Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
El Nido $1,557

Ubud, Bali costs about 83% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while El Nido is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$4.84 ₱305

-33.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$28.13 ₱1,771

24.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$3.70 ₱233

54.05%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$2.25 ₱142

16.44%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.17 ₱73.8

47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.32 ₱20.45

153.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.30 ₱81.8

103.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$1.99 ₱125

119.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.59 ₱100

-1.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.00 ₱63.1

119.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.29 ₱81.4

-8.53%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$1.95 ₱123

10.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$5.33 ₱336

231.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$3.98 ₱250

-5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$6.98 ₱439

71.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$2.25 ₱142

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.54 ₱97.1

3.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$2.26 ₱142

2.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.16 ₱72.8

64.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.95 ₱123

-8.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$2.01 ₱127

15.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.92 ₱58.0

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$0.53 ₱33.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$3.35 ₱211

-31.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$7.24 ₱456

204.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.00 ₱62.9

135.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.87 ₱118

59.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.24 ₱15.07

-4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$10.28 ₱648

-13.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$0.85 ₱53.8

-44.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$0.20 ₱12.47

115.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$1.72 ₱108

218.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.31 ₱82.3

-36.64%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

24.47%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

51.81%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$121 ₱7,638

-34.06%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$14.38 ₱906

-54.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$24.44 ₱1,539

-23.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$34.90 ₱2,197

55.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$3.99 ₱251

358.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$5.23 ₱329

-18.74%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$124 ₱7,818

296.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$6,869 ₱432.4K

-18.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$33.86 ₱2,132

34.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$18.81 ₱1,185

85.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$66.9 ₱4,211

16.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$49.95 ₱3,145

57.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$269 ₱17.0K

319.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$177 ₱11.2K

279.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$535 ₱33.7K

574.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$358 ₱22.5K

375.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$2,607 ₱164.1K

4.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$900 ₱56.7K

149.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$257 ₱16.2K

-35.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.79

102.95%

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 Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

El Nido

$177 24% 73.7% $496

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 39.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 28.4% $30

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 12.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 52.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 27.6% $17

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 5.3% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $269 in El Nido. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 54% higher in El Nido, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $174 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

20:33 8:33 PM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

50,494

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali El Nido 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
El Nido

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 Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, $739 in El Nido – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,109 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Nido, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 16% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $124 in El Nido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali 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 $739 in El Nido to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. 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 El Nido. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.