Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and El Medano

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $1,446 in El Medano, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in El Medano despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,446

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,446 in El Medano, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
El Medano $1,446

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,385 in El Medano, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
El Medano $2,385

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,324 in El Medano, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
El Medano $3,324

Ubud, Bali is about 6% cheaper than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and El Medano sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 0%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$20.11 €17.89

-83.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$61.2 €54.4

-43.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$11.07 €9.85

-48.51%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$1.99 €1.77

31.66%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.90 €1.69

-9.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.29 €1.15

-37.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$2.81 €2.50

-5.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$3.30 €2.94

32.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.33 €1.19

18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$2.45 €2.18

-10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.53 €1.36

-22.88%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$4.07 €3.62

-46.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$14.56 €12.96

21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$8.86 €7.88

-57.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$17.58 €15.63

-32.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$2.48 €2.21

45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$2.36 €2.10

-32.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$2.27 €2.02

1.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$2.53 €2.25

-24.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$2.09 €1.86

-14.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.93 €1.72

20.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.68 €1.50

-40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.97 €0.86

-45.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$5.49 €4.88

-58.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$7.64 €6.80

188.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.71 €1.52

37.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.33 €1.18

124.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$1.67 €1.49

-86.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$24.80 €22.06

-64.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$4.25 €3.78

-88.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.72 €1.53

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$17.01 €15.13

-67.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.26 €1.12

-34.13%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$26.7K €23.7K

-10.44%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$31.3K €27.8K

4.75%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$98.8 €87.9

-19.01%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$22.80 €20.28

-71.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$35.05 €31.18

-46.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$45.45 €40.43

19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$14.44 €12.85

26.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$9.67 €8.60

-56.05%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$406 €361

21.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$5,136 €4,568

8.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$91.3 €81.2

-50.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$41.48 €36.89

-15.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$92.6 €82.3

-16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$113 €101

-30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$884 €786

27.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$473 €420

42.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$1,341 €1,193

169.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$1,025 €912

66.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$3,400 €3,024

-20.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,990 €1,770

12.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

3.56

287.08%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

El Medano

$473 32.7% 29.8% $200

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

El Medano

$304 21% 5.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 43% $46

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

El Medano

$251 17.4% 136% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

El Medano

$157 10.8% 48.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

El Medano

$65 4.5% 3.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

El Medano

$44 3.1% 257% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $884 in El Medano. 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $61.0 in El Medano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $304 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

05:57 5:57 AM

7 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

2,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali El Medano 14,530 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
El Medano

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 Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, $1,446 in El Medano – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,170 in El Medano. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $406 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in El Medano, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than in El Medano at $1,446. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Medano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,353 in Ubud, Bali to $1,446 in El Medano. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, El Medano makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.