Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan del Sur and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,038 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
San Juan del Sur
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
$1,038
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,038 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • San Juan del Sur $1,038
  • Ubud, Bali $1,331

A couple spends around $1,655 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $2,255 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • San Juan del Sur $1,655
  • Ubud, Bali $2,255

A family of three spends $2,272 per month in San Juan del Sur vs $3,180 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • San Juan del Sur $2,272
  • Ubud, Bali $3,180

San Juan del Sur is about 22% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan del Sur and Ubud, Bali are more affordable than the global median – San Juan del Sur 23% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.26 NIO 156
$3.38 Rp 60.8K
26.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.05 NIO 1,247
$34.65 Rp 623.8K
-1.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.49 NIO 201
$5.57 Rp 100.3K
-1.44%
Cappuccino
$2.53 NIO 92.7
$2.62 Rp 47.2K
-3.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 NIO 32.60
$1.54 Rp 27.7K
-42.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 NIO 25.12
$0.64 Rp 11.5K
7.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 NIO 53.8
$2.67 Rp 48.0K
-44.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 NIO 80.2
$4.26 Rp 76.7K
-48.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 NIO 43.77
$1.46 Rp 26.3K
-17.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 NIO 54.0
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-35.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 NIO 42.71
$1.11 Rp 19.9K
5.41%
Eggs
$2.39 NIO 87.5
$2.10 Rp 37.8K
13.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 NIO 281
$15.94 Rp 287.0K
-51.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.16 NIO 226
$3.88 Rp 69.9K
58.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.83 NIO 287
$11.40 Rp 205.3K
-31.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 NIO 145
$3.55 Rp 64.0K
11.83%
Banana (1kg)
$0.61 NIO 22.36
$1.54 Rp 27.7K
-60.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.78 NIO 65.0
$2.23 Rp 40.1K
-20.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.36 NIO 86.3
$1.97 Rp 35.5K
19.80%
Potato (1kg)
$3.11 NIO 114
$1.86 Rp 33.4K
67.20%
Onion (1kg)
$2.24 NIO 82.0
$2.42 Rp 43.5K
-7.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 NIO 40.34
$1.02 Rp 18.4K
7.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 NIO 36.73
$0.52 Rp 9,404
92.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.69 NIO 98.4
$2.20 Rp 39.6K
22.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.68 NIO 354
$21.79 Rp 392.3K
-55.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 NIO 52.2
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
-39.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 NIO 80.3
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
-26.26%
🚌 Getting Around
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.25 Rp 4,508
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.17 Rp 147.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 NIO 61.2
$0.44 Rp 7,881
279.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 NIO 58.2
$0.47 Rp 8,425
238.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.97 NIO 255
$5.60 Rp 100.8K
24.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 NIO 49.66
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
63.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K NIO 840.2K
$24.4K Rp 440.1M
-6.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.9K NIO 948.6K
$31.7K Rp 570.6M
-18.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.3 NIO 2,170
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
-23.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.65 NIO 390
$6.14 Rp 110.6K
73.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.81 NIO 1,202
$18.92 Rp 340.5K
73.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.17 NIO 1,105
$51.0 Rp 918.0K
-40.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.25 Rp 328.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.90 NIO 326
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
103.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$235 NIO 8,592
$492 Rp 8.9M
-52.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,163 NIO 225.7K
$12.2K Rp 220.0M
-49.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.5 NIO 2,215
$45.16 Rp 813.1K
33.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.2 NIO 2,350
$34.89 Rp 628.1K
83.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 NIO 4,502
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
56.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 NIO 5,298
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
85.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$426 NIO 15.6K
$1,078 Rp 19.4M
-60.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$380 NIO 13.9K
$665 Rp 12.0M
-42.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$916 NIO 33.5K
$3,510 Rp 63.2M
-73.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$776 NIO 28.4K
$1,671 Rp 30.1M
-53.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,340 Rp 42.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,236 Rp 40.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Juan del Sur
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$351 NIO 12.8K
$166 Rp 3.0M
110.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.92
13.78
-13.50%

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

Last update for San Juan del Sur: November 3, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
San Juan del Sur
$380
Ubud, Bali
$665 74.8% $285
Groceries & Markets
San Juan del Sur
$222
Ubud, Bali
$279 26.1% $58
Clothing & Footwear
San Juan del Sur
$177
Ubud, Bali
$106 39.8% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Juan del Sur
$103
Ubud, Bali
$103 0.2% $0.2
Eating Out
San Juan del Sur
$99
Ubud, Bali
$106 6.8% $6.7
Sport & Entertainment
San Juan del Sur
$48
Ubud, Bali
$60 24.6% $12
Getting Around
San Juan del Sur
$9.6 *
Ubud, Bali
$12 24.3% $2.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in San Juan del Sur versus $1,078 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 Juan del Sur are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in San Juan del Sur versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $279 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
18:26 6:26 PM
08:26 8:26 AM
14 h ahead of San Juan del Sur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,741
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.93 NIO (100 NIO = 2.44 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18,003 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Juan del Sur Ubud, Bali 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • San Juan del Sur
  • 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 Juan del Sur vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in San Juan del Sur and in Ubud, Bali compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,038 in San Juan del Sur, $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – San Juan del Sur comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in San Juan del Sur compared to Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,557 per month in San Juan del Sur and $1,996 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between San Juan del Sur and Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan del Sur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in San Juan del Sur and $35 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How far does $2,000 go in San Juan del Sur compared to Ubud, Bali?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,038 in San Juan del Sur and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between San Juan del Sur and Ubud, Bali?
It depends on your priorities. San Juan del Sur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,038 in San Juan del Sur to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

San Juan del Sur vs other spots: cost of living compared

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