Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,672 in Acosta, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. The total is higher in Acosta despite lower rent and utilities.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Acosta, Costa Rica
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Acosta
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,672
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Acosta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ubud, Bali and in Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,672 in Acosta.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Acosta $1,672

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,657 in Acosta.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Acosta $2,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,642 in Acosta.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Acosta $3,642

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 20% less than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Acosta is 24% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
$11.97 ₡5,382
-71.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
$58.9 ₡26.5K
-41.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
$11.77 ₡5,292
-52.68%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$4.30 ₡1,936
-39.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$2.54 ₡1,142
-39.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$1.91 ₡860
-66.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$3.37 ₡1,515
-20.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
$4.47 ₡2,009
-4.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$2.44 ₡1,096
-40.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$2.71 ₡1,220
-15.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$2.44 ₡1,099
-54.51%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$3.60 ₡1,617
-41.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
$10.74 ₡4,828
48.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
$10.22 ₡4,597
-62.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
$13.95 ₡6,275
-18.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$5.16 ₡2,320
-31.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.57 ₡708
-1.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$3.33 ₡1,497
-33.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$3.45 ₡1,553
-42.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$3.02 ₡1,358
-38.41%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$3.23 ₡1,452
-25.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$1.03 ₡463
-0.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,475
$2.60 ₡1,171
-80.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$5.75 ₡2,586
-61.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
$16.66 ₡7,493
30.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$2.61 ₡1,172
-10.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$2.64 ₡1,188
12.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,542
$1.33 ₡599
-81.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,941
$2.51 ₡1,128
-82.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,489
$1.56 ₡703
-69.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$8.49 ₡3,817
-34.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.53 ₡687
-45.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
$34.1K ₡15.3M
-28.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
$41.1K ₡18.5M
-22.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$95.2 ₡42.8K
-18.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$30.00 ₡13.5K
-79.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
$58.8 ₡26.4K
-67.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
$67.5 ₡30.4K
-24.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$7.59 ₡3,415
-42.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$837 ₡376.3K
-41.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
$17.4K ₡7.8M
-29.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
$71.3 ₡32.1K
-36.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
$56.6 ₡25.5K
-38.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$128 ₡57.7K
-38.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$131 ₡59.1K
-40.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$793 ₡356.4K
35.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$620 ₡278.7K
7.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$1,924 ₡865.4K
82.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$1,256 ₡564.6K
33.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
$1,921 ₡863.7K
21.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Acosta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$1,506 ₡677.3K
-88.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
8.62
59.86%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Acosta: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Acosta
$620 6.8% $45
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Acosta
$369 32.1% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Acosta
$174 64.1% $68
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Acosta
$226 114% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Acosta
$184 79.5% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Acosta
$83 38.4% $23
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Acosta
$16 * 31% $3.7

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 $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $793 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays about 9.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $59 in Acosta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $369 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇨🇷 Acosta
🕒 Local time
04:03 4:03 AM
14:03 2:03 PM
14 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
3,072
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Acosta 17,880 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Acosta

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
Ubud, Bali vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Acosta?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,672 in Acosta, so Ubud, Bali is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Acosta?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $793 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Acosta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Acosta?
All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,672 in Acosta – Ubud, Bali is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Acosta?
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.
Is Ubud, Bali or Acosta safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Acosta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Ubud, Bali and Acosta?
It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Acosta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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