Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
La Merced, Peru
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
La Merced
🇵🇪 Peru
$558
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • La Merced $558

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • La Merced $910

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • La Merced $1,263

Ubud, Bali costs about 138% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ubud, Bali and La Merced are more affordable than the global median – Ubud, Bali 2% lower, La Merced 59% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.3K
$4.38 PEN 15.10
-22.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 629.1K
$34.86 PEN 120
-0.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.2K
$7.01 PEN 24.19
-20.54%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.6K
$3.18 PEN 10.97
-17.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.08 PEN 3.72
42.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$0.65 PEN 2.24
-1.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$2.57 PEN 8.86
3.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.4K
$4.29 PEN 14.81
-0.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$1.58 PEN 5.44
-7.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$2.07 PEN 7.15
10.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$1.28 PEN 4.43
-13.28%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$2.35 PEN 8.11
-10.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.4K
$7.33 PEN 25.29
117.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.5K
$5.78 PEN 19.94
-32.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 207.0K
$8.68 PEN 29.94
31.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.5K
$0.92 PEN 3.17
285.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$0.45 PEN 1.56
242.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$0.30 PEN 1.04
643.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$0.71 PEN 2.46
177.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$0.28 PEN 0.96
564.29%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$0.45 PEN 1.55
437.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$0.60 PEN 2.07
70.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,483
$0.87 PEN 3.01
-40.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$5.63 PEN 19.42
-60.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.6K
$7.33 PEN 25.30
197.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$1.90 PEN 6.56
22.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$3.08 PEN 10.61
-3.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,546
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,947
$3.43 PEN 11.84
-87.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,496
$2.07 PEN 7.14
-77.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.7K
$7.64 PEN 26.37
-26.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.64 PEN 5.65
-49.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.8M
$21.7K PEN 75.0K
12.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.5M
$28.9K PEN 99.8K
9.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$66.7 PEN 230
16.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.6K
$15.80 PEN 54.5
-61.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.4K
$27.06 PEN 93.4
-30.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.8K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.3K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$7.14 PEN 24.63
-38.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$318 PEN 1,096
55.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.9M
$12.7K PEN 43.6K
-3.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.9K
$53.3 PEN 184
-15.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 633.4K
$35.12 PEN 121
-0.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$83.7 PEN 289
-6.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$79.1 PEN 273
-1.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.6M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
La Merced
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
8.78
56.95%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
La Merced
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
La Merced
$185 33.8% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
La Merced
$113 6.3% $6.7
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
La Merced
$123 15.9% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
La Merced
$110 6.8% $7
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
La Merced
$14 * 76.1% $45
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
La Merced
$14 * 15.3% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $35 in La Merced. Groceries tell a different story – $279 in Ubud, Bali vs $185 in La Merced – so La Merced wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇵🇪 La Merced
🕒 Local time
07:42 7:42 AM
18:42 6:42 PM
13 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
8,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,438 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali La Merced 17,540 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or La Merced?
Ubud, Bali costs about 138% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in La Merced?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $837 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to La Merced?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $558 in La Merced. That makes La Merced about 58% cheaper.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in La Merced?
Groceries cost about 51% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Ubud, Bali or in La Merced?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,331. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Ubud, Bali or La Merced?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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