Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makati and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,228 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Makati
🇵🇭 Philippines
$1,228
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,228 in Makati versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Makati $1,228
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,028 in Makati versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Makati $2,028
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,828 in Makati versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Makati $2,828
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Makati costs roughly 10% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Makati is 9% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.22 ₱392
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
86.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.57 ₱2,491
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
12.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.88 ₱307
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
-15.86%
Cappuccino
$2.55 ₱161
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-6.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₱67.0
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-35.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₱31.54
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
-39.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.38 ₱150
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
-11.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ₱202
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-25.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 ₱120
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
26.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 ₱81.5
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-43.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.06 ₱67.0
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-10.17%
Eggs
$2.47 ₱155
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
15.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 ₱459
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-58.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 ₱306
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
20.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.03 ₱442
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-42.52%
Apples (1kg)
$4.04 ₱254
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
13.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 ₱122
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
23.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.22 ₱203
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
43.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 ₱144
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
18.65%
Potato (1kg)
$3.48 ₱219
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
85.11%
Onion (1kg)
$3.59 ₱226
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
56.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 ₱66.8
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
7.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 ₱69.7
$0.53 Rp 9,475
109.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.69 ₱169
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
17.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.11 ₱511
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-64.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₱82.9
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-43.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ₱124
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-31.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 ₱56.4
$0.24 Rp 4,315
275.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.8 ₱3,575
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
543.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.67 ₱41.91
$0.48 Rp 8,684
39.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.16
$0.46 Rp 8,233
-54.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.93 ₱121
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-64.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ₱78.8
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
42.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K ₱1.3M
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
-13.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K ₱1.2M
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-37.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 ₱9,620
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
84.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.06 ₱1,011
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
148.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.37 ₱2,038
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
74.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.9 ₱3,456
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-1.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.14 ₱890
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-21.92%
Cinema Ticket
$7.22 ₱454
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
64.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$794 ₱50.0K
$493 Rp 8.9M
61.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,321 ₱460.9K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
27.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.2 ₱3,850
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
32.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.86 ₱2,321
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
4.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.5 ₱5,129
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
3.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 ₱6,510
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
31.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$815 ₱51.3K
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-28.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$417 ₱26.3K
$676 Rp 12.2M
-38.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,274 ₱143.2K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-35.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,069 ₱67.3K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-37.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,869 ₱369.5K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
110.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,738 ₱235.4K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
66.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Makati
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$601 ₱37.9K
$165 Rp 3.0M
265.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.5
13.78
-45.57%

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

Last update for Makati: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Makati
$417
Ubud, Bali
$676 61.9% $258
Groceries & Markets
Makati
$231
Ubud, Bali
$290 25.5% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Makati
$201
Ubud, Bali
$108 46.3% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Makati
$127
Ubud, Bali
$108 15.5% $20
Eating Out
Makati
$120
Ubud, Bali
$109 9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Makati
$69
Ubud, Bali
$65 6.8% $4.7
Getting Around
Makati
$62
Ubud, Bali
$13 79.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $815 in Makati and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays 265% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Makati vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $231 vs $290, with Makati cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Makati
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
05:58 5:58 AM
05:58 5:58 AM
Same time as Makati
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
582,602
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 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
  • Makati Ubud, Bali 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Makati
  • 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
Makati vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Makati or Ubud, Bali?
Makati wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Makati or in Ubud, Bali?
Average pay runs 265% higher in Makati, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Makati compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $815 in Makati versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Makati compared to Ubud, Bali?
All in, you'll spend $1,228 per month in Makati versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Makati compared to Ubud, Bali?
A monthly transit pass in Makati runs roughly 544% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Makati or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,228 in Makati versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makati but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Makati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Makati or Ubud, Bali?
Both work as nomad bases, but Makati delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,228 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makati hard to pass up.
How safe is Makati compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Makati 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Makati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% 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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