Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and El Viejo

For one person, living is cheaper in El Viejo: $818 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in El Viejo
Learn more

El Viejo Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

El Viejo

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $818 in El Viejo.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
El Viejo $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,280 in El Viejo.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
El Viejo $1,280

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,741 in El Viejo.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
El Viejo $1,741

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 65% more expensive than in El Viejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$10.08 NIO 369

-67.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

$35.12 NIO 1,286

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

$7.57 NIO 277

-26.95%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.58 NIO 94.3

5.43%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$0.91 NIO 33.29

86.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.69 NIO 25.33

10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$1.48 NIO 54.1

79.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

$2.26 NIO 82.9

93.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.26 NIO 46.10

18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

$2.33 NIO 85.5

-2.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.87 NIO 68.4

-36.36%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.39 NIO 87.6

-14.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

$11.51 NIO 422

53.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

$6.35 NIO 233

-37.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

$7.56 NIO 277

61.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

$4.11 NIO 150

-10.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$0.62 NIO 22.84

145.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.75 NIO 64.2

27.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$2.50 NIO 91.5

-21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$3.97 NIO 145

-53.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$2.17 NIO 79.6

11.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.08 NIO 39.61

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,303

$1.02 NIO 37.18

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$2.81 NIO 103

-21.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

$14.95 NIO 548

48.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.41 NIO 51.6

60.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$2.23 NIO 81.8

33.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,548

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,964

$1.65 NIO 60.5

-73.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,793

$1.60 NIO 58.6

-73.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

$6.74 NIO 247

-19.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$1.36 NIO 49.65

-39.71%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

$23.4K NIO 856.6K

1.94%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

$26.8K NIO 981.2K

18.51%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$151 NIO 5,540

-47.74%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

$19.54 NIO 716

-66.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

$31.99 NIO 1,172

-41.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

$8.93 NIO 327

-52.18%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$234 NIO 8,571

109.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

$5,960 NIO 218.3K

-4.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

$59.0 NIO 2,162

-24.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

$65.7 NIO 2,407

-46.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$122 NIO 4,467

-34.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$142 NIO 5,212

-44.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

11.92

15.60%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

El Viejo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

El Viejo

$260 31.8% 9.9% $29

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

El Viejo

$153 18.7% 41.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

El Viejo

$175 21.4% 62.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

El Viejo

$203 24.8% 94.9% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

El Viejo

$18 * 2.2% 69.2% $40

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

El Viejo

$9.7 * 1.2% 15.5% $1.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $35 in El Viejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $260 per month, with El Viejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇳🇮 El Viejo

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

05:17 5:17 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

33,607

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.89 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali El Viejo 17,520 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
El Viejo

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 Viejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Viejo is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $1,227 in El Viejo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $234 in El Viejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Viejo – a meal for two runs $35 versus $36 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $818 in El Viejo versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in El Viejo but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes El Viejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 El Viejo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.