Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Cape Town $3,307

Ubud, Bali is about 13% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$12.09 R 202

-72.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

$44.34 R 741

-19.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

$6.15 R 103

-10.08%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.36 R 39.41

15.25%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$1.26 R 21.12

34.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.00 R 16.63

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$3.08 R 51.5

-13.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

$3.70 R 61.8

18.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.34 R 22.47

11.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

$1.19 R 19.94

91.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.10 R 35.11

-43.33%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$3.05 R 50.9

-33.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

$8.73 R 146

102.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

$6.97 R 116

-43.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

$9.39 R 157

29.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

$1.89 R 31.52

93.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.88 R 31.40

-19.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.69 R 28.15

31.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$2.04 R 34.16

-3.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.57 R 26.19

17.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.48 R 24.72

63.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.28 R 21.42

-22.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,303

$1.19 R 19.87

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$3.63 R 60.6

-38.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

$6.17 R 103

260.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.39 R 23.20

62.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$2.18 R 36.42

36.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,548

$1.37 R 22.89

-81.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

$61.3 R 1,024

-87.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,964

$0.57 R 9.60

-22.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,793

$1.48 R 24.68

-70.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

$4.90 R 81.8

10.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$1.58 R 26.36

-48.10%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

$34.7K R 579.9K

-31.31%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

$34.1K R 569.7K

-6.90%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$117 R 1,953

-32.38%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

$28.35 R 474

-77.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

$40.58 R 678

-54.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

$48.54 R 811

1.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

$10.80 R 181

63.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

$9.11 R 152

-53.13%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$302 R 5,045

62.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

$6,720 R 112.3K

-15.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

$55.2 R 923

-19.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

$32.70 R 546

6.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$118 R 1,970

-32.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$104 R 1,736

-23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,041 R 17.4K

8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$691 R 11.5K

-2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

$1,981 R 33.1K

79.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

$1,388 R 23.2K

24.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$2,420 R 40.4K

12.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,552 R 25.9K

47.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,576 R 26.3K

-89.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.97

25.62%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 2.9% $19

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 22.5% $65

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 62.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cape Town

$139 9% 29.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 78.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 15% $8.7

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 554% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,041 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 9.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $44 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Ubud, Bali vs $224 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

17:49 5:49 PM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Cape Town 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 15% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,041 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,556 in Cape Town. That makes Ubud, Bali about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,556 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,349 versus $1,556 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.