Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
65

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

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Pietermaritzburg is about 23% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

133.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 594

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

-0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.6

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

4.88%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.28

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

-13.24%

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

$1.16 R 19.41

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-31.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.15

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.78

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.76

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

-42.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.17

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-10.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.33

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

-59.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.31

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

42.86%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.7

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

54.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

-59.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.3

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

24.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

-47.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.01

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

-44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.28

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.75

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

4.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.91

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

3.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.69

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

-3.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.10

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-25.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.79

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

50.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.29

$0.51 Rp 9,316

103.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.3

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

41.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.4

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

-82.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.70

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-37.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.21

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-41.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.71

$0.25 Rp 4,555

1044.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 329

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

152.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.52

$0.44 Rp 7,975

261.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.69

$0.43 Rp 7,804

146.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.97

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

75.61%

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

$26.5K R 442.4K

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

11.34%

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

$26.8K R 446.4K

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

-15.65%

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

$205 R 3,416

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

159.26%

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

$32.46 R 541

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

403.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 620

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

100.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 730

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

-11.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.9

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

-82.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.6

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

13.35%

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

$177 R 2,950

$491 Rp 8.9M

-63.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 85.0K

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

-10.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 945

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

26.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 573

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

-1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,898

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

42.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,165

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,607

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-80.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,614

$671 Rp 12.2M

-67.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,600

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-83.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,754

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-76.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.6K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

116.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,470

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-93.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$164 Rp 3.0M

545.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

13.78

-15.31%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 62.1% $171

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 210% $455

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 48.3% $94

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 18.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 8.5% $4.6

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 70% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,125 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 in Pietermaritzburg are about 6.5 times higher, 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 $36 in Pietermaritzburg versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $288 – making Pietermaritzburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

6 h ahead of Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.67 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.58 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,229 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Ubud, Bali 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Pietermaritzburg and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 48% 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.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pietermaritzburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.