Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia, CA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia, CA
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Monrovia, CA Living Index
66

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

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Monrovia, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,704 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $2,704
Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $4,049 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $4,049
Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $5,394 per month in Monrovia, CA vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Monrovia, CA $5,394
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Monrovia, CA costs about 100% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monrovia, CA and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Monrovia, CA by 100%, Ubud, Bali by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.92 $24.92

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

671.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

190.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.66 $11.66

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

104.56%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

114.12%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

55.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

143.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 $8.23

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

210.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 $9.63

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

120.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$5.85 $5.85

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

167.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

258.47%

Eggs

$4.94 $4.94

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

128.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-29.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.92 $20.92

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

453.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

17.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

56.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

85.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 $6.35

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

232.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

103.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

50.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.53 Rp 9,509

328.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.63 $11.63

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

407.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-33.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

4.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.23 Rp 4,112

747.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 $4.61

$0.47 Rp 8,466

880.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.43 Rp 7,737

320.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.58 $35.58

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

550.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

92.77%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

16.11%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-18.97%

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

$218 $218

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

172.66%

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

$72.4 $72.4

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

1004.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

283.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.11 $39.11

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-27.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 $11.79

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

177.41%

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

$1,948 $1,948

$493 Rp 8.9M

295.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

661.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 $73.1

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

60.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.92 $40.92

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

17.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 $171

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

118.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 $1,577

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

39.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 $1,235

$673 Rp 12.1M

83.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-31.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

19.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,557 $2,557

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-5.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 $2,351

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

4.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

13.78

-51.81%

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

Last update for Monrovia, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monrovia, CA

$1.2K 45.7%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 45.5% $562

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia, CA

$477 17.7%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 39.8% $190

Eating Out

Monrovia, CA

$381 14.1%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 72% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia, CA

$362 13.4%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 70.9% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia, CA

$165 6.1%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 35.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia, CA

$63 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Monrovia, CA

$21 * 0.8%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 42.1% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,577 in Monrovia, CA versus $1,131 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 $101 in Monrovia, CA versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $287 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monrovia, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

05:03 5:03 AM

15 h ahead of Monrovia, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,590

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Monrovia, CA Ubud, Bali 13,890 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia, CA
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,704 in Monrovia, CA, $1,353 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 100% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,056 per month in Monrovia, CA and $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Monrovia, CA and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Monrovia, CA, 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 Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than in Monrovia, CA at $2,704. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monrovia, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,353 in Ubud, Bali to $2,704 in Monrovia, CA. 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 Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Monrovia, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.