Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
67

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

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Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/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.

A single person spends $1,758 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,758
Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,778
Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $3,798 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,798
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Santa Cruz costs about 29% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Cruz and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Santa Cruz by 30%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,523

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

269.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$35.18 Rp 629.4K

77.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 ₡4,856

$5.80 Rp 103.8K

86.38%

Cappuccino

$4.58 ₡2,059

$2.73 Rp 48.8K

67.77%

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

$2.20 ₡989

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

34.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡854

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

128.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,489

$2.70 Rp 48.3K

22.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,958

$4.30 Rp 76.9K

1.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,070

$1.50 Rp 26.9K

58.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,422

$2.30 Rp 41.1K

37.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ₡1,113

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

110.17%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,599

$2.14 Rp 38.4K

66.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,717

$17.48 Rp 312.7K

-39.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,722

$4.03 Rp 72.1K

160.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 ₡6,359

$12.23 Rp 218.8K

15.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,336

$3.55 Rp 63.5K

46.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₡482

$1.57 Rp 28.1K

-31.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 ₡2,170

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

115.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,758

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

102.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$1.88 Rp 33.7K

105.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 ₡1,636

$2.29 Rp 41.0K

58.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,383

$0.53 Rp 9,419

481.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,596

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

153.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 ₡9,068

$23.01 Rp 411.7K

-12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,294

$2.34 Rp 41.9K

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ₡1,654

$2.91 Rp 52.1K

26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡581

$0.24 Rp 4,289

437.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 157.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$0.48 Rp 8,632

420.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.46 Rp 8,184

239.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.60 ₡3,864

$5.45 Rp 97.6K

57.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

77.27%

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

$22.1K ₡9.9M

$24.6K Rp 439.6M

-10.21%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.2K Rp 558.0M

10.67%

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

$94.5 ₡42.4K

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

13.81%

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

$35.98 ₡16.2K

$6.45 Rp 115.3K

457.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 ₡26.9K

$18.57 Rp 332.2K

221.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 ₡32.2K

$55.8 Rp 998.7K

28.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 324.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 ₡3,034

$4.38 Rp 78.4K

54.11%

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

$978 ₡439.3K

$493 Rp 8.8M

98.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$5,754 Rp 102.9M

198.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ₡32.4K

$46.19 Rp 826.5K

56.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$35.33 Rp 632.2K

58.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

63.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.1K

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

67.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 ₡409.8K

$1,142 Rp 20.4M

-20.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 ₡298.7K

$676 Rp 12.1M

-1.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 ₡759.1K

$3,503 Rp 62.7M

-51.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 ₡588.5K

$1,700 Rp 30.4M

-22.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 49.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 2.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

13.78

-37.45%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 1.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 27.4% $110

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 52.2% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 43.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$175 10%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 38.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 24.2% $21

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 18.9% $2.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $912 in Santa Cruz versus $1,142 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Santa Cruz versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

14 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

74,800

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 17,893 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,037 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Ubud, Bali 17,720 km ≈ 23 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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,758 in Santa Cruz, $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,637 per month in Santa Cruz and $2,051 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,758 in Santa Cruz and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $978 per month in Santa Cruz and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Santa Cruz at $1,758. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Santa Cruz has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,368 in Ubud, Bali to $1,758 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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