Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmerston North and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Palmerston North despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index
67

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

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Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Palmerston North $1,562
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Palmerston North versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Palmerston North $2,537
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,511 in Palmerston North versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Palmerston North $3,511
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Palmerston North is roughly 14% 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: Palmerston North 16% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 NZ$23.87

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

305.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

80.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 NZ$15.56

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

51.72%

Cappuccino

$3.13 NZ$5.54

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

14.65%

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

$2.36 NZ$4.18

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

43.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 NZ$2.97

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

102.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.43 NZ$11.38

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

138.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 NZ$11.53

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

51.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 NZ$3.26

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 NZ$3.78

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-6.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 NZ$2.42

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

16.10%

Eggs

$4.85 NZ$8.58

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

126.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 NZ$11.34

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-63.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 NZ$16.80

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

135.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 NZ$19.06

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-11.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 NZ$4.48

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-28.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 NZ$3.94

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

42.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 NZ$4.07

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

2.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 NZ$9.78

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

186.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.49

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 NZ$1.53

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-62.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 NZ$3.04

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

73.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 NZ$1.33

$0.53 Rp 9,475

41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.06 NZ$39.00

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

867.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 NZ$13.99

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-65.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 NZ$4.69

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 NZ$4.91

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.93 NZ$6.95

$0.24 Rp 4,315

1537.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 NZ$146

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

832.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 NZ$3.30

$0.48 Rp 8,684

289.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NZ$3.14

$0.46 Rp 8,233

286.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 NZ$29.40

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

205.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.64 NZ$2.90

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

86.36%

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

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-12.21%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-23.29%

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

$68.2 NZ$121

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-17.82%

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

$32.09 NZ$56.8

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

397.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 NZ$61.3

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

86.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 NZ$38.54

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-60.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 NZ$24.90

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-22.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 NZ$20.52

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

164.84%

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

$1,034 NZ$1,829

$493 Rp 8.9M

109.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 NZ$123

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

50.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.70 NZ$48.98

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-21.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 NZ$147

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

5.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 NZ$146

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 NZ$1,602

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-20.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 NZ$1,129

$676 Rp 12.2M

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 NZ$2,807

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-54.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 NZ$2,318

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-22.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 NZ$3,577

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-27.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,836 NZ$3,247

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-18.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,494 NZ$4,411

$165 Rp 3.0M

1415.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

13.78

-60.89%

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

Last update for Palmerston North: 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

Palmerston North

$639 40.9%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 5.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Palmerston North

$283 18.1%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 2.6% $7.2

Eating Out

Palmerston North

$233 14.9%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 53.4% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmerston North

$135 8.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 19.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Palmerston North

$118 7.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 9% $11

Getting Around

Palmerston North

$109 7%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 88.5% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Palmerston North

$45 2.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 43.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in Palmerston North and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 1416% 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: $64.0 in Palmerston North vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $290, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

5 h behind Palmerston North

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,500

74,800

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 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).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palmerston North Ubud, Bali 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmerston North
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

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

Palmerston North and Ubud, Bali differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,562 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 1416% higher in Palmerston North, 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: $906 in Palmerston North versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,034 in Palmerston North versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Palmerston North pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,562 in Palmerston North, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Palmerston North. 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, Palmerston North 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 14% less than in Palmerston North. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.