Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Aruba and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,886 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Cruz despite lower rent and utilities.

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

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Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,886

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,886 in Santa Cruz versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Santa Cruz $1,886
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,900 in Santa Cruz versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Santa Cruz $2,900
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,914 in Santa Cruz versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Santa Cruz $3,914
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Santa Cruz is roughly 42% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Cruz is 40% above, Ubud, Bali is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.1K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 627.3K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.9K

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.4K

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 AWG 3.94

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

50.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 AWG 4.73

$2.29 Rp 41.5K

15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 AWG 7.91

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

298.20%

Eggs

$4.78 AWG 8.55

$2.10 Rp 38.0K

127.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 AWG 14.57

$15.94 Rp 288.6K

-48.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 AWG 13.77

$3.88 Rp 70.3K

98.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.75 AWG 12.08

$11.40 Rp 206.4K

-40.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 AWG 8.08

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

27.32%

Banana (1kg)

$4.57 AWG 8.17

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

196.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.12 AWG 14.54

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

264.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.87 AWG 12.29

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

248.73%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 AWG 11.99

$1.86 Rp 33.6K

260.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 AWG 3.39

$2.42 Rp 43.8K

-21.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 AWG 5.37

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

194.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 AWG 8.13

$0.52 Rp 9,456

773.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 AWG 18.51

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

370.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.59 AWG 35.05

$21.79 Rp 394.4K

-10.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 AWG 4.56

$2.33 Rp 42.1K

9.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 AWG 5.54

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

4.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 AWG 3.50

$0.25 Rp 4,533

684.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$154 AWG 276

$8.17 Rp 148.0K

1784.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.32 AWG 34.57

$0.44 Rp 7,925

4290.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,472

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 AWG 35.34

$5.60 Rp 101.4K

252.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

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

$24.4K Rp 442.6M

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

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

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

$141 AWG 252

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

81.41%

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

$71.3 AWG 128

$6.14 Rp 111.2K

1060.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$207 AWG 371

$18.92 Rp 342.4K

994.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 AWG 123

$51.0 Rp 923.1K

34.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.44 AWG 83.1

$18.25 Rp 330.4K

154.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 AWG 15.02

$4.38 Rp 79.3K

91.55%

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

$141 AWG 252

$492 Rp 8.9M

-71.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.8 AWG 141

$45.16 Rp 817.6K

74.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$110 AWG 197

$34.89 Rp 631.6K

215.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 AWG 251

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

79.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 AWG 245

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

75.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 AWG 2,270

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 AWG 998

$665 Rp 12.0M

-16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 AWG 2,746

$3,510 Rp 63.5M

-56.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 AWG 2,519

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

-15.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,667 AWG 6,564

$166 Rp 3.0M

2104.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

–

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,268 in Santa Cruz and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays about 22 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

23:36 11:36 PM

12 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

74,800

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Ubud, Bali 19,290 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,886 in Santa Cruz and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, so Ubud, Bali is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Santa Cruz is about 22 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: $1,268 in Santa Cruz versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $141 in Santa Cruz versus $492 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 95% less than in Santa Cruz. 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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Santa Cruz on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.