Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index
67

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

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Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $959 per month in Polokwane vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Polokwane $959
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,417 per month in Polokwane vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Polokwane $1,417
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $1,875 per month in Polokwane vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Polokwane $1,875
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Polokwane is about 30% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Polokwane sits 29% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

267.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-15.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

28.62%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-12.82%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-53.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

6.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-37.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-12.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-53.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

44.07%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

23.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-55.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

13.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-50.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-43.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-19.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-11.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-34.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

13.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$0.53 Rp 9,475

54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

17.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-78.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-44.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$0.24 Rp 4,315

283.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

240.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.48 Rp 8,684

81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$0.46 Rp 8,233

106.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

163.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

62.50%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

6.26%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-8.73%

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

$138 R 2,281

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

66.80%

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

$38.10 R 628

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

490.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

77.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-58.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

82.65%

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

$179 R 2,946

$493 Rp 8.9M

-63.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

-74.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-1.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

1.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-74.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$676 Rp 12.2M

-70.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-88.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-83.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$165 Rp 3.0M

716.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

13.78

-20.83%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 48.4% $102

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 234% $473

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 56.8% $105

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 35.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 7.1% $8.3

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 68.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 64.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in Polokwane versus $1,142 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 run about 716% higher in Polokwane, 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 $30.00 in Polokwane versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $290 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

01:12 1:12 AM

6 h ahead of Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Polokwane Ubud, Bali 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Polokwane
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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 43% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in Polokwane and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $179 per month in Polokwane and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% 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.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Polokwane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Polokwane costs $959 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Polokwane. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.