Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $948 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
67

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

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Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $948 per month in Manila vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Manila $948
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,508 per month in Manila vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Manila $1,508
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $2,068 per month in Manila vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Manila $2,068
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Manila is about 31% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Manila sits 30% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 ₱344

$3.33 Rp 59.8K

63.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.93 ₱1,696

$35.18 Rp 631.2K

-23.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$5.80 Rp 104.1K

-32.76%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₱165

$2.73 Rp 49.0K

-4.03%

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

$1.36 ₱85.6

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

-17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₱52.3

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.9

$2.70 Rp 48.4K

-54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₱146

$4.30 Rp 77.1K

-46.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₱123

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

30.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ₱89.2

$2.30 Rp 41.2K

-38.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.5

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

-11.86%

Eggs

$2.23 ₱140

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$17.48 Rp 313.6K

-55.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 ₱309

$4.03 Rp 72.3K

21.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 ₱448

$12.23 Rp 219.4K

-41.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ₱204

$3.55 Rp 63.7K

-9.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

22.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 ₱185

$2.24 Rp 40.1K

30.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱113

$1.93 Rp 34.6K

-7.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.88 Rp 33.8K

23.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

19.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 ₱133

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

114.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.27

$0.53 Rp 9,445

11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ₱200

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

39.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 ₱618

$23.01 Rp 412.9K

-57.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₱84.2

$2.34 Rp 42.0K

-42.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$2.91 Rp 52.2K

-31.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.49

$0.24 Rp 4,301

95.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 ₱791

$8.82 Rp 158.2K

42.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.09

$0.48 Rp 8,657

52.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.46 Rp 8,207

-54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$5.45 Rp 97.9K

-65.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.7

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

45.45%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$24.6K Rp 440.8M

-13.03%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$31.2K Rp 559.6M

-38.11%

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

$124 ₱7,826

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

49.67%

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

$15.73 ₱991

$6.45 Rp 115.7K

143.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 ₱1,537

$18.57 Rp 333.1K

31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.31 ₱2,728

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-22.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₱365

$18.11 Rp 324.9K

-68.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ₱426

$4.38 Rp 78.6K

54.34%

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

$630 ₱39.7K

$493 Rp 8.8M

27.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,004 ₱567.2K

$5,754 Rp 103.2M

56.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ₱3,670

$46.19 Rp 828.8K

26.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 ₱1,722

$35.33 Rp 634.0K

-22.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ₱4,760

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.6 ₱3,566

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-27.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₱33.8K

$1,142 Rp 20.5M

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₱17.9K

$676 Rp 12.1M

-58.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 ₱118.0K

$3,503 Rp 62.9M

-46.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₱41.2K

$1,700 Rp 30.5M

-61.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,438 ₱279.6K

$2,784 Rp 50.0M

59.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,530 ₱159.3K

$2,241 Rp 40.2M

12.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 ₱29.4K

$165 Rp 3.0M

183.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

13.78

-46.08%

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

Last update for Manila: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$284 29.9%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 138% $392

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$222 23.5%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 30.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$164 17.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 34.3% $56

Eating Out

Manila

$106 11.2%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 2.3% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$98 10.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 9.7% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$57 6%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 13.6% $7.8

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 22.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $536 in Manila 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 184% higher in Manila, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Manila versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $290 – making Manila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

Same time as Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,174 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manila Ubud, Bali 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $948 in Manila, $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,422 per month in Manila 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 Manila, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $948 in Manila and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Manila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manila, where all-in costs run around $948, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Manila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $948 in Manila to $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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