Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soweto and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,106 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Soweto
Learn more

Soweto Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,106 in Soweto versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Soweto $1,106
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,704 in Soweto versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Soweto $1,704
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,302 in Soweto versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Soweto $2,302
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Soweto costs roughly 18% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.94 R 149

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

169.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.84 R 614

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

3.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.7

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

-5.97%

Cappuccino

$2.21 R 36.76

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

-18.75%

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

$1.04 R 17.41

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

-38.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.39

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.89

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 R 46.86

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

-35.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.35

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

-22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.49

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

-51.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.01

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

51.26%

Eggs

$2.51 R 41.87

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

23.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

-50.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.08 R 84.7

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

28.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.35 R 122

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

-39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.71

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

-53.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.79

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.96

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

-21.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

-20.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.88

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

-38.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.95

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

-50.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.75

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 21.06

$0.51 Rp 9,332

147.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 R 55.4

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

49.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 R 83.6

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

-77.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.61

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

-29.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.83

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

-35.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.54

$0.25 Rp 4,562

512.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.81

$0.44 Rp 7,989

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.43 Rp 7,817

76.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 R 239

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

164.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.30

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

92.68%

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

$36.5K R 609.0K

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

53.29%

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

$34.2K R 570.4K

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

7.81%

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

$152 R 2,526

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

91.73%

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

$37.05 R 617

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

474.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.83 R 630

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

103.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.60 R 543

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

-34.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 R 181

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

-38.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 122

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

72.13%

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

$251 R 4,176

$491 Rp 8.9M

-48.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,490 R 91.5K

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

-3.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 903

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

21.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.08 R 535

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

-8.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 R 1,541

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

15.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 R 1,394

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

5.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 R 6,466

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-65.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,175

$671 Rp 12.2M

-44.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.2K

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

-79.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

-57.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$860 R 14.3K

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

-68.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$696 R 11.6K

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

-69.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

13.78

-20.83%

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

Last update for Soweto: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soweto

$371 33.5%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 81.2% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soweto

$226 20.5%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 54% $122

Groceries & Markets

Soweto

$195 17.6%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 48.2% $94

Eating Out

Soweto

$139 12.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 22.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Soweto

$118 10.7%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Soweto

$47 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 22.7% $11

Getting Around

Soweto

$10 * 0.9%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 12% $1.2

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 $388 in Soweto and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Soweto vs $36 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $288, with Soweto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Soweto

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

6 h ahead of Soweto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,270,000

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Soweto Ubud, Bali 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Soweto
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

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

Soweto wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Soweto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,659 in Soweto 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: $388 in Soweto versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Soweto versus $491 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 $36 versus $37 in Soweto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Soweto 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.