Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $969 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Joao Pessoa, Brazil
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Joao Pessoa
🇧🇷 Brazil
$969
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $969 in Joao Pessoa.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Joao Pessoa $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,496 in Joao Pessoa.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Joao Pessoa $1,496

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,023 in Joao Pessoa.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Joao Pessoa $2,023

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 37% more expensive than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Joao Pessoa 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
$6.54 R$35.89
-48.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.8K
$27.48 R$151
26.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
$7.37 R$40.46
-24.42%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$1.42 R$7.82
84.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.97 R$5.33
58.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$0.66 R$3.65
-3.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$1.70 R$9.35
57.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
$3.39 R$18.61
25.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.13 R$6.20
29.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$1.90 R$10.42
20.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$1.42 R$7.78
-21.83%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$1.89 R$10.36
11.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.3K
$7.74 R$42.45
105.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
$4.62 R$25.34
-16.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.9K
$6.85 R$37.61
66.42%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
$2.95 R$16.20
20.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.94 R$5.17
63.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$0.83 R$4.57
168.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.07 R$5.90
84.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$1.51 R$8.27
23.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$1.17 R$6.42
106.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$0.70 R$3.85
45.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,479
$0.99 R$5.45
-47.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$2.81 R$15.44
-21.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.4K
$8.38 R$46.02
160.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$1.49 R$8.20
56.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$3.03 R$16.64
-1.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,544
$0.99 R$5.43
-74.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.4K
$63.2 R$347
-87.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,944
$1.85 R$10.15
-76.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,493
$1.89 R$10.38
-75.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$2.99 R$16.43
87.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.21 R$6.65
-31.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.7M
$22.0K R$120.5K
11.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.2M
$30.7K R$168.5K
3.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$119 R$654
-34.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$20.81 R$114
-70.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.3K
$21.65 R$119
-12.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.4K
$35.08 R$193
45.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.2K
$27.65 R$152
-34.00%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$9.70 R$53.2
-54.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$400 R$2,194
23.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.8M
$6,320 R$34.7K
93.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.6K
$50.6 R$278
-10.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 633.2K
$62.0 R$340
-43.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$80.9 R$444
-3.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$71.6 R$393
8.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
$369 R$2,025
191.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$251 R$1,375
165.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$612 R$3,357
473.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$483 R$2,653
245.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
$2,264 R$12.4K
3.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
$1,122 R$6,159
99.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Joao Pessoa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$476 R$2,614
-65.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11
25.27%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Joao Pessoa
$251 62.3% $414
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Joao Pessoa
$191 31.5% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Joao Pessoa
$119 12.2% $13
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Joao Pessoa
$113 7.2% $7.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Joao Pessoa
$162 57.6% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Joao Pessoa
$54 8.8% $5.3
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Joao Pessoa
$78 557% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Joao Pessoa pays about 2.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $27 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $191 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa
🕒 Local time
11:15 11:15 AM
00:15 12:15 AM
11 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
833,932
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,148 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,295 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Joao Pessoa 16,280 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Joao Pessoa?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $969 in Joao Pessoa, so Joao Pessoa is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 65% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Joao Pessoa?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $369 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Joao Pessoa?
Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $400 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $969 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Joao Pessoa?
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.

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