Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Brakpan

For one person, living is cheaper in Brakpan: $1,114 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Brakpan
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,114
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,114 in Brakpan.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Brakpan $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,693 in Brakpan.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Brakpan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,271 in Brakpan.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Brakpan $2,271

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 21% more expensive than in Brakpan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Brakpan is 18% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$9.87 R 163
-67.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$41.93 R 691
-16.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$5.18 R 85.3
10.04%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$2.02 R 33.35
29.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$1.06 R 17.39
62.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.95 R 15.73
-14.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$2.40 R 39.46
10.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$2.66 R 43.78
64.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.11 R 18.34
41.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.13 R 18.62
93.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.42 R 23.38
-16.90%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$2.31 R 38.02
-6.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$10.40 R 171
69.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$4.57 R 75.4
-17.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$8.14 R 134
46.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$1.57 R 25.89
129.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.57 R 25.83
1.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$1.40 R 23.05
65.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.40 R 23.02
36.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$1.46 R 24.12
21.92%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$1.24 R 20.43
87.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$1.04 R 17.20
-3.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.92 R 15.13
-42.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$3.26 R 53.8
-29.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$4.76 R 78.5
363.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$1.09 R 18.02
115.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$1.40 R 23.00
112.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$1.50 R 24.74
-84.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$0.65 R 10.71
-27.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.89 R 14.61
-51.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$12.54 R 207
-56.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.50 R 24.67
-44.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$40.2K R 662.2K
-40.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$29.6K R 487.6K
10.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$137 R 2,259
-41.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$37.94 R 625
-82.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$53.6 R 883
-65.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$31.82 R 524
70.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$9.85 R 162
85.58%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$7.50 R 124
-43.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$229 R 3,767
115.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$5,517 R 90.9K
1.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$53.6 R 883
-14.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$32.47 R 535
7.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$117 R 1,920
-33.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$89.6 R 1,476
-12.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$402 R 6,628
181.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$367 R 6,041
83.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$501 R 8,252
621.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$648 R 10.7K
162.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$994 R 16.4K
173.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$725 R 11.9K
209.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Brakpan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10.94
25.96%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brakpan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Brakpan
$367 45.5% $306
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Brakpan
$186 35.4% $102
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Brakpan
$131 23.4% $25
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Brakpan
$144 35.4% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Brakpan
$229 117% $123
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Brakpan
$47 25.2% $16
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Brakpan
$11 * 10.8% $1.3

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $402 in Brakpan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $42.00 in Brakpan. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $186, with Brakpan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇿🇦 Brakpan
🕒 Local time
11:14 11:14 AM
05:14 5:14 AM
6 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
305,692
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 25, 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Brakpan 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Brakpan

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 Brakpan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Brakpan?
Brakpan wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brakpan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Brakpan?
You'd need roughly $2,030 in Ubud, Bali and $1,672 in Brakpan 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Brakpan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $402 in Brakpan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Brakpan?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $229 in Brakpan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Brakpan?
Dining out is cheaper in Brakpan – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Brakpan?
At $1,114 in Brakpan versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brakpan but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Brakpan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Brakpan?
Both work as nomad bases, but Brakpan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,114 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brakpan hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Brakpan?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Brakpan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Brakpan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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