Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
67

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

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,148 per month in Port Vila vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Port Vila $3,148
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Port Vila vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Port Vila $5,432
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Port Vila costs about 130% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Vila and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Port Vila by 133%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 VUV 1,474

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

277.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,558

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

58.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.47 VUV 1,697

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

149.48%

Cappuccino

$3.99 VUV 468

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

46.15%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

40.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 VUV 276

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

183.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 VUV 603

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

90.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 VUV 839

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

66.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 VUV 320

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

82.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 VUV 231

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-14.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 VUV 426

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

207.63%

Eggs

$6.30 VUV 739

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

194.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.57 VUV 2,061

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

0.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.60 VUV 1,947

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

311.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 VUV 1,604

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

11.86%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 VUV 837

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

100.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 VUV 252

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

36.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 453

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

72.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.44 VUV 1,107

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

389.12%

Potato (1kg)

$9.13 VUV 1,071

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

385.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 VUV 407

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

51.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 VUV 303

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

160.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 VUV 140

$0.53 Rp 9,475

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 VUV 1,063

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

297.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 VUV 1,467

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-45.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 VUV 287

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 VUV 316

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.24 Rp 4,315

437.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 VUV 8,052

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

678.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 VUV 302

$0.48 Rp 8,684

435.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 VUV 103

$0.46 Rp 8,233

91.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 VUV 609

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-4.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 VUV 206

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

100.00%

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

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

-7.04%

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

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

21.64%

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

$636 VUV 74.6K

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

665.76%

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

$22.30 VUV 2,615

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

245.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$362 VUV 42.4K

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

1846.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,936

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

21.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.93 VUV 1,986

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

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

$631 VUV 74.0K

$493 Rp 8.9M

28.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

21.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.45 VUV 4,862

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-10.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 VUV 7,856

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

89.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VUV 12.0K

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

30.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

35.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

$676 Rp 12.2M

65.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-2.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

10.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

112.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 VUV 79.5K

$165 Rp 3.0M

312.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

13.78

-55.15%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 39.6% $444

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 89.4% $911

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$476 15.1%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 39% $186

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 56.6% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.2%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 19.5% $26

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 84.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 4.6% $3.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,549 in Port Vila 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 312% higher in Port Vila, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Port Vila versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

3 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 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 VUV in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Vila Ubud, Bali 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Port Vila costs about 130% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,722 per month in Port Vila 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 Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,148 in Port Vila and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 130%.

Public transport costs about 678% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Port Vila at $3,148. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,368 versus $3,148 in Port Vila. 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 Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.