Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southern Cross and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,532 in Southern Cross, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Southern Cross
Learn more

Southern Cross Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Southern Cross

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,532

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,532 in Southern Cross versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

Southern Cross $2,532
Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,583 in Southern Cross versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

Southern Cross $3,583
Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,635 in Southern Cross versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

Southern Cross $4,635
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Southern Cross is roughly 90% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Southern Cross is 87% above, Ubud, Bali is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.39 A$27.64

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

473.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 A$87.2

$34.65 Rp 629.1K

76.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 A$15.22

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

91.74%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.95

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

32.44%

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

$2.40 A$3.42

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

55.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 A$2.53

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

176.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 A$9.88

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

159.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.91

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

96.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.26

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.88

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

18.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.17

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

100.00%

Eggs

$2.76 A$3.94

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

31.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 A$13.20

$15.94 Rp 289.4K

-41.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 A$13.46

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

143.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 A$20.90

$11.40 Rp 207.0K

28.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 A$5.52

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

9.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.27

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

94.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.51

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

41.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 A$6.61

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

135.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.74

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

40.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.48

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.33

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.21

$0.52 Rp 9,483

198.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$35.49 A$50.6

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

1513.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.22

$21.79 Rp 395.6K

-34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.77

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

103.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.63

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

80.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.86

$0.25 Rp 4,546

984.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.7 A$122

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

949.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$5.07

$0.44 Rp 7,947

709.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.24

$0.47 Rp 8,496

234.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.44 A$56.2

$5.60 Rp 101.7K

604.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

53.01%

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

$28.9K A$41.2K

$24.4K Rp 443.8M

18.30%

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

$26.8K A$38.2K

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

-15.41%

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

$208 A$296

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

168.20%

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

$27.83 A$39.67

$6.14 Rp 111.6K

353.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$81.9

$18.92 Rp 343.4K

203.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 A$81.0

$51.0 Rp 925.8K

11.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.03 A$25.70

$18.25 Rp 331.3K

-1.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 A$20.08

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

221.69%

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

$2,165 A$3,087

$492 Rp 8.9M

339.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.4K

$12.2K Rp 221.9M

68.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.2 A$109

$45.16 Rp 819.9K

68.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$79.0

$34.89 Rp 633.4K

58.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$155

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

39.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$174

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

56.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 A$1,964

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

27.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 A$1,749

$665 Rp 12.1M

84.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 A$3,215

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

-35.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 A$2,608

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

9.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,968 A$8,508

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

155.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,897 A$6,981

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

118.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,095 A$10.1K

$166 Rp 3.0M

4165.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.25

13.78

-54.64%

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

Last update for Southern Cross: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southern Cross

$1.2K 48.5%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 45.8% $562

Groceries & Markets

Southern Cross

$359 14.2%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 22.1% $79

Eating Out

Southern Cross

$297 11.7%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 64.4% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southern Cross

$293 11.6%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 65% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Southern Cross

$163 6.4%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 34.8% $57

Getting Around

Southern Cross

$108 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 88.9% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Southern Cross

$85 3.4%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 29.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,377 in Southern Cross and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southern Cross pays about 43 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Southern Cross vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $279 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Southern Cross

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

Same time as Southern Cross

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

700

74,800

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,438 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southern Cross Ubud, Bali 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Southern Cross
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

Southern Cross vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,532 in Southern Cross and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, so Ubud, Bali is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Southern Cross is about 43 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: $1,377 in Southern Cross versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35 versus $61 in Southern Cross. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,532 per month in Southern Cross versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Southern Cross and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Southern Cross. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.