Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $4,607 in San Mateo, CA, rent and utilities included – about $39,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

223

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

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

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San Mateo, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,607

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,607 per month in San Mateo, CA vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Mateo, CA $4,607
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $6,460 per month in San Mateo, CA vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Mateo, CA $6,460
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $8,313 per month in San Mateo, CA vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

San Mateo, CA $8,313
Ubud, Bali $3,261

San Mateo, CA costs about 242% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 $20.32

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

512.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

183.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.89 $12.89

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

133.09%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

113.24%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

78.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

269.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.35 $8.35

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

215.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

131.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

10.07%

White Bread (500g)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

160.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

423.53%

Eggs

$7.45 $7.45

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

265.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 $13.58

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-23.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.53 $18.53

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

367.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.67 $19.67

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

61.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

61.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

48.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

82.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.56 $8.56

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

334.52%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

136.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

31.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

205.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.51 Rp 9,332

280.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

429.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.52 $14.52

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-24.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-33.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.25 Rp 4,562

780.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.8 $64.8

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

728.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 $4.24

$0.44 Rp 7,989

863.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.43 Rp 7,817

376.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

89.02%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

15.13%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

-17.49%

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

$268 $268

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

238.54%

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

$41.40 $41.40

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

541.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 $60.9

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

227.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.3 $81.3

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

64.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.60 $9.60

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

-45.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.80 $17.80

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

316.86%

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

$3,045 $3,045

$491 Rp 8.9M

520.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K $28.6K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

404.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 $62.0

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

38.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.94 $45.94

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

31.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

48.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

72.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,414 $3,414

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

203.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,991 $2,991

$671 Rp 12.2M

345.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,766 $5,766

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

61.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,683 $4,683

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

171.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,613 $9,613

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

251.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,493 $8,493

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

271.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,661 $7,661

$164 Rp 3.0M

4575.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

13.78

-52.61%

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

Last update for San Mateo, CA: October 27, 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 Mateo, CA

$3K 64.9%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 77.5% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

San Mateo, CA

$522 11.3%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 44.7% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Mateo, CA

$370 8%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 71.9% $266

Eating Out

San Mateo, CA

$356 7.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 69.8% $249

Clothing & Footwear

San Mateo, CA

$163 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 34.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

San Mateo, CA

$117 2.5%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 50.3% $59

Getting Around

San Mateo, CA

$88 1.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 87% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,414 in San Mateo, CA 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 Mateo, CA are about 47 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in San Mateo, CA versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $522 vs $288 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Mateo, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

11:10 11:10 AM

15 h ahead of San Mateo, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,536

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 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 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Mateo, CA Ubud, Bali 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $4,607 in San Mateo, CA, $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali comes out roughly 71% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,910 per month in San Mateo, CA and $2,023 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $3,414 in San Mateo, CA.

Groceries cost about 81% more in San Mateo, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in San Mateo, CA and $36 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,607 in San Mateo, CA and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. San Mateo, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,349 in Ubud, Bali to $4,607 in San Mateo, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Mateo, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.