Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $887 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Macaé
🇧🇷 Brazil
$887
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $887 in Macaé.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,353
  • Macaé $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,495 in Macaé.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,297
  • Macaé $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,102 in Macaé.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,241
  • Macaé $2,102

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 53% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Macaé is 35% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
$5.43 R$27.54
-40.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.88 Rp 627.8K
$29.78 R$151
17.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 Rp 102.5K
$6.91 R$35.00
-17.51%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.1K
$1.72 R$8.73
52.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 Rp 31.0K
$1.39 R$7.04
23.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.63 R$3.18
28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
$1.21 R$6.16
119.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37 Rp 78.6K
$2.79 R$14.16
56.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$0.96 R$4.85
63.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.56 R$7.91
40.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.38 R$6.99
-14.49%
Eggs
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$1.94 R$9.85
11.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.65 Rp 317.7K
$9.12 R$46.21
93.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.78 Rp 68.0K
$3.34 R$16.92
13.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.95 Rp 215.1K
$9.69 R$49.10
23.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.60 Rp 64.8K
$1.86 R$9.40
93.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.20 R$6.11
32.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 Rp 41.6K
$0.96 R$4.85
140.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.3K
$1.23 R$6.21
55.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 Rp 32.1K
$0.64 R$3.23
178.13%
Onion (1kg)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$0.81 R$4.09
187.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 Rp 18.0K
$0.54 R$2.73
85.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,509
$0.52 R$2.64
1.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.1K
$1.56 R$7.88
46.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.07 Rp 397.3K
$6.09 R$30.86
262.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 Rp 42.2K
$0.95 R$4.82
147.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 Rp 53.6K
$1.25 R$6.35
138.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.23 Rp 4,112
$1.61 R$8.16
-85.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.90 Rp 160.2K
$83.9 R$425
-89.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.47 Rp 8,466
$1.41 R$7.14
-66.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,737
$0.79 R$4.03
-45.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.47 Rp 98.4K
$7.92 R$40.16
-30.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.29 R$6.53
-35.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.9K Rp 429.8M
$21.5K R$109.0K
11.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K Rp 590.1M
$31.2K R$158.2K
5.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
$100.0 R$507
-19.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.56 Rp 118.1K
$10.21 R$51.7
-35.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.60 Rp 334.8K
$18.76 R$95.1
-0.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 Rp 974.1K
$39.82 R$202
35.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.28 Rp 329.0K
$34.04 R$173
-46.30%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 Rp 76.5K
$6.79 R$34.44
-37.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$648 R$3,283
-23.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,597 Rp 100.7M
$7,012 R$35.5K
-20.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.58 Rp 820.4K
$63.1 R$320
-27.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.96 Rp 629.4K
$32.02 R$162
9.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.7 Rp 1.4M
$66.9 R$339
16.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 Rp 1.4M
$46.66 R$237
68.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,131 Rp 20.4M
$370 R$1,873
206.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$673 Rp 12.1M
$241 R$1,221
179.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,613 Rp 65.0M
$886 R$4,490
307.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,702 Rp 30.6M
$669 R$3,392
154.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,717 Rp 48.9M
$1,270 R$6,436
114.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$800 R$4,054
180.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Macaé
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$799 R$4,049
-79.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10.67
29.15%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$673
Macaé
$241 64.2% $432
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$287
Macaé
$169 41% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$107
Macaé
$94 11.9% $13
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Macaé
$105 1.7% $1.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$105
Macaé
$129 22.6% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$63
Macaé
$53 14.7% $9.2
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Macaé
$96 670% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $370 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macaé pays 380% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $169 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇷 Macaé
🕒 Local time
00:05 12:05 AM
13:05 1:05 PM
11 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
246,391
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Macaé 15,790 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Macaé?
Ubud, Bali and Macaé differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,353 vs $887 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 380% lower in Macaé. 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 Macaé?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $370 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Macaé?
All in, you'll spend $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $887 in Macaé – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $887 in Macaé versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Macaé?
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.
Is Ubud, Bali or Macaé safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Macaé are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Ubud, Bali or Macaé?
Expats usually find Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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