Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Lake Norden, SD

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,353 a month against $2,499 in Lake Norden, SD, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Lake Norden, SD
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Lake Norden, SD Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Lake Norden, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Lake Norden, SD

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 Lake Norden, SD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,499 in Lake Norden, SD, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Lake Norden, SD $2,499

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,607 in Lake Norden, SD, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Lake Norden, SD $3,607

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,715 in Lake Norden, SD, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Lake Norden, SD $4,715

Ubud, Bali is about 46% cheaper than Lake Norden, SD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Lake Norden, SD sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 0%, Lake Norden, SD by 84%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$11.95 $11.95

-72.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$76.3 $76.3

-54.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$10.04 $10.04

-43.23%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$4.36 $4.36

-39.91%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$2.03 $2.03

-15.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.86 $1.86

-56.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$3.91 $3.91

-32.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$6.47 $6.47

-32.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$0.82 $0.82

91.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$2.98 $2.98

-26.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$4.75 $4.75

-75.16%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$2.97 $2.97

-27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$12.63 $12.63

39.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$9.53 $9.53

-60.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$15.91 $15.91

-24.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$4.40 $4.40

-18.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.63 $1.63

-2.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$3.61 $3.61

-36.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$3.49 $3.49

-45.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$2.20 $2.20

-19.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$3.32 $3.32

-29.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.99 $1.99

-49.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$1.76 $1.76

-69.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$9.78 $9.78

-76.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$11.18 $11.18

97.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$2.23 $2.23

5.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.55 $2.55

16.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$2.02 $2.02

-88.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$3.90 $3.90

-87.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.70 $1.70

-74.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$35.58 $35.58

-84.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.02 $1.02

-18.63%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$24.7K $24.7K

-3.20%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$25.2K $25.2K

30.16%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$247 $247

-67.55%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$46.75 $46.75

-85.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$55.3 $55.3

-66.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$46.18 $46.18

17.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$12.67 $12.67

-66.46%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$1,016 $1,016

-51.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$7,864 $7,864

-28.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$32.48 $32.48

40.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$30.02 $30.02

16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$120 $120

-35.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$137 $137

-42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$1,369 $1,369

-17.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$1,342 $1,342

-49.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$2,616 $2,616

38.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$2,185 $2,185

-22.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$3,042 $3,042

-10.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$2,496 $2,496

-10.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.87

100.58%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lake Norden, SD: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Lake Norden, SD

$1.3K 53.7% 99.4% $669

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Lake Norden, SD

$347 13.9% 20.7% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Lake Norden, SD

$144 5.8% 35.1% $37

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Lake Norden, SD

$226 9.1% 112% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Lake Norden, SD

$349 14% 232% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Lake Norden, SD

$72 2.9% 14.2% $8.9

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Lake Norden, SD

$20 * 0.8% 64.8% $8.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,369 in Lake Norden, SD. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $76.0 in Lake Norden, SD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $347 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Lake Norden, SD

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

14:43 2:43 PM

13 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

600

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Lake Norden, SD 14,930 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Lake Norden, SD

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 Lake Norden, SD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lake Norden, SD is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $3,749 in Lake Norden, SD. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,353 in Ubud, Bali and $2,499 in Lake Norden, SD. That's a gap of about 85%.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,016 in Lake Norden, SD. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,353, than in Lake Norden, SD at $2,499. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Norden, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Norden, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.