Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
65

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

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $616
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $911
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Santa Cruz, Laguna costs roughly 54% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.55 ₱98.9

$3.32 Rp 59.9K

-53.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.73 ₱495

$35.64 Rp 642.4K

-78.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$5.53 Rp 99.7K

-49.55%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱113

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

-35.29%

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

$0.37 ₱23.94

$1.70 Rp 30.7K

-78.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.44

$0.76 Rp 13.7K

-68.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.8

$2.65 Rp 47.8K

-61.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$4.38 Rp 79.0K

-79.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱98.5

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.5

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

-49.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱58.0

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

-23.53%

Eggs

$1.52 ₱97.2

$2.04 Rp 36.7K

-25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱308

$17.70 Rp 319.1K

-72.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$3.96 Rp 71.4K

-16.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 ₱461

$12.19 Rp 219.7K

-40.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.8

$3.66 Rp 65.9K

-62.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 ₱31.57

$1.52 Rp 27.4K

-67.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.8

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

-35.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.8

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

-46.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$1.85 Rp 33.3K

-9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₱107

$2.42 Rp 43.7K

-30.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱39.31

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

-38.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.17

$0.51 Rp 9,255

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱188

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

31.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 ₱544

$22.24 Rp 400.9K

-61.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.5

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

-57.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱132

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

-30.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.13

$0.25 Rp 4,525

-16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 ₱736

$7.82 Rp 141.0K

47.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.82

$0.44 Rp 7,923

72.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.02

$0.43 Rp 7,753

-48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$5.41 Rp 97.5K

-64.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.6

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

46.34%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$23.8K Rp 429.7M

-13.17%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$31.7K Rp 572.3M

-40.38%

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

$82.8 ₱5,298

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

4.72%

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

$17.51 ₱1,120

$6.45 Rp 116.2K

171.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 ₱1,445

$18.58 Rp 334.9K

21.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ₱1,747

$49.48 Rp 892.0K

-44.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.47 ₱286

$17.65 Rp 318.1K

-74.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱322

$4.27 Rp 77.0K

17.80%

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

$128 ₱8,206

$491 Rp 8.8M

-73.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱678.6K

$5,674 Rp 102.3M

86.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.32 ₱1,812

$44.64 Rp 804.7K

-36.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,229

$34.95 Rp 630.1K

-45.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,454

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

-12.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,437

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-32.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₱14.0K

$1,125 Rp 20.3M

-80.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 ₱10.2K

$671 Rp 12.1M

-76.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 ₱30.7K

$3,565 Rp 64.3M

-86.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₱19.1K

$1,723 Rp 31.1M

-82.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,453 ₱157.0K

$2,732 Rp 49.2M

-10.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 ₱69.0K

$2,284 Rp 41.2M

-52.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

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 Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 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 Cruz, Laguna

$160 26%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 319% $511

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 88.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 15.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 39.8% $31

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 110% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 55.4% $21

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 19.5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $153 vs $288 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

74,800

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.23 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,066 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz, Laguna Ubud, Bali 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Santa Cruz, Laguna and Ubud, Bali differ by about 119% in total monthly costs ($616 vs $1,349 including rent). Santa Cruz, Laguna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $2,023 in Ubud, Bali to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $128 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $491 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.