Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,228 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Makati
🇵🇭 Philippines
$1,228
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,228 in Makati.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Makati $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,028 in Makati.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Makati $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,828 in Makati.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Makati $2,828

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 11% more expensive than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Makati is 9% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$6.22 ₱392
-46.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$39.57 ₱2,491
-11.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$4.88 ₱307
18.85%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$2.55 ₱161
7.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$1.06 ₱67.0
54.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$0.50 ₱31.54
66.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$2.38 ₱150
13.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$3.21 ₱202
33.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.90 ₱120
-21.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$1.29 ₱81.5
78.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.06 ₱67.0
11.32%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$2.47 ₱155
-13.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$7.29 ₱459
139.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$4.86 ₱306
-17.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$7.03 ₱442
73.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$4.04 ₱254
-12.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.94 ₱122
-19.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$3.22 ₱203
-30.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$2.29 ₱144
-15.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$3.48 ₱219
-45.98%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$3.59 ₱226
-36.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$1.06 ₱66.8
-6.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$1.11 ₱69.7
-52.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$2.69 ₱169
-15.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$8.11 ₱511
183.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$1.32 ₱82.9
77.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$1.98 ₱124
46.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$0.90 ₱56.4
-73.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$56.8 ₱3,575
-84.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$0.67 ₱41.91
-28.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$0.21 ₱13.16
119.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$1.93 ₱121
182.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.25 ₱78.8
-29.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$21.3K ₱1.3M
15.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$19.6K ₱1.2M
59.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$153 ₱9,620
-45.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$16.06 ₱1,011
-59.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$32.37 ₱2,038
-42.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$54.9 ₱3,456
1.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
$14.14 ₱890
28.08%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$7.22 ₱454
-39.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$794 ₱50.0K
-37.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$7,321 ₱460.9K
-21.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$61.2 ₱3,850
-24.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$36.86 ₱2,321
-4.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$81.5 ₱5,129
-2.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$103 ₱6,510
-24.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$815 ₱51.3K
40.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$417 ₱26.3K
61.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$2,274 ₱143.2K
54.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$1,069 ₱67.3K
59.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$5,869 ₱369.5K
-52.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$3,738 ₱235.4K
-40.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Makati
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$601 ₱37.9K
-72.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
7.5
83.73%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Makati
$417 38.2% $258
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Makati
$231 20.3% $59
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Makati
$120 9.9% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Makati
$201 86.3% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Makati
$127 18.4% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Makati
$69 7.3% $4.7
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Makati
$62 395% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $815 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Makati pays 265% 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 $40.00 in Makati. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $231, with Makati cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇵🇭 Makati
🕒 Local time
06:46 6:46 AM
06:46 6:46 AM
Same time as Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
582,602
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Makati 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Makati

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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Makati?
Makati wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in Makati?
On paper, salaries run 265% lower in Makati. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Makati?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $815 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Makati?
All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,228 in Makati – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Ubud, Bali compared to Makati?
A monthly transit pass in Makati runs roughly 544% less than in Ubud, Bali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Makati?
At $1,228 in Makati versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makati but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Makati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Makati?
Both work as nomad bases, but Makati delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,228 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makati hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Makati?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Makati are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Makati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% 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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