Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salinas, CA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $3,751 in Salinas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Salinas, CA
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Salinas, CA Living Index
65

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

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Salinas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,751

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,751 per month in Salinas, CA vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Salinas, CA $3,751
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $5,500 per month in Salinas, CA vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Salinas, CA $5,500
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $7,249 per month in Salinas, CA vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Salinas, CA $7,249
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Salinas, CA costs about 178% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.53 $23.53

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

608.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 $86.1

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

141.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.97 $12.97

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

134.54%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

87.50%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

55.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

247.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

199.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.13 $10.13

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

131.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

87.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.85 $5.85

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

391.60%

Eggs

$5.66 $5.66

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

177.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.33 $15.33

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

-13.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

238.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.16 $23.16

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

89.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

81.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

116.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

73.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.14 $7.14

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

262.44%

Potato (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

191.89%

Onion (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

126.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

195.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.51 Rp 9,316

250.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.65 $11.65

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

424.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 $9.92

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

-55.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 $5.33

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

79.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.25 Rp 4,555

716.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 $70.7

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

804.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.84 $6.84

$0.44 Rp 7,975

1454.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

81.71%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

16.56%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

-15.59%

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

$297 $297

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

275.82%

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

$95.5 $95.5

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

1380.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.9 $56.9

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

206.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.11 $44.11

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

-10.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 $13.59

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

218.27%

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

$2,021 $2,021

$491 Rp 8.9M

311.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.6K $39.6K

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

598.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

30.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.32 $37.32

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

6.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

22.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$176 $176

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

121.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 $2,173

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

93.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 $2,113

$671 Rp 12.2M

214.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,943 $3,943

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,679 $3,679

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

113.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,244 $6,244

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

128.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,454 $7,454

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

226.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,649 $4,649

$164 Rp 3.0M

2737.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

13.78

-54.50%

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

Last update for Salinas, CA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salinas, CA

$2.1K 56.3%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 68.2% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Salinas, CA

$496 13.2%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 41.8% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salinas, CA

$450 12%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 76.8% $345

Eating Out

Salinas, CA

$369 9.9%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 70.8% $262

Clothing & Footwear

Salinas, CA

$166 4.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 35.3% $59

Getting Around

Salinas, CA

$86 * 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 86.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Salinas, CA

$71 1.9%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 18.6% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,173 in Salinas, CA versus $1,125 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 in Salinas, CA are about 28 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Salinas, CA versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $496 vs $288 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salinas, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

05:01 5:01 AM

16 h ahead of Salinas, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,380

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salinas, CA Ubud, Bali 13,500 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Salinas, CA
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

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

Yes – Salinas, CA is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,626 per month in Salinas, CA and $2,023 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $2,173 in Salinas, CA.

Public transport costs about 89% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,021 per month in Salinas, CA and $491 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,751 in Salinas, CA and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Salinas, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.