Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machala and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $656 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Machala
Learn more

Machala Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$656

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $656 in Machala versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Machala $656
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Machala versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Machala $1,046
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,435 in Machala versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Machala $1,435
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Machala costs roughly 51% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.81 $2.81

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

-15.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.28 $25.28

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

-29.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 $5.21

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

-5.79%

Cappuccino

$2.68 $2.68

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

-1.47%

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

$0.86 $0.86

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-49.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 $0.72

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-30.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-53.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

-23.53%

Eggs

$1.49 $1.49

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

-26.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-81.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

-61.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-59.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-61.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-65.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 $0.58

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

-70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 $0.41

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-77.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-80.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 $0.39

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

-60.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.51 Rp 9,332

94.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

96.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 $7.64

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-65.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-30.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-25.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.25 Rp 4,562

36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.09 $22.09

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

182.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.44 Rp 7,989

247.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.43 Rp 7,817

302.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 $8.11

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

49.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

-25.61%

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

$17.7K $17.7K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

-25.70%

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

$22.0K $22.0K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-30.68%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-33.99%

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

$14.97 $14.97

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

132.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.58 $26.58

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

43.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 $42.15

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-14.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.74 $29.74

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

68.50%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 $4.89

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

14.52%

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

$133 $133

$491 Rp 8.9M

-72.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,675 $5,675

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

0.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

44.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.94 $39.94

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

14.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 $68.6

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 $190

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-83.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 $133

$671 Rp 12.2M

-80.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 $353

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-90.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-84.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 $444

$164 Rp 3.0M

170.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-63.72%

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

Last update for Machala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machala

$135 20.6%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 113% $153

Accommodation & Living

Machala

$133 20.3%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 404% $538

Clothing & Footwear

Machala

$114 17.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 5.9% $6.7

Eating Out

Machala

$94 14.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 14.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machala

$94 14.3%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 11% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Machala

$52 7.9%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 11.7% $6.1

Getting Around

Machala

$34 5.1%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 66.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $190 in Machala and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Machala pays about 2.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Machala vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $135 vs $288 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Machala

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

13 h ahead of Machala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,260

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Machala Ubud, Bali 17,880 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Machala
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

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

Machala is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Machala is about 2.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $190 in Machala versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Machala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $656 per month in Machala versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Machala is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Machala versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Machala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.