Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Rustenburg $797
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,316 in Rustenburg versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Rustenburg $1,316
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,834 in Rustenburg versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Rustenburg $1,834
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Rustenburg costs roughly 41% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 R 81.3

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

46.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 R 754

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

26.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.22 R 104

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

12.48%

Cappuccino

$1.66 R 27.75

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

-38.97%

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

$1.02 R 17.03

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.38

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.77

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

-44.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.57

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

-51.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.19

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

-30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R 15.00

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

-60.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.40

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

42.86%

Eggs

$2.61 R 43.60

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

27.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 R 127

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

-57.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 R 84.3

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 R 105

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

-48.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.73

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

-51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.20

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

3.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.00

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-19.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.94

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

-45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.94

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

-29.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R 18.12

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-55.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R 22.34

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

35.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.34

$0.51 Rp 9,303

68.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 R 51.2

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

38.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 101

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

-72.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.80

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-73.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.34

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

-69.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,548

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.60

$0.44 Rp 7,964

84.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.86

$0.43 Rp 7,793

106.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.27 R 238

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

163.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.16

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

76.83%

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

$31.6K R 527.3K

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

32.37%

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

$31.7K R 529.2K

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

-0.24%

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

$76.1 R 1,271

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-3.79%

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

$13.47 R 225

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

108.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.07 R 619

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

99.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 R 637

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

-22.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.11 R 102

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

-65.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 R 81.9

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

14.75%

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

$110 R 1,842

$491 Rp 8.9M

-77.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,453 R 91.1K

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

-3.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.73 R 697

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

-6.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 R 740

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

26.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,863

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

39.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 R 890

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-32.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,614

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-70.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R 3,955

$671 Rp 12.2M

-64.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 12.0K

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

-79.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 R 8,609

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

-70.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,065 R 17.8K

$164 Rp 3.0M

550.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

13.78

-28.16%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustenburg

$237 29.7%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 184% $435

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$173 21.7%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 67% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$127 15.9%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 17.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$113 14.2%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 4.7% $5.3

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$95 12%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 13% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$48 6%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 21.1% $10

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 117% $6.2

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 $336 in Rustenburg and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rustenburg pays about 6.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Rustenburg vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $173 vs $288, with Rustenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

6 h ahead of Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rustenburg Ubud, Bali 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustenburg
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

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

Rustenburg is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rustenburg is about 6.5 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: $336 in Rustenburg versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $110 in Rustenburg versus $491 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 Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $45 in Rustenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.