Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gisborne and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,029 in Gisborne, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Gisborne, New Zealand
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Gisborne
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,029
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,029 in Gisborne versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Gisborne $2,029
  • Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,006 in Gisborne versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Gisborne $3,006
  • Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,982 in Gisborne versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Gisborne $3,982
  • Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Gisborne is roughly 50% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.96 NZ$51.5
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
772.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 NZ$97.2
$35.64 Rp 646.5K
53.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.04 NZ$16.08
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
63.47%
Cappuccino
$3.54 NZ$6.29
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
30.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 NZ$3.72
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
22.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 NZ$3.62
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
167.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.35 NZ$11.29
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
139.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.81 NZ$10.33
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
32.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 NZ$3.27
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
23.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.02 NZ$3.59
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
-11.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 NZ$3.13
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
47.90%
Eggs
$5.83 NZ$10.36
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
185.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.50 NZ$15.10
$17.70 Rp 321.1K
-51.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.22 NZ$16.40
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
132.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.35 NZ$25.50
$12.19 Rp 221.1K
17.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.62 NZ$4.66
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
-28.42%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 NZ$4.04
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
49.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.07 NZ$5.46
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
37.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.67 NZ$10.08
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
187.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 NZ$3.56
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
8.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 NZ$2.57
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
-40.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 NZ$3.96
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
125.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 NZ$1.96
$0.51 Rp 9,313
115.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.32 NZ$37.90
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
860.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.32 NZ$16.56
$22.24 Rp 403.4K
-58.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.44 NZ$6.11
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
52.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 NZ$5.95
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
12.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.73 NZ$3.07
$0.25 Rp 4,553
592.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.1 NZ$176
$7.82 Rp 141.9K
1166.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.50 NZ$4.44
$0.44 Rp 7,972
468.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 NZ$3.17
$0.43 Rp 7,801
313.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.82 NZ$60.1
$5.41 Rp 98.1K
525.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 NZ$3.95
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
170.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K NZ$49.1K
$23.8K Rp 432.4M
15.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K NZ$44.1K
$31.7K Rp 575.9M
-21.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 NZ$205
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
45.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.28 NZ$57.4
$6.45 Rp 116.9K
400.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$49.02 NZ$87.1
$18.58 Rp 337.0K
163.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.98 NZ$71.1
$49.48 Rp 897.5K
-19.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.65 Rp 320.1K
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.04 NZ$19.62
$4.27 Rp 77.5K
158.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$718 NZ$1,276
$491 Rp 8.9M
46.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K NZ$31.9K
$5,674 Rp 102.9M
216.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.8 NZ$95.6
$44.64 Rp 809.7K
20.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.84 NZ$65.5
$34.95 Rp 634.0K
5.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.2 NZ$157
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
10.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 NZ$226
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
59.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,013 NZ$1,801
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
-9.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$830 NZ$1,475
$671 Rp 12.2M
23.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,463 NZ$2,600
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
-58.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,309 NZ$2,326
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
-24.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,946 NZ$8,792
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
81.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,203 NZ$5,694
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
40.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gisborne
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$164 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.83
13.78
-57.69%

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

Last update for Gisborne: 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
Gisborne
$830
Ubud, Bali
$672 19.1% $158
Eating Out
Gisborne
$361
Ubud, Bali
$108 70.2% $254
Groceries & Markets
Gisborne
$325
Ubud, Bali
$288 11.1% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gisborne
$196
Ubud, Bali
$104 47% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Gisborne
$138
Ubud, Bali
$108 21.9% $30
Getting Around
Gisborne
$117
Ubud, Bali
$11 90.3% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Gisborne
$62
Ubud, Bali
$58 6.5% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,013 in Gisborne and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $55 in Gisborne vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Gisborne
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
14:48 2:48 PM
09:48 9:48 AM
5 h behind Gisborne
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,300
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gisborne Ubud, Bali 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gisborne
  • 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
Gisborne vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Gisborne?
Ubud, Bali is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,044 in Gisborne and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Gisborne and Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,013 in Gisborne versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Gisborne and in Ubud, Bali?
All in, you’ll spend $2,029 per month in Gisborne versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 92% less than in Gisborne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Gisborne or in Ubud, Bali?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Gisborne or in Ubud, Bali?
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.
Which city is safer, Gisborne or Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Gisborne and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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