Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and El Centro, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,722 in El Centro, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in El Centro, CA
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El Centro, CA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

El Centro, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in El Centro, CA

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 El Centro, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,722 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
El Centro, CA $2,722

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,943 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
El Centro, CA $3,943

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $5,164 in El Centro, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
El Centro, CA $5,164

Ubud, Bali is about 51% cheaper than El Centro, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 2% below the global median, while El Centro, CA is 101% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$14.78 $14.78

-77.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$49.04 $49.04

-29.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$11.60 $11.60

-51.98%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$5.64 $5.64

-53.55%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.79 $2.79

-44.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$1.99 $1.99

-67.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$6.84 $6.84

-60.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$8.87 $8.87

-51.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.16 $1.16

25.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$5.81 $5.81

-60.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$4.37 $4.37

-74.60%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$5.06 $5.06

-58.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$12.30 $12.30

29.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$20.81 $20.81

-81.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

$14.12 $14.12

-19.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$5.66 $5.66

-37.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.71 $1.71

-9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.09 $4.09

-45.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$6.58 $6.58

-70.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$3.55 $3.55

-47.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$3.52 $3.52

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$2.36 $2.36

-56.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$2.21 $2.21

-76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$11.75 $11.75

-81.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$15.19 $15.19

43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$1.71 $1.71

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$3.83 $3.83

-22.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

$2.04 $2.04

-87.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

$68.5 $68.5

-88.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$4.63 $4.63

-90.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$1.89 $1.89

-75.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$36.13 $36.13

-84.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.64 $1.64

-49.39%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

$28.1K $28.1K

-12.93%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$26.0K $26.0K

21.73%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$212 $212

-63.37%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$70.1 $70.1

-91.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

$68.6 $68.6

-72.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

$42.87 $42.87

18.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$11.82 $11.82

-62.94%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$1,867 $1,867

-73.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$35.2K $35.2K

-65.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

$74.1 $74.1

-39.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

$41.48 $41.48

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$80.6 $80.6

-2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$163 $163

-52.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$1,486 $1,486

-27.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$1,282 $1,282

-48.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$2,758 $2,758

27.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$2,139 $2,139

-21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

$2,642 $2,642

-11.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

$2,647 $2,647

-15.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.56

110.06%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for El Centro, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

El Centro, CA

$1.3K 47.1% 92.8% $617

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

El Centro, CA

$479 17.6% 71.3% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

El Centro, CA

$162 5.9% 52.1% $55

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

El Centro, CA

$292 10.7% 176% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

El Centro, CA

$350 12.9% 242% $248

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

El Centro, CA

$67 2.4% 11.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

El Centro, CA

$91 3.3% 660% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,486 in El Centro, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $49 in El Centro, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $479 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 El Centro, CA

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

17:10 5:10 PM

16 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

44,322

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,421 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali El Centro, CA 14,150 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
El Centro, CA

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 El Centro, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, $2,722 in El Centro, CA – Ubud, Bali comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $4,082 in El Centro, CA. 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 $1,486 in El Centro, CA.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,867 in El Centro, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $2,722 in El Centro, CA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Ubud, Bali is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.