Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living costs are similar in Merida and in Ubud, Bali: $1,336 and $1,368 a month, rent and utilities included.

Merida
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,336
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,336 per month in Merida vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Merida $1,336
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $2,145 per month in Merida vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Merida $2,145
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $2,955 per month in Merida vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Merida $2,955
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Merida is about 2% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.74 MX$254
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
312.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.7 MX$1,010
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
55.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.01 MX$148
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
38.10%
Cappuccino
$3.86 MX$71.4
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
41.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 MX$20.90
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-31.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 MX$21.60
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
40.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.98 MX$55.0
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
10.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 MX$70.9
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-10.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 MX$30.24
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
9.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 MX$49.02
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
15.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.32
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
52.54%
Eggs
$1.95 MX$36.08
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
-8.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.40 MX$192
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-40.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.58 MX$140
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
88.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.34 MX$228
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
0.90%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 MX$52.2
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-20.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 MX$25.68
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
-11.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 MX$39.03
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-5.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
6.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 MX$40.70
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
17.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 MX$33.98
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-19.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.41
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
49.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$21.77
$0.53 Rp 9,475
122.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.47 MX$82.6
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
96.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.85 MX$200
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-52.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 MX$27.71
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-35.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 MX$45.96
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-14.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.72
$0.24 Rp 4,315
187.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.37 MX$358
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
119.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.66 MX$49.24
$0.48 Rp 8,684
454.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.76 MX$69.5
$0.46 Rp 8,233
717.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.81 MX$163
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
61.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.56 MX$28.84
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
77.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K MX$393.1K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
-13.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.6K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-23.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,133
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
39.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.17 MX$391
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
228.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.17 MX$631
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
84.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.22 MX$540
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-47.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.10 MX$224
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-33.19%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 MX$140
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
72.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$257 MX$4,744
$493 Rp 8.9M
-47.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,594 MX$66.4K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-37.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.0 MX$998
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
16.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.2 MX$983
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
50.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 MX$1,902
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
30.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.7 MX$1,547
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
6.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$617 MX$11.4K
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-45.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$463 MX$8,551
$676 Rp 12.2M
-31.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 MX$23.5K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-63.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$955 MX$17.6K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-43.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,230 MX$41.2K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-19.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,223 MX$22.6K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-45.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Merida
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$593 MX$11.0K
$165 Rp 3.0M
260.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.64
13.78
-15.53%

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

Last update for Merida: 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
Merida
$463
Ubud, Bali
$676 46% $213
Groceries & Markets
Merida
$270
Ubud, Bali
$290 7.6% $21
Eating Out
Merida
$212
Ubud, Bali
$109 48.7% $103
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Merida
$171
Ubud, Bali
$108 36.7% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Merida
$132
Ubud, Bali
$108 18.7% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Merida
$44
Ubud, Bali
$65 45.5% $20
Getting Around
Merida
$44
Ubud, Bali
$13 71.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Merida 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 261% higher in Merida, 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 $55.0 in Merida versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $270 in Merida vs $290 in Ubud, Bali – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Merida
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
14:13 2:13 PM
04:13 4:13 AM
14 h ahead of Merida
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
975,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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
  • Merida Ubud, Bali 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Merida
  • 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
Merida vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Merida?
Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,003 per month in Merida and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $257 per month in Merida and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Merida and in Ubud, Bali?
Groceries cost about 8% 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.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Merida or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $1,336, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Merida or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Merida – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Merida or Ubud, Bali?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Merida. 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.

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