Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Cruz Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,911 in Cruz Bay, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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

$1,349

/mo nomad

Cruz Bay

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$2,911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Cruz Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,911 in Cruz Bay.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Cruz Bay $2,911

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,707 in Cruz Bay.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Cruz Bay $4,707

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $6,503 in Cruz Bay.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Cruz Bay $6,503

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 54% less than in Cruz Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$30.27 $30.27

-89.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$94.2 $94.2

-62.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$16.90 $16.90

-67.28%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$9.04 $9.04

-69.91%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.99 $2.99

-43.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$4.09 $4.09

-81.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$8.11 $8.11

-67.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$9.26 $9.26

-52.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$8.08 $8.08

-81.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$4.87 $4.87

-58.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$15.71 $15.71

-74.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$9.01 $9.01

-59.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$24.63 $24.63

-9.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$354 $354

-77.64%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$138 $138

-95.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$59.0 $59.0

-68.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$90.2 $90.2

-45.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$13.0K $13.0K

-56.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,778 $1,778

-36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$1,509 $1,509

-55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$3,525 $3,525

1.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$3,533 $3,533

-51.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$10.9K $10.9K

-75.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$6,147 $6,147

-97.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

175.60%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cruz Bay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Cruz Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Cruz Bay

–

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cruz Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Cruz Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Cruz Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Cruz Bay

–

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Cruz Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,778 in Cruz Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cruz Bay pays about 38 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $94 in Cruz Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $273, with Cruz Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇻🇮 Cruz Bay

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

17:52 5:52 PM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

2,743

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Cruz Bay 18,920 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Cruz Bay

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 Cruz Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $2,911 in Cruz Bay, so Ubud, Bali is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 97% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,778 in Cruz Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $94 in Cruz Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,911 in Cruz Bay – Ubud, Bali is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Cruz Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Cruz Bay on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.