Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $4,603 in San Jose, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

223

Cost of Living Index in San Jose, CA
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San Jose, CA Living Index
65

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

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San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,603

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,603 in San Jose, CA versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

San Jose, CA $4,603
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,374 in San Jose, CA versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

San Jose, CA $6,374
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,145 in San Jose, CA versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

San Jose, CA $8,145
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in San Jose, CA is roughly 241% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.70 $21.70

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

553.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

184.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.21 $12.21

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

120.80%

Cappuccino

$5.86 $5.86

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

115.44%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

219.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.97 $8.97

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

238.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

128.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

92.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

238.66%

Eggs

$5.72 $5.72

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

180.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.85 $19.85

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

12.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

256.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.98 $21.98

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

80.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

43.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

142.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

181.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

89.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

20.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

149.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.51 Rp 9,313

398.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

440.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.34 $15.34

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 $2.57

$0.25 Rp 4,553

928.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.8 $89.8

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

1048.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$0.44 Rp 7,972

704.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.43 Rp 7,801

611.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.32 $30.32

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

460.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

86.59%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

56.92%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

-17.31%

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

$278 $278

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

251.97%

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

$48.77 $48.77

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

656.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.4 $82.4

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

343.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.8 $87.8

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

77.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.18 $24.18

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

37.00%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 $16.13

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

277.75%

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

$1,902 $1,902

$491 Rp 8.9M

287.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.0K $39.0K

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

587.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

31.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 $51.5

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

47.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

26.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,967 $2,967

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

163.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,948 $2,948

$671 Rp 12.2M

338.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,822 $4,822

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

35.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,470 $4,470

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

159.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,193 $8,193

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

199.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,167 $8,167

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

257.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,076 $6,076

$164 Rp 3.0M

3608.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

13.78

-51.60%

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

Last update for San Jose, 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

San Jose, CA

$2.9K 64%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 77.2% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

San Jose, CA

$490 10.6%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 41.1% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose, CA

$409 8.9%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 74.6% $305

Eating Out

San Jose, CA

$367 8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 70.7% $260

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose, CA

$150 3.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 28.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose, CA

$120 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 51.7% $62

Getting Around

San Jose, CA

$119 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 90.4% $108

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,967 in San Jose, CA and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose, CA pays about 37 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in San Jose, CA vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $490 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Jose, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

10:40 10:40 AM

16 h ahead of San Jose, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,035,317

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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San Jose, CA Ubud, Bali 13,460 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in San Jose, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in San Jose, CA is about 37 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: $2,967 in San Jose, CA versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 91% less than in San Jose, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,902 in San Jose, CA versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

For families, Ubud, Bali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in San Jose, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, San Jose, CA 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 71% less than in San Jose, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.