Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Surfers Paradise
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,824
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Surfers Paradise $2,824
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

A couple spends around $4,398 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $2,314 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Surfers Paradise $4,398
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

A family of three spends $5,973 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $3,260 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

  • Surfers Paradise $5,973
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Surfers Paradise costs about 106% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surfers Paradise and Ubud, Bali sit above the global median – Surfers Paradise by 109%, Ubud, Bali by 1%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.36 A$24.95
$3.33 Rp 59.6K
421.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 A$151
$35.18 Rp 629.4K
198.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.85 A$15.60
$5.80 Rp 103.8K
87.07%
Cappuccino
$4.10 A$5.89
$2.73 Rp 48.8K
50.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 A$4.04
$1.64 Rp 29.4K
71.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 A$3.45
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
189.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.86 A$11.29
$2.70 Rp 48.3K
191.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.87 A$11.31
$4.30 Rp 76.9K
83.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 A$2.39
$1.50 Rp 26.9K
10.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 A$3.88
$2.30 Rp 41.1K
17.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.41 A$3.46
$1.18 Rp 21.1K
104.24%
Eggs
$4.90 A$7.05
$2.14 Rp 38.4K
128.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.68 A$12.47
$17.48 Rp 312.7K
-50.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.09 A$13.06
$4.03 Rp 72.1K
125.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.47 A$20.80
$12.23 Rp 218.8K
18.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.92 A$5.64
$3.55 Rp 63.5K
10.42%
Banana (1kg)
$3.08 A$4.43
$1.57 Rp 28.1K
96.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 A$4.84
$2.24 Rp 40.0K
50.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.84 A$6.96
$1.93 Rp 34.5K
150.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.82 A$4.05
$1.88 Rp 33.7K
50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.44 A$3.50
$2.29 Rp 41.0K
6.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 A$3.44
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
141.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.07 A$2.97
$0.53 Rp 9,419
290.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$37.58 A$54.0
$2.28 Rp 40.9K
1548.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.26 A$20.49
$23.01 Rp 411.8K
-38.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.97 A$8.58
$2.34 Rp 41.9K
155.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.12 A$7.35
$2.91 Rp 52.1K
75.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 A$0.49
$0.24 Rp 4,289
41.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.82 Rp 157.8K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.10 A$3.02
$0.48 Rp 8,633
337.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 A$2.33
$0.46 Rp 8,184
252.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.24 A$50.6
$5.45 Rp 97.6K
546.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 A$1.86
$0.88 Rp 15.8K
47.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.0K A$38.8K
$24.6K Rp 439.6M
10.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.3K A$40.7K
$31.2K Rp 558.1M
-9.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$212 A$305
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
155.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.92 A$43.00
$6.45 Rp 115.3K
363.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.4 A$79.7
$18.57 Rp 332.2K
198.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.1 A$94.9
$55.8 Rp 998.8K
18.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.45 A$20.77
$18.11 Rp 324.0K
-20.21%
Cinema Ticket
$17.42 A$25.03
$4.38 Rp 78.4K
297.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,944 A$2,794
$493 Rp 8.8M
294.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K A$17.8K
$5,754 Rp 103.0M
115.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.1 A$119
$46.19 Rp 826.5K
79.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.1 A$79.1
$35.33 Rp 632.2K
55.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 A$159
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
40.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 A$174
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
54.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,912 A$2,748
$1,142 Rp 20.4M
67.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,570 A$2,257
$676 Rp 12.1M
132.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,770 A$5,418
$3,503 Rp 62.7M
7.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,067 A$4,407
$1,700 Rp 30.4M
80.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,895 A$8,472
$2,784 Rp 49.8M
111.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,954 A$7,119
$2,241 Rp 40.1M
121.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surfers Paradise
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,288 A$4,725
$165 Rp 2.9M
1898.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.81
13.78
-57.84%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Surfers Paradise
$1.6K
Ubud, Bali
$676 57% $895
Groceries & Markets
Surfers Paradise
$380
Ubud, Bali
$290 23.6% $90
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surfers Paradise
$298
Ubud, Bali
$108 63.7% $190
Eating Out
Surfers Paradise
$297
Ubud, Bali
$109 63.3% $188
Clothing & Footwear
Surfers Paradise
$167
Ubud, Bali
$108 35.5% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Surfers Paradise
$101
Ubud, Bali
$65 36% $36
Getting Around
Surfers Paradise
$12 *
Ubud, Bali
$13 8.6% $1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,912 in Surfers Paradise 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.

Salaries run about 1898% higher in Surfers Paradise, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Surfers Paradise versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
08:22 8:22 AM
06:22 6:22 AM
2 h behind Surfers Paradise
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
19,668
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 17,894 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Surfers Paradise Ubud, Bali 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Surfers Paradise
  • 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
Surfers Paradise vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Surfers Paradise?
Yes – Surfers Paradise is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,235 per month in Surfers Paradise and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Surfers Paradise and in Ubud, Bali?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,824 in Surfers Paradise and $1,368 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 106%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,944 per month in Surfers Paradise and $493 in Ubud, Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Surfers Paradise or in Ubud, Bali?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Surfers Paradise at $2,824. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surfers Paradise it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Surfers Paradise or Ubud, Bali more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Surfers Paradise or 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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surfers Paradise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Surfers Paradise vs other spots: cost of living compared

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