Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sa Pa and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sa Pa: $731 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Sa Pa
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Sa Pa Living Index
67

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

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Sa Pa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $731 per month in Sa Pa vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sa Pa $731
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Sa Pa vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,170
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $1,608 per month in Sa Pa vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Sa Pa $1,608
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Sa Pa is about 47% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sa Pa sits 46% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

-43.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.25 ₫550.1K

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-39.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ₫116.4K

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-22.41%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-37.73%

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

$0.47 ₫12.1K

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-71.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,831

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-63.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-64.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫41.0K

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-63.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.8K

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-56.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-16.10%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.2K

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-34.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ₫303.8K

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-32.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

-8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₫260.7K

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-17.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₫71.0K

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-22.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-34.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.1K

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-39.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-44.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-45.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-54.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

-34.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.53 Rp 9,475

-9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.7K

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

-39.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.61 ₫300.6K

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-49.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-67.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-44.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₫8,276

$0.24 Rp 4,315

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫168.6K

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

-26.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.48 Rp 8,684

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.46 Rp 8,233

34.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 ₫73.2K

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-48.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₫21.6K

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-5.68%

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

$35.5K ₫920.2M

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

44.68%

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

$32.1K ₫829.7M

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

2.76%

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

$76.5 ₫2.0M

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-7.81%

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

$5.96 ₫154.3K

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

-7.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.62 ₫223.1K

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

-53.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.19 ₫574.5K

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-60.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫196.5K

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-58.09%

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

-29.45%

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

$266 ₫6.9M

$493 Rp 8.9M

-46.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ₫303.6M

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

103.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.21 ₫1.0M

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-12.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.33 ₫603.9K

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-33.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

7.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫2.0M

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-3.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$365 ₫9.4M

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-68.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$676 Rp 12.2M

-63.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-79.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.8M

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-68.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,076 ₫53.7M

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-25.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,264 ₫32.7M

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-43.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

13.78

-33.96%

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

Last update for Sa Pa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sa Pa

$248 33.9%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 173% $428

Groceries & Markets

Sa Pa

$191 26.2%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 51.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Sa Pa

$101 13.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 6.4% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sa Pa

$91 12.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 18.6% $17

Eating Out

Sa Pa

$60 8.2%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 80.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sa Pa

$28 3.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 128% $36

Getting Around

Sa Pa

$12 1.6%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 8.1% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $365 in Sa Pa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Sa Pa versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $290 – making Sa Pa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Sa Pa

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

1 h ahead of Sa Pa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,882

74,800

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sa Pa Ubud, Bali 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sa Pa
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

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

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,097 per month in Sa Pa 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 Sa Pa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Sa Pa and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sa Pa, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Sa Pa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sa Pa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Sa Pa. 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.