Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taupo and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,117 in Taupo, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Taupo, New Zealand
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Taupo
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$2,117
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,117 in Taupo versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Taupo $2,117
  • Ubud, Bali $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,116 in Taupo versus $2,255 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Taupo $3,116
  • Ubud, Bali $2,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,115 in Taupo versus $3,180 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Taupo $4,115
  • Ubud, Bali $3,180

Living in Taupo is roughly 59% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Taupo is 57% above, Ubud, Bali is 2% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.09 NZ$25.04
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
316.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.4 NZ$123
$34.65 Rp 629.1K
100.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.01 NZ$16.00
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
61.76%
Cappuccino
$3.48 NZ$6.17
$2.62 Rp 47.6K
32.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 NZ$3.52
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
28.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 NZ$3.24
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
185.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.97 NZ$12.37
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
161.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.98 NZ$12.41
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
63.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 NZ$3.43
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
32.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.25 NZ$3.99
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
-1.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.84 NZ$3.26
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
65.77%
Eggs
$6.30 NZ$11.20
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
200.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 NZ$15.08
$15.94 Rp 289.4K
-46.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.99 NZ$17.75
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
157.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.15 NZ$30.47
$11.40 Rp 207.0K
50.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.84 NZ$5.04
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
-20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 NZ$3.68
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
34.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.03 NZ$5.39
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
35.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 NZ$10.46
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
198.98%
Potato (1kg)
$2.19 NZ$3.89
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
17.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 NZ$2.73
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
-36.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.04 NZ$3.63
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 NZ$1.88
$0.52 Rp 9,483
103.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.30 NZ$48.50
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
1140.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.45 NZ$18.56
$21.79 Rp 395.6K
-52.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.74 NZ$4.87
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
17.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 NZ$6.01
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
13.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.98 NZ$3.51
$0.25 Rp 4,546
692.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 NZ$186
$8.17 Rp 148.4K
1180.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.32 NZ$4.12
$0.44 Rp 7,947
427.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 NZ$3.58
$0.47 Rp 8,496
329.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.59 NZ$57.9
$5.60 Rp 101.7K
481.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 NZ$3.26
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
121.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K NZ$49.3K
$24.4K Rp 443.8M
13.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K NZ$39.5K
$31.7K Rp 575.5M
-29.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$185 NZ$329
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
139.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.72 NZ$47.47
$6.14 Rp 111.6K
335.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.15 NZ$69.6
$18.92 Rp 343.4K
106.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.41 NZ$70.0
$51.0 Rp 925.8K
-22.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.25 Rp 331.3K
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.17 NZ$21.62
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
177.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,045 NZ$1,857
$492 Rp 8.9M
112.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.3K NZ$34.3K
$12.2K Rp 221.9M
58.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.0 NZ$142
$45.16 Rp 819.9K
77.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.48 NZ$73.7
$34.89 Rp 633.4K
18.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.1 NZ$167
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
20.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 NZ$199
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
44.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 NZ$1,828
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
-4.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$943 NZ$1,675
$665 Rp 12.1M
41.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,612 NZ$2,864
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
-54.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,494 NZ$2,654
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
-10.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,774 NZ$8,481
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
104.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,373 NZ$5,992
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
50.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Taupo
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.37
13.78
-61.03%

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

Last update for Taupo: 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
Taupo
$943
Ubud, Bali
$665 29.5% $278
Groceries & Markets
Taupo
$341
Ubud, Bali
$279 18.1% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Taupo
$251
Ubud, Bali
$103 59.2% $149
Eating Out
Taupo
$245
Ubud, Bali
$106 56.9% $140
Clothing & Footwear
Taupo
$147
Ubud, Bali
$106 27.9% $41
Getting Around
Taupo
$125
Ubud, Bali
$12 90.4% $113
Sport & Entertainment
Taupo
$64
Ubud, Bali
$60 6.3% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,029 in Taupo and $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Taupo vs $35 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $341 vs $279 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Taupo
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
08:51 8:51 AM
03:51 3:51 AM
5 h behind Taupo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,000
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Taupo Ubud, Bali 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Taupo
  • 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
Taupo vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ubud, Bali cheaper than Taupo?
Ubud, Bali is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,175 in Taupo and $1,996 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.
What is the rent difference between Taupo and Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,029 in Taupo versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Taupo or in Ubud, Bali?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35 versus $69 in Taupo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Taupo and in Ubud, Bali?
All in, you’ll spend $2,117 per month in Taupo versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Taupo or in Ubud, Bali?
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.
Is it better to live in Taupo or in Ubud, Bali?
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.
Which city is safer, Taupo or Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Taupo and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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