Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Emalahleni and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Emalahleni: $1,224 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Emalahleni
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Emalahleni Living Index
65

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

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Emalahleni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,224

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,224 per month in Emalahleni vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Emalahleni $1,224
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $1,869 per month in Emalahleni vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Emalahleni $1,869
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $2,515 per month in Emalahleni vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Emalahleni $2,515
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Emalahleni is about 9% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.00 R 200

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

261.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.30 R 755

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

27.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 123

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

34.00%

Cappuccino

$1.53 R 25.52

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

-43.75%

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

$0.89 R 14.83

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-47.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 R 9.45

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 R 23.68

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-46.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 R 28.98

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-60.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.84

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-12.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R 14.96

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-60.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.52

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

3.36%

Eggs

$2.20 R 36.72

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.83 R 147

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-50.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R 80.3

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

21.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.08 R 151

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

-25.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.93

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.78

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-17.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.77

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

-15.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.82

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R 16.76

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-58.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 R 22.77

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

38.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.63

$0.51 Rp 9,332

131.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 52.0

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

40.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.55 R 59.2

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-84.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 22.21

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.82

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-53.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.08

$0.25 Rp 4,562

504.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.73

$0.44 Rp 7,989

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.38

$0.43 Rp 7,817

113.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.75 R 246

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

172.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.83

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

74.39%

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

$36.5K R 607.8K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

52.99%

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

$33.2K R 552.8K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

4.49%

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

$232 R 3,862

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

193.16%

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

$38.64 R 644

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

499.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.16 R 636

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

105.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.35 R 539

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-34.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

-38.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.02 R 100

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

40.98%

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

$211 R 3,520

$491 Rp 8.9M

-56.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,792 R 29.9K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

-68.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 R 995

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

33.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.35 R 772

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

32.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,897

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

42.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 R 1,895

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

43.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,536

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-65.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 R 6,124

$671 Rp 12.2M

-45.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.2K

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-79.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-57.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 R 14.3K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-68.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$681 R 11.3K

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-70.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,066 R 34.4K

$164 Rp 3.0M

1160.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

13.78

-20.83%

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

Last update for Emalahleni: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Emalahleni

$368 30%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 82.7% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Emalahleni

$309 25.2%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 66.3% $204

Groceries & Markets

Emalahleni

$189 15.4%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 53% $100

Eating Out

Emalahleni

$153 12.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 29.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Emalahleni

$150 12.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 28.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Emalahleni

$44 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 30.8% $14

Getting Around

Emalahleni

$12 * 0.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 0.9% $0.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Emalahleni 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 Emalahleni are about 13 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 $45 in Emalahleni versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Emalahleni vs $288 in Ubud, Bali – so Emalahleni wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Emalahleni

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

6 h ahead of Emalahleni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,673

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 29, 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 29, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Emalahleni Ubud, Bali 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Emalahleni
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,224 in Emalahleni, $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Emalahleni comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,835 per month in Emalahleni 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 Emalahleni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Emalahleni and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,224 in Emalahleni and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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