Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $764 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
67

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

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$764

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $764 per month in Mbabane vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Mbabane $764
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Mbabane vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Mbabane $1,223
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $1,681 per month in Mbabane vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Mbabane $1,681
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Mbabane is about 44% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mbabane sits 43% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.22 SZL 168

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

206.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.39 SZL 550

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-5.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 SZL 101

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

5.52%

Cappuccino

$2.59 SZL 42.65

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-5.13%

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

$1.13 SZL 18.52

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-31.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 SZL 10.15

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SZL 35.78

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 SZL 38.77

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-45.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 SZL 26.47

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

7.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 SZL 13.84

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-63.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 SZL 28.78

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

48.31%

Eggs

$1.83 SZL 30.06

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.93 SZL 180

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-37.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 SZL 94.1

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

41.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.04 SZL 82.9

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-58.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 SZL 30.13

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 SZL 10.87

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-57.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 SZL 19.83

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-46.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 SZL 22.25

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-30.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 SZL 21.74

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-29.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SZL 24.67

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-34.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 SZL 11.01

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

-32.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 SZL 12.82

$0.53 Rp 9,475

47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 SZL 45.58

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

21.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 SZL 102

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-73.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 SZL 26.49

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-31.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SZL 27.63

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-42.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 SZL 11.50

$0.24 Rp 4,315

191.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 SZL 23.15

$0.46 Rp 8,233

206.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 SZL 49.30

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-44.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SZL 21.37

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

47.73%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

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

$63.9 SZL 1,051

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-23.06%

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

$38.35 SZL 631

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

494.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.56 SZL 454

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

48.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.37 SZL 368

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-59.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.98 SZL 49.10

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-83.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 SZL 61.5

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

-14.84%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,395 SZL 105.3K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

11.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 SZL 570

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-25.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.29 SZL 252

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-56.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 SZL 1,167

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-10.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 SZL 884

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-31.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 SZL 4,394

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-76.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 SZL 2,956

$676 Rp 12.2M

-73.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 SZL 7,477

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-87.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 SZL 5,872

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-79.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$476 SZL 7,840

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-82.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 SZL 5,855

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-84.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

13.78

-47.39%

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

Last update for Mbabane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbabane

$183 23.9%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 58.9% $108

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$180 23.5%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 276% $496

Eating Out

Mbabane

$154 20.1%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 29.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$130 17%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 16.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$79 10.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 37% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$30 3.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 116% $35

Getting Around

Mbabane

$9.8 * 1.3%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 27.7% $2.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Mbabane 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Mbabane versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $290 – making Mbabane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

14:09 2:09 PM

6 h ahead of Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.08 USD

100 SZL = 5.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇿 Eswatini Lilangeni (L)

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.46 SZL (100 SZL = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 SZL (100 SZL = 5.4 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).

USD to SZL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbabane Ubud, Bali 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbabane
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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 79% more than Mbabane, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,146 per month in Mbabane 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 Mbabane, 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 $764 in Mbabane and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 79%.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mbabane, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Mbabane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mbabane costs $764 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. 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 Mbabane. 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.