Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Shepstone and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,058 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index
66

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

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Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in Port Shepstone versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali.

Port Shepstone $1,058
Ubud, Bali $1,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,592 in Port Shepstone versus $2,297 in Ubud, Bali.

Port Shepstone $1,592
Ubud, Bali $2,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,126 in Port Shepstone versus $3,241 in Ubud, Bali.

Port Shepstone $2,126
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Living in Port Shepstone costs roughly 22% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Shepstone is 22% below, Ubud, Bali is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.68 R 127

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

137.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.93 R 641

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

11.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 R 99.8

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

6.32%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R 44.89

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

3.82%

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

$1.11 R 18.28

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-35.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 13.98

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

4.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.54

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

-7.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 R 42.96

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-40.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R 14.70

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-43.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 R 11.74

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-67.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.80

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

1.69%

Eggs

$1.50 R 24.68

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

-30.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 R 118

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-59.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 R 59.8

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

-3.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 R 119

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

-39.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.63

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-66.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 R 11.85

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-54.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 R 10.27

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-73.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

-18.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 R 9.83

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-66.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.11

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-37.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R 15.18

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.64

$0.53 Rp 9,509

11.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 61.5

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

62.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.0

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.39

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.05

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-34.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 R 28.37

$0.23 Rp 4,112

647.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$0.47 Rp 8,466

-12.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.42

$0.43 Rp 7,737

74.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 R 129

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

43.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.86

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

60.24%

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

$34.9K R 575.0K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

46.17%

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

$33.1K R 544.9K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

0.89%

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

$123 R 2,025

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

53.68%

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

$18.38 R 303

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

180.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.21 R 613

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

100.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 R 526

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-41.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.48 R 156

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-48.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 124

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

76.47%

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

$314 R 5,180

$493 Rp 8.9M

-36.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,567 R 124.7K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

35.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 R 889

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 R 499

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

-13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,653

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

29.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,013

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-62.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,887

$673 Rp 12.1M

-37.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 R 10.5K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-82.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.0K

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-57.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$927 R 15.3K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-65.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$775 R 12.8K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-65.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 R 50.0K

$166 Rp 3.0M

1723.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

13.78

-14.51%

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

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 61% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 41.1% $73

Groceries & Markets

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 98.4% $142

Eating Out

Port Shepstone

$138 13%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 22.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 11.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 33.5% $16

Getting Around

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 12.3% $1.4

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 $426 in Port Shepstone and $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Shepstone pays 1723% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Port Shepstone vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $145 vs $287, with Port Shepstone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

18:52 6:52 PM

6 h ahead of Port Shepstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,793

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 20, 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 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Shepstone Ubud, Bali 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Shepstone
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

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

Port Shepstone wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Shepstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1723% higher in Port Shepstone, 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: $426 in Port Shepstone versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Port Shepstone versus $493 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 Port Shepstone – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in Port Shepstone versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Shepstone but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Port Shepstone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Port Shepstone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,058 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Port Shepstone hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.