Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Cotonou, Benin
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Cotonou
🇧🇯 Benin
$897
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $897 in Cotonou.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Cotonou $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,428 in Cotonou.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Cotonou $1,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,958 in Cotonou.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Cotonou $1,958

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 50% more expensive than in Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$5.18 F CFA 3,042
-35.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.5K
$35.68 F CFA 21.0K
-0.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$9.39 F CFA 5,514
-41.11%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$5.25 F CFA 3,085
-48.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$1.00 F CFA 589
70.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.89 F CFA 521
-14.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$0.87 F CFA 510
204.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$2.59 F CFA 1,522
69.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$3.10 F CFA 1,820
-51.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$1.23 F CFA 724
85.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.88 F CFA 1,105
-36.70%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.74 F CFA 1,610
-25.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.1K
$9.25 F CFA 5,436
91.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$5.43 F CFA 3,189
-27.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.1K
$5.04 F CFA 2,959
141.87%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$3.99 F CFA 2,345
-8.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.78 F CFA 1,043
-14.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$1.33 F CFA 779
67.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$2.71 F CFA 1,591
-27.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$1.27 F CFA 745
45.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$1.68 F CFA 987
44.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$0.43 F CFA 253
130.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,313
$1.14 F CFA 670
-55.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$3.37 F CFA 1,977
-34.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.4K
$4.30 F CFA 2,524
417.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$1.17 F CFA 688
93.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$1.86 F CFA 1,092
59.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,553
$1.30 F CFA 764
-80.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.9K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,972
$1.38 F CFA 808
-68.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,801
$1.32 F CFA 776
-67.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.1K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.18 F CFA 695
-30.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.4M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.9M
$23.5K F CFA 13.8M
35.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$145 F CFA 85.1K
-45.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.9K
$33.52 F CFA 19.7K
-80.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.0K
$49.06 F CFA 28.8K
-62.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.5K
$47.60 F CFA 28.0K
3.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.1K
$3.36 F CFA 1,973
425.30%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.5K
$8.58 F CFA 5,043
-50.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$131 F CFA 76.9K
274.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.9M
$5,544 F CFA 3.3M
2.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 809.7K
$25.39 F CFA 14.9K
75.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.0K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$33.44 F CFA 19.6K
138.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$67.9 F CFA 39.9K
16.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$176 F CFA 103.4K
539.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$163 F CFA 95.7K
312.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
$600 F CFA 352.5K
494.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$412 F CFA 242.3K
317.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Cotonou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$251 F CFA 147.2K
-34.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
4
244.50%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Cotonou
$163 75.8% $509
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Cotonou
$222 23% $66
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Cotonou
$150 39% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Cotonou
$57 * 46.9% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Cotonou
$227 119% $123
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Cotonou
$65 11.6% $6.7
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Cotonou
$13 * 15.4% $1.8

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $176 in Cotonou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cotonou pays 53% 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 $36 in Cotonou. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $222, with Cotonou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇯 Cotonou
🕒 Local time
16:31 4:31 PM
09:31 9:31 AM
7 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
780,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Cotonou 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Cotonou

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 Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cotonou cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Cotonou is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Cotonou?
On paper, salaries run 35% 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 Cotonou?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $176 in Cotonou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Cotonou?
Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $131 in Cotonou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Ubud, Bali or in Cotonou?
At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ubud, Bali or Cotonou more family-friendly?
For families, Cotonou 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.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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