Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palm Desert, CA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $3,421 in Palm Desert, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Palm Desert, CA
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Palm Desert, CA Living Index
65

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

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Palm Desert, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,421

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,421 in Palm Desert, CA versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Palm Desert, CA $3,421
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,743 in Palm Desert, CA versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Palm Desert, CA $4,743
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,064 in Palm Desert, CA versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Palm Desert, CA $6,064
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Palm Desert, CA is roughly 154% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.24 $26.24

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

690.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

108.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

105.42%

Cappuccino

$5.34 $5.34

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

96.32%

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

$3.43 $3.43

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

101.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

264.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.95 $7.95

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

126.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

-14.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

107.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

281.51%

Eggs

$5.39 $5.39

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

164.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

-20.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

302.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.22 $19.22

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

57.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

38.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

47.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

117.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

172.59%

Potato (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

143.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

74.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

119.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.51 Rp 9,313

380.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

432.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 $15.13

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-26.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-6.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.44 Rp 7,972

600.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.43 Rp 7,801

337.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.28 $24.28

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

348.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

69.51%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

24.43%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

-19.32%

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

$243 $243

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

207.74%

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

$77.5 $77.5

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

1101.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 $66.2

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

256.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 $13.09

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

206.56%

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

$542 $542

$491 Rp 8.9M

10.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,375 $8,375

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

47.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

12.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 $35.18

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

0.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

-8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

76.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 $2,498

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

122.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 $2,000

$671 Rp 12.2M

197.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,197 $3,197

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-10.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 $2,967

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

72.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,362 $4,362

$164 Rp 3.0M

2562.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

13.78

-51.52%

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

Last update for Palm Desert, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palm Desert, CA

$2K 58.5%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 66.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Palm Desert, CA

$469 13.7%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 38.4% $180

Eating Out

Palm Desert, CA

$393 11.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 72.6% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palm Desert, CA

$387 11.3%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 73.1% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Palm Desert, CA

$134 3.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 20% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Palm Desert, CA

$26 * 0.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 122% $32

Getting Around

Palm Desert, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 8.6% $1.1

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 $2,498 in Palm Desert, CA and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palm Desert, CA pays about 27 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Palm Desert, CA vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $469 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Palm Desert, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

16 h ahead of Palm Desert, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,163

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palm Desert, CA Ubud, Bali 14,050 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Palm Desert, 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

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Palm Desert, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Palm Desert, CA is about 27 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: $2,498 in Palm Desert, CA versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $542 in Palm Desert, CA versus $491 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 $36 versus $74 in Palm Desert, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali 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.

Safety-wise, Palm Desert, CA and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Palm Desert, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.