.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.49 PEN 22.28
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
11.90%
Cappuccino
$2.18 PEN 7.48
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-20.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 PEN 2.67
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-52.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 PEN 1.12
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-60.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 PEN 5.83
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
-37.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.23 PEN 14.51
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-1.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 PEN 4.33
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
-16.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.31 PEN 7.92
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
0.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 PEN 4.46
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
10.17%
Eggs
$3.52 PEN 12.07
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
64.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.68 PEN 16.07
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-73.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.39 PEN 15.08
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
8.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.12 PEN 24.44
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-41.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 PEN 9.15
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-25.07%
Banana (1kg)
$0.82 PEN 2.81
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-47.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.42 PEN 4.89
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-36.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.90 PEN 3.09
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
-53.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 PEN 3.55
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-45.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 PEN 3.85
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-51.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.53 PEN 1.84
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
-46.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 PEN 2.57
$0.53 Rp 9,475
41.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
-
Wine (Bottle)
$5.86 PEN 20.13
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-74.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 PEN 6.63
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-17.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 PEN 14.18
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
41.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 PEN 0.96
$0.24 Rp 4,315
16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 PEN 5.94
$0.48 Rp 8,684
260.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 PEN 6.58
$0.46 Rp 8,233
317.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.94 PEN 10.10
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-46.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 PEN 5.39
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
78.41%
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)
$29.2K PEN 100.3K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-6.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$28.88 PEN 99.2
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
-65.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.39 PEN 49.41
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
123.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.08 PEN 151
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
137.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.16 PEN 100
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-47.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.47 PEN 15.35
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
2.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$493 Rp 8.9M
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.01 PEN 127
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
-19.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.94 PEN 117
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
-3.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$54.6 PEN 187
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
-31.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.3 PEN 252
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
-6.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$214 PEN 736
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-81.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$194 PEN 666
$676 Rp 12.2M
-71.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 PEN 1,850
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-84.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$421 PEN 1,446
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-75.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,183 PEN 10.9K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
14.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,825 PEN 6,269
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-18.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cusco
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$420 PEN 1,442
$165 Rp 3.0M
155.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
13.78
-

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

Last update for Cusco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cusco
$194
Ubud, Bali
$676 249% $482
Groceries & Markets
Cusco
$187
Ubud, Bali
$290 55.5% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Cusco
$89
Ubud, Bali
$108 20.2% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cusco
$87
Ubud, Bali
$108 23.7% $21
Eating Out
Cusco
$84
Ubud, Bali
$109 30.2% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Cusco
$38
Ubud, Bali
$65 69.5% $26
Getting Around
Cusco
$12 *
Ubud, Bali
$13 1% $0.1

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 $214 in Cusco and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cusco pays 155% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Cusco vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $290 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Cusco
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
11:40 11:40 AM
00:40 12:40 AM
13 h ahead of Cusco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
428,450
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cusco Ubud, Bali 17,440 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cusco
  • 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
Cusco vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Cusco?
Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 98% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cusco or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 155% higher in Cusco, 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 Cusco and Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $214 in Cusco versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cusco and in Ubud, Bali?
Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Cusco or in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cusco or in Ubud, Bali?
At $692 in Cusco versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Cusco or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
For families, Cusco 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.
Which city is safer, Cusco or Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Cusco 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cusco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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