Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McAllen, TX and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,788 in McAllen, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index
67

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

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McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,788

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,788 in McAllen, TX versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

McAllen, TX $1,788
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in McAllen, TX versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

McAllen, TX $2,731
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,674 in McAllen, TX versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

McAllen, TX $3,674
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in McAllen, TX is roughly 31% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McAllen, TX 32% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

446.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

117.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 $7.93

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

36.72%

Cappuccino

$4.53 $4.53

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

65.93%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

48.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

132.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

84.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 $5.40

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

25.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-35.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

27.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

269.49%

Eggs

$3.37 $3.37

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

57.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 $9.87

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-43.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

212.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

23.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

44.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

52.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

46.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

6.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

57.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

75.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.53 Rp 9,475

294.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.68 $8.68

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

280.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-31.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-23.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 $4.29

$0.48 Rp 8,684

793.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.46 Rp 8,233

69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

1.14%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

9.91%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-24.80%

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

$164 $164

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

98.01%

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

$37.59 $37.59

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

482.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

257.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.90 $44.90

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-19.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.23 $12.23

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

179.22%

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

$908 $908

$493 Rp 8.9M

84.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 $78.5

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

69.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.89 $44.89

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

27.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 $74.2

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 $96.6

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 $816

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 $669

$676 Rp 12.2M

-0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 $1,342

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-61.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 $1,144

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-32.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,676 $1,676

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-39.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,700 $1,700

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-24.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,646 $3,646

$165 Rp 3.0M

2115.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

13.78

-52.98%

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

Last update for McAllen, TX: 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

McAllen, TX

$669 37.4%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 1% $6.6

Groceries & Markets

McAllen, TX

$364 20.4%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 20.2% $73

Eating Out

McAllen, TX

$277 15.5%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 60.7% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McAllen, TX

$268 15%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 59.7% $160

Clothing & Footwear

McAllen, TX

$132 7.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 18.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

McAllen, TX

$69 3.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 6.9% $4.8

Getting Around

McAllen, TX

$8.2 * 0.5%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 53% $4.4

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 $816 in McAllen, TX and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays 2116% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in McAllen, TX vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $290 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

08:32 8:32 AM

13 h ahead of McAllen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,210

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

McAllen, TX Ubud, Bali 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

McAllen, TX
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

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

McAllen, TX and Ubud, Bali differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,788 vs $1,368 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2116% higher in McAllen, TX, 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: $816 in McAllen, TX versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $908 in McAllen, TX versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $76.0 in McAllen, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in McAllen, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali 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.

Safety-wise, McAllen, TX 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.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in McAllen, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.