Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,156 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
64

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

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,156

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,156 per month in Stellenbosch vs $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,156
Ubud, Bali $1,331

A couple spends around $1,905 per month in Stellenbosch vs $2,255 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,905
Ubud, Bali $2,255

A family of three spends $2,653 per month in Stellenbosch vs $3,180 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Stellenbosch $2,653
Ubud, Bali $3,180

Stellenbosch is about 13% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stellenbosch and Ubud, Bali are more affordable than the global median – Stellenbosch 14% lower, Ubud, Bali 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.38 R 122

$3.38 Rp 60.9K

118.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.93 R 592

$34.65 Rp 625.4K

3.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 R 80.9

$5.57 Rp 100.6K

-11.85%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.73

$2.62 Rp 47.3K

-19.47%

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

$0.92 R 15.11

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

-40.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R 11.29

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 R 45.08

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

2.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 R 58.1

$4.26 Rp 76.9K

-17.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.17

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

-51.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

66.67%

Eggs

$2.95 R 48.55

$2.10 Rp 37.9K

40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 R 143

$15.94 Rp 287.7K

-45.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 R 97.7

$3.88 Rp 70.1K

52.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 R 121

$11.40 Rp 205.8K

-35.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.50

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

-49.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.00

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.24

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

-26.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.07

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

-19.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 R 17.05

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

-44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.00

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

-39.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.40

$0.52 Rp 9,427

126.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 R 58.4

$2.20 Rp 39.7K

60.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$21.79 Rp 393.2K

-71.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.84

$2.33 Rp 42.0K

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 R 34.83

$2.97 Rp 53.6K

-28.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 147.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R 15.55

$0.44 Rp 7,901

113.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.80

$0.47 Rp 8,446

91.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 R 81.0

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

-12.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.63

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

65.06%

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

$34.8K R 572.8K

$24.4K Rp 441.3M

42.17%

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

$33.8K R 557.0K

$31.7K Rp 572.1M

6.64%

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

$102 R 1,687

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

32.14%

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

$25.99 R 428

$6.14 Rp 110.9K

323.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.30 R 565

$18.92 Rp 341.4K

81.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.34 R 467

$51.0 Rp 920.4K

-44.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.32 R 269

$18.25 Rp 329.4K

-10.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.85 R 146

$4.38 Rp 79.1K

102.05%

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

$265 R 4,372

$492 Rp 8.9M

-46.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,338 R 38.5K

$12.2K Rp 220.6M

-80.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 R 864

$45.16 Rp 815.1K

16.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.19 R 481

$34.89 Rp 629.7K

-16.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,981

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

53.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 R 1,487

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 R 11.2K

$1,078 Rp 19.4M

-36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 R 7,947

$665 Rp 12.0M

-27.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 R 24.1K

$3,510 Rp 63.4M

-58.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 R 19.0K

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

-30.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,568 R 42.3K

$166 Rp 3.0M

1443.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

13.78

-22.35%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: 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

Stellenbosch

$482 41.7%

Ubud, Bali

$665 50% 37.9% $183

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$202 17.5%

Ubud, Bali

$279 21% 38.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$163 14.1%

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7% 37% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$131 11.4%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 19.1% $25

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$126 10.9%

Ubud, Bali

$106 8% 16.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$46 4%

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5% 29.8% $14

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$5.4 * 0.5%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 120% $6.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $683 in Stellenbosch versus $1,078 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.

Salaries in Stellenbosch are about 15 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Stellenbosch versus $35 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Stellenbosch vs $279 in Ubud, Bali – so Stellenbosch wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

16:24 4:24 PM

6 h ahead of Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stellenbosch Ubud, Bali 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
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

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

Ubud, Bali costs about 15% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,734 per month in Stellenbosch and $1,996 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $683 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Stellenbosch and $35 in Ubud, Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,156 in Stellenbosch and $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Stellenbosch – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.