Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index
67

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

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San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,361 in San Marcos, TX versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

San Marcos, TX $2,361
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,510 in San Marcos, TX versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

San Marcos, TX $3,510
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,658 in San Marcos, TX versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

San Marcos, TX $4,658
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in San Marcos, TX is roughly 73% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Marcos, TX 75% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

349.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

71.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

103.45%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

72.89%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

76.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

108.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

89.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 $6.11

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

42.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-49.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

39.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

216.95%

Eggs

$2.77 $2.77

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

29.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-42.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

143.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

74.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-28.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

193.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

150.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

112.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

27.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

84.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.53 Rp 9,475

239.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

272.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 $13.93

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-39.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-24.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

35.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$0.48 Rp 8,684

852.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.46 Rp 8,233

295.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 $59.5

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

991.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-7.95%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

46.72%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-19.77%

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

$134 $134

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

61.45%

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

$40.38 $40.38

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

526.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 $55.8

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

200.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 $68.9

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

23.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 $11.32

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

158.45%

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

$665 $665

$493 Rp 8.9M

34.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

207.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

28.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.15 $38.15

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

7.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 $83.0

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

4.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

56.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

18.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$676 Rp 12.2M

86.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 $2,855

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

29.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,463 $2,463

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-11.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 $1,874

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-16.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,143 $3,143

$165 Rp 3.0M

1809.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

13.78

-53.19%

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

Last update for San Marcos, TX: October 11, 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 Marcos, TX

$1.3K 53.3%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 46.3% $582

Groceries & Markets

San Marcos, TX

$363 15.4%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 20.1% $73

Eating Out

San Marcos, TX

$268 11.4%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 59.5% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Marcos, TX

$230 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 53.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 21.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 29.5% $27

Getting Around

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 8.2% $1.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,350 in San Marcos, TX and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Marcos, TX pays 1810% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in San Marcos, TX vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $290 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

13 h ahead of San Marcos, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,894

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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Highest

Between locations

San Marcos, TX Ubud, Bali 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in San Marcos, TX. 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 runs 1810% higher in San Marcos, TX, 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: $1,350 in San Marcos, TX versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in San Marcos, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,361 per month in San Marcos, TX versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in San Marcos, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Marcos, TX and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in San Marcos, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.