Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between KwaMhlanga and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in KwaMhlanga: $1,105 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in KwaMhlanga
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KwaMhlanga Living Index
64

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

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KwaMhlanga

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in KwaMhlanga versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

KwaMhlanga $1,105
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,707 in KwaMhlanga versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

KwaMhlanga $1,707
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,309 in KwaMhlanga versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

KwaMhlanga $2,309
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in KwaMhlanga costs roughly 17% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: KwaMhlanga 18% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.79 R 180

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

219.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.72 R 579

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 R 101

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

9.16%

Cappuccino

$2.00 R 33.26

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

-23.66%

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

$1.20 R 20.03

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-22.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.25

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

42.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 R 34.94

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

-21.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R 42.03

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

-40.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 19.11

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

-21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 19.03

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

-50.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

59.46%

Eggs

$2.50 R 41.63

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

-48.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 R 79.3

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.36 R 123

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

-35.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.97

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

-49.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 R 27.06

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.84

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-22.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.78

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-18.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.53

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

-20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 22.17

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-45.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.78

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

22.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 19.00

$0.52 Rp 9,475

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 R 52.6

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

43.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.05 R 84.2

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

-76.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 R 24.46

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.83

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-33.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 R 28.54

$0.25 Rp 4,542

584.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 R 14.31

$0.44 Rp 7,941

95.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.32

$0.47 Rp 8,489

70.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.64 R 177

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

90.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.34

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

83.13%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

43.11%

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

$33.3K R 554.7K

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

5.02%

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

$146 R 2,437

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

88.73%

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

$33.90 R 565

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

452.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.07 R 634

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

101.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.37 R 539

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

-36.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.60 R 210

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

-30.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 122

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

66.89%

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

$199 R 3,308

$492 Rp 8.9M

-59.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,066 R 101.1K

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

-50.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 882

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

17.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.97 R 549

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

-5.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,676

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

28.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 R 1,470

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R 5,587

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

-68.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 R 6,005

$665 Rp 12.1M

-45.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.7K

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

-81.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 R 12.0K

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-56.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$807 R 13.4K

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

-65.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$622 R 10.4K

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

-72.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

13.78

-20.75%

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

Last update for KwaMhlanga: 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

KwaMhlanga

$360 32.6%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 84.5% $305

Monthly Utilities & Internet

KwaMhlanga

$218 19.8%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 53% $116

Groceries & Markets

KwaMhlanga

$191 17.3%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 46.1% $88

Eating Out

KwaMhlanga

$153 13.8%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 30.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

KwaMhlanga

$124 11.2%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 14% $17

Sport & Entertainment

KwaMhlanga

$47 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 27.2% $13

Getting Around

KwaMhlanga

$12 * 1.1%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 2% $0.2

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 $335 in KwaMhlanga and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇿🇦 KwaMhlanga

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

02:44 2:44 AM

6 h ahead of KwaMhlanga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,604

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

KwaMhlanga Ubud, Bali 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

KwaMhlanga
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

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

KwaMhlanga wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making KwaMhlanga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,657 in KwaMhlanga and $1,996 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $335 in KwaMhlanga versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,105 per month in KwaMhlanga versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – KwaMhlanga is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. KwaMhlanga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.