Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living costs are similar in Johannesburg and in Ubud, Bali: $1,430 and $1,368 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
67

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

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,430
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $2,960 per month in Johannesburg vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,960
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Johannesburg costs about 5% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Johannesburg and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Johannesburg by 6%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

259.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 R 709

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

22.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

22.76%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.72

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-11.72%

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

$1.17 R 19.21

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-28.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.30

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

12.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.03

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.49

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-35.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.59

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-12.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.12

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-44.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

45.76%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.34

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

22.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-51.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.0

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

35.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R 145

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-28.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.89

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-40.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

14.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.47

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-17.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.99

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

9.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.61

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-7.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-20.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R 23.53

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.99

$0.53 Rp 9,475

150.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 54.3

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

44.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 R 97.3

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-74.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.89

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-22.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 40.95

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-14.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

$0.24 Rp 4,315

737.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

919.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.62

$0.48 Rp 8,684

72.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.70

$0.46 Rp 8,233

93.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 R 238

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

164.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.51

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

69.32%

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

$35.2K R 579.4K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

43.15%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

4.10%

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

$233 R 3,841

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

180.83%

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

$37.52 R 618

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

481.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 R 598

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

95.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 R 600

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-34.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-4.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R 126

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

74.89%

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

$246 R 4,048

$493 Rp 8.9M

-50.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,533 R 91.2K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

-3.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 R 963

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

26.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 R 745

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

27.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,817

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

39.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,734

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

34.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 R 8,127

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-56.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 R 7,160

$676 Rp 12.2M

-35.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 R 16.2K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-71.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-47.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-65.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-66.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

$165 Rp 3.0M

956.15%

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 Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$435 30.4%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 55.5% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$307 21.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 64.8% $199

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.3%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 33.1% $72

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$171 12%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 36.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 25.1% $36

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.2%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 87.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 24.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Johannesburg versus $1,142 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 run about 956% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Johannesburg vs $290 in Ubud, Bali – so Johannesburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

6 h ahead of Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg Ubud, Bali 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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

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

Johannesburg costs about 5% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,145 per month in Johannesburg and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,430 in Johannesburg and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,368 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.