Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,255 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Sun City
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,255
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,255 per month in Sun City vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Sun City $1,255
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $1,930 per month in Sun City vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Sun City $1,930
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $2,606 per month in Sun City vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Sun City $2,606
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Sun City is about 8% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sun City sits 7% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.94 R 197
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
258.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.53 R 717
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
23.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.40 R 122
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
27.59%
Cappuccino
$2.46 R 40.54
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
-9.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 R 20.26
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
-25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 R 15.34
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
12.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.20 R 36.18
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
-18.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 R 45.61
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
-35.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 R 22.30
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
-10.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.28 R 21.14
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-44.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.18
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
50.00%
Eggs
$2.63 R 43.27
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
22.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.41 R 139
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-51.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.65 R 93.1
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
40.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.48 R 140
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-30.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 R 34.58
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-40.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.88 R 30.91
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
19.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.21
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-20.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 R 34.93
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
9.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.45
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-11.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.09
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-20.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 R 24.55
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
50.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 R 21.70
$0.53 Rp 9,475
149.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 R 55.8
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
48.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.09 R 100
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-73.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 R 31.11
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-19.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 R 39.52
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-17.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 R 24.54
$0.24 Rp 4,315
520.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 R 13.44
$0.48 Rp 8,684
70.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.91 R 15.01
$0.46 Rp 8,233
97.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.50 R 239
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
166.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 R 24.59
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
69.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.2K R 579.9K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
43.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K R 519.7K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
1.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$233 R 3,832
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
180.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.09 R 628
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
490.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.25 R 597
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
95.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.16 R 530
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-42.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.57 R 174
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-41.63%
Cinema Ticket
$7.69 R 127
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
75.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$246 R 4,052
$493 Rp 8.9M
-50.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,459 R 89.9K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
-5.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 R 957
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
25.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.31 R 763
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
31.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 R 1,766
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
35.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 R 1,757
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
36.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$395 R 6,502
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-65.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$354 R 5,834
$676 Rp 12.2M
-47.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 R 12.1K
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-78.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$737 R 12.1K
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-56.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$890 R 14.7K
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-68.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$658 R 10.8K
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-70.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sun City
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$165 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 Sun City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sun City
$354
Ubud, Bali
$676 90.8% $322
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sun City
$307
Ubud, Bali
$108 64.8% $199
Groceries & Markets
Sun City
$219
Ubud, Bali
$290 32.5% $71
Eating Out
Sun City
$172
Ubud, Bali
$109 36.9% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Sun City
$143
Ubud, Bali
$108 24.9% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Sun City
$48
Ubud, Bali
$65 35.9% $17
Getting Around
Sun City
$11 *
Ubud, Bali
$13 10.8% $1.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Sun City versus $1,142 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Sun City versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Sun City vs $290 in Ubud, Bali – so Sun City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Sun City
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
10:36 10:36 AM
16:36 4:36 PM
6 h ahead of Sun City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,556
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sun City Ubud, Bali 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sun City
  • 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
Sun City vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sun City or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali costs about 9% more than Sun City, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sun City and in Ubud, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,882 per month in Sun City and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Sun City or Ubud, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sun City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Sun City compared to Ubud, Bali?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,255 in Sun City and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 9%.
How do childcare costs compare in Sun City and in Ubud, Bali?
Kindergarten costs $246 per month in Sun City and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Sun City or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sun City, where all-in costs run around $1,255, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Sun City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Sun City or Ubud, Bali?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sun City costs $1,255 versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Sun City compared to Ubud, Bali?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Sun City or to Ubud, Bali?
If budget matters most, go with Sun City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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