Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg, South Africa and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,099 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index
64

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

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Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,099

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,099 in Middelburg versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Middelburg $1,099
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,695 in Middelburg versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Middelburg $1,695
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,291 in Middelburg versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Middelburg $2,291
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Middelburg costs roughly 17% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Middelburg 19% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.53 R 157

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

181.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.98 R 592

$34.65 Rp 629.1K

3.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.5

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

5.39%

Cappuccino

$1.29 R 21.26

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

-50.76%

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

$0.83 R 13.58

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-46.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 R 10.54

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R 19.28

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

-56.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.01

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

-64.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.20

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

-19.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.14

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

-54.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.09

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

31.53%

Eggs

$1.70 R 28.00

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.76 R 94.8

$15.94 Rp 289.4K

-63.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 R 81.6

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

27.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 109

$11.40 Rp 207.0K

-42.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.35

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

-53.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.79

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

-29.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.42

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-49.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.35

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-37.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.38

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

-6.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.27

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-49.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.37

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

21.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.10

$0.52 Rp 9,483

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 R 39.37

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

8.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 78.9

$21.79 Rp 395.6K

-77.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.99

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 33.85

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-30.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 R 23.40

$0.25 Rp 4,546

468.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.88 R 705

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

424.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R 15.45

$0.44 Rp 7,947

113.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.24

$0.47 Rp 8,496

57.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.57 R 190

$5.60 Rp 101.7K

106.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.95

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

60.24%

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

$34.3K R 563.7K

$24.4K Rp 443.8M

40.16%

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

$31.9K R 525.0K

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

0.68%

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

$151 R 2,487

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

95.11%

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

$35.28 R 580

$6.14 Rp 111.6K

474.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.41 R 615

$18.92 Rp 343.4K

97.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.36 R 532

$51.0 Rp 925.8K

-36.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.35 R 203

$18.25 Rp 331.3K

-32.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.25 R 103

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

42.69%

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

$236 R 3,879

$492 Rp 8.9M

-52.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,077 R 100.0K

$12.2K Rp 221.9M

-50.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R 874

$45.16 Rp 819.9K

17.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 523

$34.89 Rp 633.4K

-8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 R 1,626

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

26.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 R 1,427

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

11.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,546

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

-63.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 R 5,944

$665 Rp 12.1M

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R 11.8K

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

-79.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 R 12.0K

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

-56.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

-67.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$670 R 11.0K

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

-70.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 R 19.6K

$166 Rp 3.0M

616.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

13.78

-20.75%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middelburg

$361 32.9%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 84% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$224 20.4%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 54.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$170 15.4%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 64.7% $110

Eating Out

Middelburg

$124 11.3%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 14.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$122 11.1%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 12.7% $15

Getting Around

Middelburg

$53 4.8%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 77.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$45 4.1%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 33.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Middelburg and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays about 7.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Middelburg vs $35 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $170 vs $279, with Middelburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

6 h ahead of Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,348

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,438 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Middelburg Ubud, Bali 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

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

Middelburg wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Middelburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Middelburg is about 7.2 times higher, 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: $398 in Middelburg versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 81% less than in Middelburg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $236 in Middelburg versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Middelburg is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.