Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandton and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandton: $1,235 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Sandton
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Sandton Living Index
65

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

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Sandton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,235

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,235 in Sandton versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Sandton $1,235
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Sandton versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Sandton $1,888
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,540 in Sandton versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Sandton $2,540
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Sandton costs roughly 8% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.73 R 179

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

223.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.71 R 763

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

28.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 R 93.9

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

1.63%

Cappuccino

$2.44 R 40.76

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

-10.29%

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

$1.07 R 17.83

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-37.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.94

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.97

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 49.65

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

-32.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 20.05

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

-19.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.84

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

-53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.33

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

47.90%

Eggs

$2.72 R 45.45

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 R 148

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

-49.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R 81.2

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

22.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 R 118

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

-42.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.86

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

-42.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R 29.22

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

15.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 29.13

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-21.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.13

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

-8.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.11

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

-18.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.71

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

-26.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.47

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

24.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.65

$0.51 Rp 9,313

154.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 R 52.8

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

42.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 R 103

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-72.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.94

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-31.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.60

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

-36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.83

$0.44 Rp 7,972

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.62

$0.43 Rp 7,801

104.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.21 R 237

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

162.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.92

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

81.71%

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

$36.0K R 601.2K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

51.06%

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

$34.0K R 567.0K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

6.99%

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

$165 R 2,760

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

109.12%

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

$38.25 R 639

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

493.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.39 R 624

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

101.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.75 R 613

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

-25.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 R 119

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

66.28%

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

$266 R 4,441

$491 Rp 8.9M

-45.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,302 R 121.9K

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

28.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 R 997

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

33.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.22 R 755

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

29.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 R 1,584

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

18.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 R 1,492

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 R 9,015

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R 7,475

$671 Rp 12.2M

-33.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 R 16.2K

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-72.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$844 R 14.1K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-51.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$842 R 14.1K

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

-69.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$733 R 12.2K

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-67.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,865 R 31.1K

$164 Rp 3.0M

1038.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-20.17%

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

Last update for Sandton: 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

Sandton

$448 36.3%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 50% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandton

$241 19.5%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 56.8% $137

Groceries & Markets

Sandton

$202 16.4%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 42.7% $86

Eating Out

Sandton

$158 12.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 31.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sandton

$130 10.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 17.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sandton

$51 4.1%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 13.9% $7.1

Getting Around

Sandton

$4.7 * 0.4%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 145% $6.8

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 $540 in Sandton and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays about 11 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Sandton vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $202 vs $288, with Sandton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sandton

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

13:44 1:44 PM

6 h ahead of Sandton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,415

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sandton Ubud, Bali 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandton
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

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

Sandton wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sandton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sandton is about 11 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: $540 in Sandton versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Sandton versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $46 in Sandton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sandton is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Safety-wise, Sandton and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.