Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,103 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Isla Mujeres
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,103
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Isla Mujeres $1,103
  • Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,760 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Isla Mujeres $1,760
  • Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,416 in Isla Mujeres versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Isla Mujeres $2,416
  • Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 19% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isla Mujeres is 19% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$196
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
227.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.10 MX$722
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
12.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.70 MX$142
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
35.09%
Cappuccino
$3.26 MX$60.2
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
24.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$22.93
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
-27.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 MX$18.04
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
20.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.17 MX$40.08
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
-18.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.00 MX$73.9
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
-8.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.58
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-8.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 MX$46.64
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
15.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 MX$28.75
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
32.20%
Eggs
$2.33 MX$43.08
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
7.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.97 MX$147
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
-54.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.02 MX$148
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
112.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.38 MX$192
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
-13.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.60 MX$48.09
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
-27.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 MX$26.02
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
-11.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 MX$31.68
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
-25.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.70 MX$31.45
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
-10.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.19
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
6.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.63
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-17.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 MX$23.35
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
26.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 MX$18.14
$0.53 Rp 9,509
84.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 MX$77.7
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
83.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.00 MX$203
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
-50.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$29.54
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
-31.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 MX$51.1
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
-7.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.62 MX$11.45
$0.23 Rp 4,112
169.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.54 MX$46.85
$0.47 Rp 8,466
440.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 MX$29.42
$0.43 Rp 7,737
269.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 MX$157
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
54.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$23.31
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
51.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$396.2K
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
-10.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K MX$408.2K
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
-32.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.3 MX$1,041
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
-29.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.23 MX$411
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
238.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.99 MX$517
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
50.48%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.29 MX$671
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
-32.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.00 MX$296
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
-12.47%
Cinema Ticket
$4.64 MX$85.8
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
9.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$210 MX$3,888
$493 Rp 8.9M
-57.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,607 MX$66.6K
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
-35.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.0 MX$961
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
14.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.19 MX$743
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
14.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 MX$1,678
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
16.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.7 MX$1,492
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
2.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$505 MX$9,338
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
-55.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$395 MX$7,304
$673 Rp 12.1M
-41.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 MX$17.0K
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
-74.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$770 MX$14.2K
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
-54.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,779 MX$32.9K
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
-34.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,176 MX$21.7K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-47.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Isla Mujeres
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.48
13.78
-16.69%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Isla Mujeres
$395
Ubud, Bali
$673 70.2% $278
Groceries & Markets
Isla Mujeres
$249
Ubud, Bali
$287 15.3% $38
Eating Out
Isla Mujeres
$175
Ubud, Bali
$106 39.1% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Isla Mujeres
$119
Ubud, Bali
$107 10.2% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Isla Mujeres
$107
Ubud, Bali
$105 1.3% $1.4
Sport & Entertainment
Isla Mujeres
$46
Ubud, Bali
$63 37.4% $17
Getting Around
Isla Mujeres
$13 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 4.2% $0.5

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 $505 in Isla Mujeres and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Isla Mujeres vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $287, with Isla Mujeres cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
00:22 12:22 AM
13:22 1:22 PM
13 h ahead of Isla Mujeres
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,174
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 23, 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
  • Isla Mujeres Ubud, Bali 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Isla Mujeres
  • 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
Isla Mujeres vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Isla Mujeres and in Ubud, Bali?
Isla Mujeres and Ubud, Bali differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,103 vs $1,353 including rent). Isla Mujeres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Isla Mujeres compared to Ubud, Bali?
You'd need roughly $1,654 in Isla Mujeres and $2,030 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Isla Mujeres and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $505 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Isla Mujeres or Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $1,103 per month in Isla Mujeres versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,103 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Isla Mujeres and 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.
Is Isla Mujeres or Ubud, Bali safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Isla Mujeres 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.
Where should expats move: Isla Mujeres or Ubud, Bali?
Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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