Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,081 in Howick.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Howick $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,676 in Howick.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Howick $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,271 in Howick.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Howick $2,271

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 25% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$8.03 R 133

-58.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$38.85 R 645

-8.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$5.50 R 91.3

0.55%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$2.66 R 44.23

2.26%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.09 R 18.19

55.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.92 R 15.32

-17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$2.39 R 39.69

10.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$2.52 R 41.80

73.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.21 R 20.08

23.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.98 R 16.30

132.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.56 R 25.92

-23.72%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.34 R 38.88

-12.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$8.23 R 137

115.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$5.28 R 87.7

-25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$7.20 R 120

69.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$1.99 R 33.03

83.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.88 R 31.24

-19.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.92 R 31.86

16.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.70 R 28.22

15.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.49 R 24.76

24.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.46 R 24.33

65.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.21 R 20.17

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$1.19 R 19.78

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$3.68 R 61.1

-39.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$4.84 R 80.4

359.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.45 R 24.15

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.88 R 31.23

57.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$1.54 R 25.52

-83.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$0.45 R 7.49

-2.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$0.75 R 12.41

-42.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$7.56 R 126

-28.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.37 R 22.68

-40.15%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$36.1K R 600.3K

-34.03%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$33.1K R 550.2K

-4.15%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$150 R 2,491

-47.28%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$15.25 R 253

-57.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$40.18 R 667

-53.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$31.93 R 530

54.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

$10.99 R 183

60.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$7.09 R 118

-39.77%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$309 R 5,141

58.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$7,814 R 129.8K

-27.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$54.1 R 899

-17.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$30.61 R 508

14.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$98.5 R 1,636

-18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$84.3 R 1,400

-5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$395 R 6,567

184.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$366 R 6,078

83.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$735 R 12.2K

384.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$734 R 12.2K

134.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$868 R 14.4K

214.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$675 R 11.2K

238.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

11.78

16.98%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Howick

$366 33.9% 45.5% $306

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Howick

$195 18% 32.5% $94

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Howick

$138 12.8% 27.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Howick

$120 11.1% 12% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Howick

$205 19% 97.3% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Howick

$46 4.3% 20.5% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Howick

$10 * 1% 9.5% $1.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $395 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $39 in Howick. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $195, with Howick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

10:59 10:59 AM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

32,453

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Howick 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, 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 $1,621 in Howick 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $395 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $309 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $39 in Howick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Howick gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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