Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $4,077 in San Diego, CA, rent and utilities included – about $32,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in San Diego, CA
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San Diego, CA Living Index
67

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

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San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,077

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,077 per month in San Diego, CA vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Diego, CA $4,077
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $6,059 per month in San Diego, CA vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Diego, CA $6,059
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $8,041 per month in San Diego, CA vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Diego, CA $8,041
Ubud, Bali $3,260

San Diego, CA costs about 198% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Diego, CA and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – San Diego, CA by 202%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 $24.72

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

642.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.7 $97.7

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

177.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 $13.25

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

128.45%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

118.32%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

90.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

215.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

201.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.11 $11.11

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

158.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-8.67%

White Bread (500g)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

142.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

298.31%

Eggs

$6.77 $6.77

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

216.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.12 $17.12

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-2.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.30 $14.30

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

254.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.72 $20.72

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

69.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

30.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

18.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

92.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

163.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

65.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

17.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

114.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.53 Rp 9,475

279.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

414.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.72 $16.72

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-27.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

9.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.24 Rp 4,315

929.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.4 $73.4

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

732.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.48 Rp 8,684

522.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.46 Rp 8,233

354.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 $28.38

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

420.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

76.14%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

50.60%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-17.80%

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

$256 $256

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

208.64%

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

$73.9 $73.9

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

1045.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.4 $84.4

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

354.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 $72.9

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

30.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.09 $24.09

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

33.02%

Cinema Ticket

$20.21 $20.21

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

361.42%

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

$1,968 $1,968

$493 Rp 8.9M

299.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.0K $36.0K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

525.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 $68.4

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

48.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 $54.7

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

54.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

44.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

86.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,210 $3,210

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

181.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$676 Rp 12.2M

256.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,499 $5,499

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

56.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,336 $4,336

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

155.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,110 $8,110

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

191.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,682 $6,682

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

198.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,975 $4,975

$165 Rp 3.0M

2923.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

13.78

-51.38%

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

Last update for San Diego, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Diego, CA

$2.4K 59.1%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 72% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

San Diego, CA

$475 11.7%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 38.9% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Diego, CA

$414 10.2%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 73.9% $306

Eating Out

San Diego, CA

$395 9.7%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 72.5% $286

Clothing & Footwear

San Diego, CA

$172 4.2%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 37.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

San Diego, CA

$113 2.8%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 43% $49

Getting Around

San Diego, CA

$97 2.4%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 87% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,210 in San Diego, CA 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 2923% higher in San Diego, CA, 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 $98.0 in San Diego, CA versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $475 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Diego, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

09:46 9:46 AM

15 h ahead of San Diego, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,386,932

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Diego, CA Ubud, Bali 14,010 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

San Diego, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,077 in San Diego, CA, $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 198% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,116 per month in San Diego, CA 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,968 per month in San Diego, CA and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in San Diego, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in San Diego, CA at $4,077. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Diego, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Diego, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,368 in Ubud, Bali to $4,077 in San Diego, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, San Diego, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.