Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Boksburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,222 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,222 in Boksburg.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Boksburg $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,891 in Boksburg.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Boksburg $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,560 in Boksburg.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Boksburg $2,560

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 12% more expensive than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Boksburg is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$12.15 R 200

-72.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$43.01 R 709

-18.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$5.40 R 88.9

7.41%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$2.28 R 37.62

19.74%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$1.13 R 18.66

45.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.83 R 13.69

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$2.25 R 37.09

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$2.74 R 45.13

56.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.35 R 22.26

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$1.18 R 19.48

94.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.77 R 29.15

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$2.73 R 44.99

-21.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$8.89 R 146

96.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$5.32 R 87.6

-24.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$8.86 R 146

38.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$1.82 R 30.01

95.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.62 R 26.74

-3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$1.86 R 30.72

20.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$1.79 R 29.43

7.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.68 R 27.66

11.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$1.81 R 29.80

26.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.23 R 20.33

-19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$1.34 R 22.06

-60.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$3.38 R 55.6

-32.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$6.03 R 99.4

281.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.53 R 25.14

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$1.89 R 31.20

53.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$0.31 R 5.14

54.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.78 R 12.77

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$14.54 R 240

-62.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.49 R 24.52

-40.94%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$36.3K R 597.3K

-32.23%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$33.7K R 554.6K

-7.35%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$231 R 3,808

-64.09%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$38.32 R 631

-83.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$36.44 R 600

-49.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$28.26 R 466

97.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$7.92 R 131

-44.70%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$243 R 4,006

102.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$5,427 R 89.4K

6.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$53.8 R 886

-14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$46.03 R 758

-23.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$104 R 1,721

-24.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$106 R 1,741

-25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$321 R 5,287

256.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$352 R 5,793

92.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$674 R 11.1K

419.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$764 R 12.6K

122.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$873 R 14.4K

-81.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.91

26.31%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Boksburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Boksburg

$352 28.8% 48% $324

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Boksburg

$212 17.3% 27.2% $79

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Boksburg

$165 13.5% 52% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Boksburg

$306 25% 183% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Boksburg

$140 11.4% 29.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Boksburg

$44 3.6% 31.7% $20

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Boksburg

$4.2 * 0.3% 66.6% $8.4

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 $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $321 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boksburg pays 430% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $43.00 in Boksburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $212, with Boksburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

260,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Boksburg 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Boksburg

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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Boksburg differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,222 including rent). Boksburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 430% lower in Boksburg. 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: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $321 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,222 in Boksburg – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,222 in Boksburg versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boksburg but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Boksburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Boksburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Boksburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.