Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
65

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

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Durban is about 16% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

138.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

9.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

11.21%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

0.37%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-34.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-43.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-21.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-55.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

26.05%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

19.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-53.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

34.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

-40.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-46.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

28.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-13.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

-16.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-39.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$0.51 Rp 9,332

123.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

63.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-78.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-37.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$0.25 Rp 4,562

616.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

172.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$0.44 Rp 7,989

-6.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.43 Rp 7,817

76.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

42.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

81.71%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

48.86%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

1.80%

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

$148 R 2,460

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

86.73%

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

$35.49 R 591

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

450.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

112.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-37.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

-51.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

73.07%

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

$317 R 5,274

$491 Rp 8.9M

-35.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

35.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

19.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

-12.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

23.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

7.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-60.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$671 Rp 12.2M

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-77.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-56.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-69.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-75.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$164 Rp 3.0M

680.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

13.78

-14.51%

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

Last update for Durban: 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

Durban

$374 33.1%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 79.3% $297

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 53.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 48.6% $94

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 23% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 10.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 26.7% $12

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 65% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Durban versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Durban are about 7.8 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $288 in Ubud, Bali – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

04:37 4:37 AM

6 h ahead of Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Ubud, Bali 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
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

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

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. That makes Durban about 16% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Durban – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.