Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanford, NC and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,617 in Sanford, NC, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Sanford, NC
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Sanford, NC Living Index
65

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

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Sanford, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,617

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,617 in Sanford, NC versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Sanford, NC $2,617
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,863 in Sanford, NC versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Sanford, NC $3,863
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,108 in Sanford, NC versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Sanford, NC $5,108
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Sanford, NC is roughly 94% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.80 $11.80

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

255.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

120.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

82.64%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

101.10%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

27.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

165.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

91.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 $5.84

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

-28.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

48.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

689.08%

Eggs

$5.52 $5.52

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

170.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.41 $18.41

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

4.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

246.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.86 $26.86

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

120.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

72.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

-15.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.77 $6.77

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

203.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.47 $7.47

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

279.19%

Potato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

151.89%

Onion (1kg)

$6.26 $6.26

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

158.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

59.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 $3.47

$0.51 Rp 9,313

580.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.52 $7.52

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

238.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

-33.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

54.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.25 Rp 4,553

712.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 $56.8

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

626.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.18 $7.18

$0.44 Rp 7,972

1531.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.43 Rp 7,801

430.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.23 $15.23

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

181.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

10.98%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

23.37%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

-17.82%

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

$172 $172

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

117.87%

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

$44.63 $44.63

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

591.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

232.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.88 $41.88

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

-15.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

182.90%

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

$1,318 $1,318

$491 Rp 8.9M

168.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,988 $9,988

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

76.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.60 $39.60

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

-11.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.81 $30.81

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

-11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 $85.9

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

7.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 $93.7

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

40.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 $1,299

$671 Rp 12.2M

93.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,497 $2,497

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

-29.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 $2,117

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

22.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,922 $1,922

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

-29.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,966 $1,966

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

-13.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 $3,444

$164 Rp 3.0M

2001.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

13.78

-51.52%

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

Last update for Sanford, NC: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Sanford, NC

$1.3K 49.6%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 48.3% $627

Groceries & Markets

Sanford, NC

$534 20.4%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 46% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanford, NC

$279 10.7%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 62.7% $175

Eating Out

Sanford, NC

$244 9.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 55.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Sanford, NC

$112 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 4.4% $5

Getting Around

Sanford, NC

$84 3.2%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 86.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Sanford, NC

$66 2.5%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 12.1% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,585 in Sanford, NC and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sanford, NC pays about 21 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Sanford, NC vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $534 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sanford, NC

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

17:07 5:07 PM

13 h ahead of Sanford, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,261

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanford, NC Ubud, Bali 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanford, NC
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

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

Ubud, Bali is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sanford, NC is about 21 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: $1,585 in Sanford, NC versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,617 per month in Sanford, NC versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 86% less than in Sanford, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Sanford, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.