Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,445 in Jaco Beach, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Jaco Beach despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
Learn more

Jaco Beach Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Jaco Beach $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,296 in Jaco Beach.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Jaco Beach $2,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,147 in Jaco Beach.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Jaco Beach $3,147

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 7% less than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$11.32 ₡5,108

-70.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

$43.14 ₡19.5K

-17.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$10.22 ₡4,615

-45.89%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.99 ₡1,800

-31.83%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.40 ₡1,085

-29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.87 ₡844

-59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$3.19 ₡1,442

-16.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$4.33 ₡1,955

1.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.98 ₡892

-24.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$2.19 ₡989

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.39 ₡1,079

-50.21%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.60 ₡1,175

-21.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

$10.78 ₡4,868

64.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$8.88 ₡4,010

-55.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

$12.11 ₡5,468

0.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$4.95 ₡2,234

-26.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.66 ₡749

-8.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$4.75 ₡2,142

-53.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$3.42 ₡1,545

-42.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.50 ₡676

23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.42 ₡641

70.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.99 ₡447

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,316

$1.99 ₡900

-74.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$6.01 ₡2,712

-63.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

$13.81 ₡6,234

61.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$2.64 ₡1,192

-14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.18 ₡986

36.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$2.49 ₡1,125

-82.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

$1.63 ₡735

-73.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

$8.53 ₡3,850

-36.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.57 ₡707

-47.77%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-29.65%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-25.51%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$79.6 ₡35.9K

-0.62%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

$23.88 ₡10.8K

-72.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

$47.69 ₡21.5K

-61.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-4.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$7.72 ₡3,485

-44.69%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$479 ₡216.4K

2.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$7,442 ₡3.4M

-23.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

$25.50 ₡11.5K

75.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-37.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$127 ₡57.3K

-37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$133 ₡59.9K

-40.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$748 ₡337.8K

50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$526 ₡237.3K

27.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,984 ₡895.8K

79.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,099 ₡496.1K

56.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$402 ₡181.4K

-59.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.62

59.86%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 21.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 13% $37

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 95.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 42.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 45.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 16.1% $9.4

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 6.8% $0.8

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 $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jaco Beach pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $43 in Jaco Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $326 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

09:59 9:59 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Jaco Beach 17,830 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $479 in Jaco Beach. 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 $43 in Jaco Beach. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Jaco Beach on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.