Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $969 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Joao Pessoa, Brazil
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Joao Pessoa
🇧🇷 Brazil
$969
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $969 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Joao Pessoa $969
  • Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,496 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Joao Pessoa $1,496
  • Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,023 in Joao Pessoa versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Joao Pessoa $2,023
  • Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Joao Pessoa costs roughly 27% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Joao Pessoa 28% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.54 R$35.71
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
93.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.48 R$150
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
-20.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.37 R$40.26
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
32.32%
Cappuccino
$1.42 R$7.78
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
-45.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 R$5.30
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
-37.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 R$3.63
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
3.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.70 R$9.30
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
-36.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 R$18.52
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
-20.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 R$6.17
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
-22.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 R$10.37
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
-17.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 R$7.74
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
27.93%
Eggs
$1.89 R$10.31
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
-10.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.74 R$42.24
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
-51.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R$25.22
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
19.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.85 R$37.42
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
-39.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 R$16.12
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
-16.90%
Banana (1kg)
$0.94 R$5.14
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
-38.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.83 R$4.55
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
-62.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 R$5.87
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
-45.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 R$8.22
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
-18.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 R$6.39
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
-51.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 R$3.83
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
-31.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 R$5.42
$0.52 Rp 9,475
90.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.81 R$15.36
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
27.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.38 R$45.79
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
-61.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 R$8.16
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
-36.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 R$16.56
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
2.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.99 R$5.40
$0.25 Rp 4,542
296.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.2 R$345
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
673.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.85 R$10.10
$0.44 Rp 7,941
320.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 R$10.33
$0.47 Rp 8,489
302.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 R$16.34
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
-46.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R$6.61
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
45.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K R$119.9K
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
-10.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K R$167.7K
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
-3.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 R$651
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
53.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.81 R$114
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
238.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.65 R$118
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
14.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.08 R$192
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
-31.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.65 R$151
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
51.51%
Cinema Ticket
$9.70 R$53.0
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
121.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$400 R$2,183
$492 Rp 8.9M
-18.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,320 R$34.5K
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
-48.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 R$276
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
12.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.0 R$338
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
77.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.9 R$442
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
3.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.6 R$391
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
-8.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$369 R$2,015
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
-65.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$251 R$1,368
$665 Rp 12.1M
-62.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$612 R$3,340
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
-82.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$483 R$2,639
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
-71.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,264 R$12.4K
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
-3.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,122 R$6,128
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-49.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Joao Pessoa
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$476 R$2,601
$166 Rp 3.0M
186.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
13.78
-20.17%

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

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Joao Pessoa
$251
Ubud, Bali
$665 165% $414
Groceries & Markets
Joao Pessoa
$191
Ubud, Bali
$279 46.1% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Joao Pessoa
$162
Ubud, Bali
$103 36.6% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Joao Pessoa
$119
Ubud, Bali
$106 10.9% $13
Eating Out
Joao Pessoa
$113
Ubud, Bali
$106 6.7% $7.6
Getting Around
Joao Pessoa
$78
Ubud, Bali
$12 84.8% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Joao Pessoa
$54
Ubud, Bali
$60 9.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $369 in Joao Pessoa and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Joao Pessoa pays about 2.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27 in Joao Pessoa vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $279 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
00:02 12:02 AM
11:02 11:02 AM
11 h ahead of Joao Pessoa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
833,932
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Joao Pessoa Ubud, Bali 16,280 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Joao Pessoa
  • 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
Joao Pessoa vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Joao Pessoa and in Ubud, Bali?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $969 in Joao Pessoa and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, so Joao Pessoa is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Joao Pessoa or Ubud, Bali?
Average pay in Joao Pessoa is about 2.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Joao Pessoa and in Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $369 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Joao Pessoa and Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $400 in Joao Pessoa versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $969 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Joao Pessoa 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.

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