Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Alajuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,004 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
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Alajuela Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Alajuela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,004 in Alajuela.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Alajuela $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,609 in Alajuela.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Alajuela $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,213 in Alajuela.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Alajuela $2,213

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 34% more expensive than in Alajuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 59.9K

$12.15 ₡5,481

-72.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 642.4K

$44.06 ₡19.9K

-19.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 99.7K

$11.00 ₡4,964

-49.73%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

$4.56 ₡2,055

-40.35%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.7K

$2.42 ₡1,093

-29.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.7K

$1.74 ₡787

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.8K

$2.89 ₡1,304

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.0K

$3.84 ₡1,733

14.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$2.39 ₡1,081

-37.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.0K

$1.13 ₡510

101.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

$2.17 ₡978

-45.16%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.7K

$3.48 ₡1,569

-41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 319.1K

$10.79 ₡4,869

64.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.4K

$10.46 ₡4,722

-62.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 219.7K

$13.99 ₡6,314

-12.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 65.9K

$2.14 ₡964

71.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.4K

$1.58 ₡712

-3.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$2.16 ₡974

3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$3.84 ₡1,735

-48.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.3K

$2.17 ₡978

-14.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.7K

$2.16 ₡973

12.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.03 ₡463

-3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,255

$1.01 ₡457

-49.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$5.47 ₡2,470

-59.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 400.9K

$20.08 ₡9,059

10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

$1.40 ₡634

61.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

$1.02 ₡461

191.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,525

$0.77 ₡347

-67.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.0K

$126 ₡56.7K

-93.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,923

$1.76 ₡793

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,753

$1.56 ₡705

-72.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 97.5K

$8.09 ₡3,650

-33.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$1.52 ₡685

-46.05%

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

$23.8K Rp 429.7M

$34.0K ₡15.4M

-29.94%

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

$31.7K Rp 572.3M

$28.2K ₡12.7M

12.41%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$79.8 ₡36.0K

-0.95%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.2K

$30.12 ₡13.6K

-78.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 334.9K

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-69.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 892.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 318.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.0K

$7.72 ₡3,484

-44.69%

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

$491 Rp 8.8M

$993 ₡448.2K

-50.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.3M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-66.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 804.7K

$70.7 ₡31.9K

-36.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 630.1K

$56.0 ₡25.2K

-37.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$130 ₡58.8K

-38.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$72.2 ₡32.6K

9.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.3M

$760 ₡342.9K

48.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.3M

$1,426 ₡643.6K

149.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.1M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$2,112 ₡953.2K

-92.24%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Alajuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Alajuela

$309 30.7% 7% $20

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Alajuela

$224 22.3% 108% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Alajuela

$148 14.8% 37.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Alajuela

$170 16.9% 63.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5% 73.4% $43

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Alajuela

$138 13.8% 1112% $127

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $760 in Alajuela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays about 13 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $44 in Alajuela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $309 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

10:54 10:54 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

50,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Alajuela 17,870 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Alajuela

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 Alajuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is cheaper overall, especially in leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $760 in Alajuela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 94% less than in Alajuela. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $993 in Alajuela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Alajuela gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.