Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,348 a month against $2,055 in Shelby, NC, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Shelby, NC
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Shelby, NC Living Index
66

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

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Shelby, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,055

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,055 in Shelby, NC versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali.

Shelby, NC $2,055
Ubud, Bali $1,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,899 in Shelby, NC versus $2,312 in Ubud, Bali.

Shelby, NC $2,899
Ubud, Bali $2,312

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,742 in Shelby, NC versus $3,276 in Ubud, Bali.

Shelby, NC $3,742
Ubud, Bali $3,276

Living in Shelby, NC is roughly 52% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Shelby, NC 53% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 $13.84

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

315.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.81 $34.81

$35.42 Rp 633.3K

-1.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 $9.31

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

61.63%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

97.72%

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

$1.52 $1.52

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

66.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

-8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

-35.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

-50.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

48.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

704.10%

Eggs

$4.92 $4.92

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

129.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.88 $17.88

$17.73 Rp 317.0K

0.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.61 $13.61

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

252.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.56 $27.56

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

129.09%

Apples (1kg)

$7.96 $7.96

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

120.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

101.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.32 Rp 41.5K

192.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.51 $7.51

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

275.50%

Potato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

161.88%

Onion (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

157.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.83 $2.83

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

185.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$0.52 Rp 9,375

590.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.11 $8.11

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

272.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$22.98 Rp 410.8K

-35.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

-32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

48.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.24 Rp 4,256

783.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 $7.15

$0.44 Rp 7,877

1525.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 $2.34

$0.42 Rp 7,584

457.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.75 $14.75

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

170.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

15.48%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$24.3K Rp 434.9M

-0.73%

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

$22.3K $22.3K

$31.9K Rp 570.1M

-29.93%

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

$172 $172

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

113.09%

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

$34.92 $34.92

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

430.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.06 $48.06

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

163.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$55.1 Rp 985.6K

-25.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 $12.14

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

186.32%

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

$301 $301

$486 Rp 8.7M

-38.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,906 $9,906

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.58 $39.58

$45.18 Rp 807.8K

-12.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 $31.37

$34.57 Rp 618.1K

-9.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.7 $69.7

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

-11.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.5 $80.5

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

3.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 $827

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

-26.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 $869

$674 Rp 12.1M

28.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 $1,195

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

-66.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 $1,129

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

-34.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,445 $2,445

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

-13.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,223 $2,223

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

-3.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,481 $2,481

$166 Rp 3.0M

1397.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

13.78

-53.70%

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

Last update for Shelby, NC: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shelby, NC

$869 41.4%

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6% 22.5% $195

Groceries & Markets

Shelby, NC

$554 26.4%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4% 47.6% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shelby, NC

$255 12.2%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 58.6% $150

Eating Out

Shelby, NC

$230 11%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 53.1% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Shelby, NC

$100 4.7%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 7% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Shelby, NC

$65 3.1%

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7% 2.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Shelby, NC

$27 * 1.3%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8% 61.6% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $827 in Shelby, NC and $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shelby, NC pays 1398% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Shelby, NC vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $554 vs $290, with Ubud, Bali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Shelby, NC

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

13:49 1:49 PM

12 h ahead of Shelby, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,378

74,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 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 October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 17,879 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,035 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

IDR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shelby, NC Ubud, Bali 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Shelby, 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

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

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Shelby, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1398% higher in Shelby, NC, 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: $827 in Shelby, NC versus $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $301 in Shelby, NC versus $486 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $35.00 in Shelby, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,055 in Shelby, NC, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Shelby, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,348 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Shelby, NC and Ubud, Bali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Shelby, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.