Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,105 per month in San Jose vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Jose $2,105
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $3,074 per month in San Jose vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Jose $3,074
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $4,043 per month in San Jose vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Jose $4,043
Ubud, Bali $3,261

San Jose costs about 56% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,609

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

274.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

70.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,288

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

111.93%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,019

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

64.34%

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

$2.75 ₡1,241

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

61.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

152.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,470

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

23.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

1.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

58.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

35.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

101.68%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

68.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,841

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-39.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,674

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

161.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,243

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

13.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,323

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

40.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

8.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,109

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

109.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,798

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

102.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,761

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

110.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,647

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

50.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$0.51 Rp 9,332

507.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,745

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

173.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,047

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-9.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,666

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

24.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.25 Rp 4,562

348.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

753.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$0.44 Rp 7,989

465.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$0.43 Rp 7,817

279.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,821

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

56.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

91.46%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

45.01%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

33.35%

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

$93.2 ₡42.0K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

17.82%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

458.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

218.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

39.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

40.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,543

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

83.84%

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

$996 ₡449.4K

$491 Rp 8.9M

103.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

200.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.6K

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

57.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

58.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.5K

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

62.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

65.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

$671 Rp 12.2M

40.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-44.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-18.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-0.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-10.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

$164 Rp 3.0M

516.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.78

-37.45%

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

Last update for San Jose: 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

$945 44.9%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 28.9% $273

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 27.8% $111

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 53.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 44.7% $84

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 38.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 31.5% $27

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 86% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in San Jose 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 San Jose are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $288 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

06:14 6:14 AM

14 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

74,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Ubud, Bali 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,158 per month in San Jose and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,164 in San Jose and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,105 in San Jose and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. That makes Ubud, Bali about 36% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,105 in San Jose 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, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.