Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,520 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,520 in Cartagena, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Cartagena $1,520

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,565 in Cartagena, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Cartagena $2,565

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,610 in Cartagena, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Cartagena $3,610

Ubud, Bali is about 12% cheaper than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ubud, Bali sits 2% below the global median, while Cartagena is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$5.63 COP 18.2K

-39.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$142 COP 457.5K

-75.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-45.34%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$4.44 COP 14.3K

-40.99%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.44 COP 7,876

-36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.23 COP 7,198

-71.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$5.06 COP 16.3K

-15.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.90 COP 6,121

-23.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$2.78 COP 8,970

-17.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$1.43 COP 4,615

-22.38%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$4.96 COP 16.0K

-57.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$13.42 COP 43.3K

18.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$17.30 COP 55.9K

-77.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$2.06 COP 6,639

-74.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$14.10 COP 45.5K

54.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$1.39 COP 4,503

67.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

$1.25 COP 4,027

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

$67.0 COP 216.1K

-87.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$4.65 COP 15.0K

-90.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$3.69 COP 11.9K

-87.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$9.53 COP 30.8K

-41.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.34 COP 4,341

-38.06%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

$33.9K COP 109.5M

-27.92%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$35.0K COP 113.1M

-9.50%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$79.0 COP 254.9K

-1.89%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

$54.8 COP 177.0K

-6.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$8.10 COP 26.1K

-45.93%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$630 COP 2.0M

-21.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$12.0K COP 38.6M

2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$1,347 COP 4.3M

-20.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$842 COP 2.7M

-21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$2,468 COP 8.0M

42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$1,580 COP 5.1M

5.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

$921 COP 3.0M

142.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$464 COP 1.5M

-64.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-8.13%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Cartagena

–

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Cartagena

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Cartagena

–

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Cartagena

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Cartagena

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Cartagena

–

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Cartagena

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,347 in Cartagena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cartagena are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $142 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $279 in Ubud, Bali vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

13:55 1:55 PM

13 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Cartagena 18,810 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena costs about 14% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,279 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,078 there versus $1,347 in Cartagena.

Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Ubud, Bali and $630 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Cartagena – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,520 in Cartagena. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,331 versus $1,520 in Cartagena. 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, Cartagena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.