Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Cebu, Philippines
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Cebu
🇵🇭 Philippines
$934
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $934 in Cebu.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,423 in Cebu.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Cebu $1,423

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,913 in Cebu.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Cebu $1,913

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 44% more expensive than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$3.79 ₱243
-12.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 648.1K
$23.33 ₱1,493
52.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
$3.94 ₱252
40.36%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$2.54 ₱163
7.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$1.57 ₱100
8.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.47 ₱29.87
61.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.3K
$1.77 ₱113
49.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.7K
$2.22 ₱142
97.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.90 ₱121
-21.58%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$1.36 ₱87.3
67.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$0.94 ₱59.9
26.60%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$1.99 ₱127
2.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.9K
$9.70 ₱621
82.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.1K
$4.32 ₱277
-8.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.7K
$7.51 ₱481
62.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.5K
$3.31 ₱212
10.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$1.37 ₱87.6
10.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$2.34 ₱150
-4.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$1.49 ₱95.5
32.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$2.30 ₱147
-19.57%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$1.87 ₱120
29.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$1.10 ₱70.5
-10.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,336
$0.63 ₱40.42
-19.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$2.86 ₱183
-22.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.4K
$6.08 ₱389
265.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$1.27 ₱81.6
77.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
$1.72 ₱110
72.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,564
$0.22 ₱14.01
13.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.3K
$12.34 ₱790
-36.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,992
$0.74 ₱47.61
-40.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,821
$0.22 ₱14.11
95.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.4K
$4.28 ₱274
26.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.31 ₱83.8
-37.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.5M
$20.8K ₱1.3M
14.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.3M
$19.0K ₱1.2M
66.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$118 ₱7,577
-33.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$15.76 ₱1,009
-59.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.8K
$28.33 ₱1,813
-34.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.8K
$32.94 ₱2,108
50.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.9K
$6.49 ₱415
171.96%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
$5.45 ₱349
-21.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$276 ₱17.6K
77.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.2M
$7,789 ₱498.5K
-27.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.7K
$48.18 ₱3,083
-7.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.6K
$24.47 ₱1,566
42.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$75.3 ₱4,818
6.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$58.0 ₱3,713
36.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.5M
$477 ₱30.5K
135.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$322 ₱20.6K
108.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
$963 ₱61.6K
270.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$626 ₱40.0K
175.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.7M
$4,551 ₱291.3K
-39.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
$3,028 ₱193.8K
-24.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Cebu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$333 ₱21.3K
-50.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
7.2
91.39%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Cebu
$322 52.1% $350
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Cebu
$204 29.4% $85
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Cebu
$94 12.6% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Cebu
$93 13.8% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Cebu
$163 56.1% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Cebu
$44 24.4% $14
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Cebu
$15 31.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $477 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays about 2 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 $23 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $204 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇵🇭 Cebu
🕒 Local time
22:10 10:10 PM
22:10 10:10 PM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
964,169
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.41 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Cebu 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cebu cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Cebu is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Cebu?
On paper, salaries run 51% 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.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Cebu?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $477 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Ubud, Bali and in Cebu?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $934 in Cebu – Cebu is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 37% less than in Cebu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is Ubud, Bali or Cebu more family-friendly?
For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Ubud, Bali or Cebu?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Cebu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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