Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA, rent and utilities included – about $34,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

205

Cost of Living Index in Santa Barbara, CA
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Santa Barbara, CA Living Index
65

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

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Santa Barbara, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,251

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,251 per month in Santa Barbara, CA vs $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Santa Barbara, CA $4,251
Ubud, Bali $1,349

A couple spends around $6,124 per month in Santa Barbara, CA vs $2,305 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Santa Barbara, CA $6,124
Ubud, Bali $2,305

A family of three spends $7,997 per month in Santa Barbara, CA vs $3,261 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Santa Barbara, CA $7,997
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Santa Barbara, CA costs about 215% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.05 $25.05

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

654.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.4 $99.4

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

178.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.24 $15.24

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

175.59%

Cappuccino

$5.91 $5.91

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

117.28%

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

$3.70 $3.70

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

117.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

302.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.09 $8.09

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

205.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.92 $11.92

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

172.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-4.03%

White Bread (500g)

$4.50 $4.50

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

97.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

482.35%

Eggs

$5.22 $5.22

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

155.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

7.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

267.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.93 $21.93

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

79.90%

Apples (1kg)

$8.17 $8.17

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

123.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

121.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

178.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

411.68%

Potato (1kg)

$8.74 $8.74

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

372.43%

Onion (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

94.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.59 $3.59

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

262.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.51 Rp 9,316

454.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.61 $11.61

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

422.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.30 $16.30

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

-26.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-1.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

47.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.25 Rp 4,555

888.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.6 $52.6

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

572.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.44 Rp 7,975

570.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.43 Rp 7,804

495.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 $58.9

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

989.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

80.49%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

17.63%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

-17.58%

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

$256 $256

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

223.26%

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

$74.3 $74.3

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

1051.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.1 $72.1

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

287.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.1 $84.1

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

70.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.23 $20.23

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

14.62%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 $13.85

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

224.36%

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

$1,427 $1,427

$491 Rp 8.9M

190.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K $37.7K

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

564.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 $86.4

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

93.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.42 $45.42

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

29.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 $78.8

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

-1.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

63.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,886 $2,886

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

156.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$671 Rp 12.2M

275.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,968 $4,968

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

39.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,122 $4,122

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

139.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.9K $12.9K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

373.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

376.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,202 $5,202

$164 Rp 3.0M

3075.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

13.78

-51.02%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: 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

Santa Barbara, CA

$2.5K 59.3%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 73.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Barbara, CA

$576 13.6%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 49.9% $288

Eating Out

Santa Barbara, CA

$408 9.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 73.6% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Barbara, CA

$402 9.5%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 74.1% $298

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Barbara, CA

$153 3.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 29.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Barbara, CA

$112 2.6%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 48.1% $54

Getting Around

Santa Barbara, CA

$78 1.8%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 85.4% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,886 in Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Barbara, CA are about 32 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Santa Barbara, CA versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $576 vs $288 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Barbara, CA

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

16 h ahead of Santa Barbara, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,196

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 = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Barbara, CA Ubud, Bali 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Barbara, 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

Santa Barbara, CA vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Barbara, CA is pricier by about 215%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,376 per month in Santa Barbara, 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 $2,886 in Santa Barbara, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. That makes Ubud, Bali about 68% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA and $1,349 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Santa Barbara, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.