Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Medano and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,446 in El Medano, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in El Medano despite lower rent and utilities.

El Medano
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,446
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,446 per month in El Medano vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • El Medano $1,446
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $2,385 per month in El Medano vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • El Medano $2,385
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in El Medano vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • El Medano $3,324
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

El Medano costs about 7% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both El Medano and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – El Medano by 7%, Ubud, Bali by 0%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.11 €17.89
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
522.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 €54.4
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
75.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.07 €9.85
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
94.21%
Cappuccino
$1.99 €1.77
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
-24.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 €1.69
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
10.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
59.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.81 €2.50
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
6.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 €2.94
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-24.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.19
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-15.29%
White Bread (500g)
$2.45 €2.18
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
11.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 €1.36
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
29.66%
Eggs
$4.07 €3.62
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
88.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.56 €12.96
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-17.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.86 €7.88
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
134.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.58 €15.63
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
47.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.48 €2.21
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
-31.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.36 €2.10
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
48.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
-1.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.53 €2.25
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
32.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
17.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.93 €1.72
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-17.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.68 €1.50
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
68.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 €0.86
$0.53 Rp 9,509
83.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.49 €4.88
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
139.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.64 €6.80
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-65.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 €1.52
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-27.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 €1.18
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-55.37%
🚌 Getting Around
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 €1.49
$0.23 Rp 4,112
626.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.80 €22.06
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
178.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.25 €3.78
$0.47 Rp 8,466
804.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 €1.53
$0.43 Rp 7,737
300.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.01 €15.13
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
210.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 €1.12
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
51.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K €23.7K
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
11.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.3K €27.8K
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-4.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.8 €87.9
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
23.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.80 €20.28
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
247.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.05 €31.18
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
88.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.45 €40.43
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-16.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.44 €12.85
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-21.01%
Cinema Ticket
$9.67 €8.60
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
127.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 €361
$493 Rp 8.9M
-17.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,136 €4,568
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
-8.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.3 €81.2
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
100.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.48 €36.89
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
18.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.6 €82.3
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
19.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 €101
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
44.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$884 €786
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-21.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$473 €420
$673 Rp 12.1M
-29.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 €1,193
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-62.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,025 €912
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-39.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,400 €3,024
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
25.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,990 €1,770
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-11.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
El Medano
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
13.78
-74.17%

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

Last update for El Medano: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
El Medano
$473
Ubud, Bali
$673 42.4% $200
Groceries & Markets
El Medano
$304
Ubud, Bali
$287 5.6% $17
Eating Out
El Medano
$251
Ubud, Bali
$106 57.7% $145
Monthly Utilities & Internet
El Medano
$157
Ubud, Bali
$105 32.9% $51
Clothing & Footwear
El Medano
$152
Ubud, Bali
$107 30.1% $46
Sport & Entertainment
El Medano
$65
Ubud, Bali
$63 3.3% $2.2
Getting Around
El Medano
$44
Ubud, Bali
$12 72% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $884 in El Medano versus $1,131 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in El Medano versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $287 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇸 El Medano
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
05:14 5:14 AM
12:14 12:14 PM
7 h ahead of El Medano
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,500
74,800
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • El Medano Ubud, Bali 14,530 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • El Medano
  • 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
El Medano vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in El Medano and in Ubud, Bali compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,446 in El Medano, $1,353 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in El Medano compared to Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,170 per month in El Medano and $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between El Medano and Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What is the difference in childcare costs between El Medano and Ubud, Bali?
Kindergarten costs $406 per month in El Medano and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 6% more in El Medano, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than in El Medano at $1,446. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Medano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between El Medano and Ubud, Bali?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,353 in Ubud, Bali to $1,446 in El Medano. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is El Medano or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between El Medano and Ubud, Bali?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, El Medano makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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