Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Princeton, NJ and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $3,956 in Princeton, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $31,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

191

Cost of Living Index in Princeton, NJ
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Princeton, NJ Living Index
65

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

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Princeton, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,956

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,956 in Princeton, NJ versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Princeton, NJ $3,956
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,720 in Princeton, NJ versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Princeton, NJ $5,720
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,485 in Princeton, NJ versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Princeton, NJ $7,485
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Princeton, NJ is roughly 193% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 $19.84

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

497.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 $76.0

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

113.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

173.78%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

90.07%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

45.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

203.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

207.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.58 $8.58

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

95.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-27.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

65.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.18 $7.18

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

503.36%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

92.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.43 $25.43

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$21.72 $21.72

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

448.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.08 $19.08

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

56.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

84.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

-3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

176.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

157.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

50.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

31.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

203.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.51 Rp 9,336

494.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.58 $11.58

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

421.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.98 $24.98

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-21.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

171.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.25 Rp 4,564

668.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$203 $203

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

2489.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 $5.86

$0.44 Rp 7,992

1231.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.43 Rp 7,821

453.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.37 $41.37

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

664.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

9.76%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

54.04%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

-17.80%

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

$211 $211

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

166.67%

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

$55.1 $55.1

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

754.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 $55.8

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

200.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

141.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.03 $46.03

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

160.79%

Cinema Ticket

$15.28 $15.28

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

257.85%

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

$1,792 $1,792

$491 Rp 8.9M

265.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.3K $40.3K

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

609.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.05 $38.05

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

-14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 $54.7

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

56.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 $82.5

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

47.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,239 $3,239

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

187.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,215 $2,215

$671 Rp 12.2M

229.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,131 $5,131

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

112.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,957 $8,957

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

227.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,629 $3,629

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

58.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,397 $6,397

$164 Rp 3.0M

3804.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.28

13.78

-54.43%

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

Last update for Princeton, NJ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Princeton, NJ

$2.2K 56%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 69.7% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Princeton, NJ

$566 14.3%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 49% $277

Eating Out

Princeton, NJ

$343 8.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 68.6% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Princeton, NJ

$322 8.1%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 67.7% $218

Getting Around

Princeton, NJ

$228 5.8%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 95% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Princeton, NJ

$150 3.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 61.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Princeton, NJ

$132 3.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 18.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,239 in Princeton, NJ and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Princeton, NJ pays about 39 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Princeton, NJ vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $566 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Princeton, NJ

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

15:33 3:33 PM

12 h ahead of Princeton, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,603

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Princeton, NJ Ubud, Bali 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Princeton, NJ
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

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

Ubud, Bali is about 66% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Princeton, NJ is about 39 times higher, 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: $3,239 in Princeton, NJ versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,956 per month in Princeton, NJ versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 96% less than in Princeton, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Princeton, NJ and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Princeton, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.