Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,038 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Mar del Plata

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 Mar del Plata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,038 in Mar del Plata.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Mar del Plata $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,312 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,787 in Mar del Plata.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Mar del Plata $1,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,536 in Mar del Plata.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Mar del Plata $2,536

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 30% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 1% above, Mar del Plata is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$19.74 ARS 29.9K

-83.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$60.3 ARS 91.4K

-41.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

-53.99%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$3.13 ARS 4,743

-15.97%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$2.51 ARS 3,813

-30.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$2.03 ARS 3,071

-62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$4.06 ARS 6,151

-33.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$3.02 ARS 4,585

49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$1.08 ARS 1,634

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$2.20 ARS 3,330

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$3.16 ARS 4,785

-61.39%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$2.36 ARS 3,575

-9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$5.86 ARS 8,885

202.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$6.65 ARS 10.1K

-41.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

-3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$3.32 ARS 5,030

8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$2.43 ARS 3,687

-37.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$1.48 ARS 2,242

56.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$2.05 ARS 3,115

-2.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$1.01 ARS 1,532

136.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$3.60 ARS 5,463

-39.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$2.94 ARS 4,457

681.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$1.29 ARS 1,954

-81.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$1.63 ARS 2,468

-73.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$0.64 ARS 967

-34.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$6.40 ARS 9,707

-14.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.36 ARS 2,064

-38.24%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$79.0 ARS 119.8K

2.30%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$8.23 ARS 12.5K

-20.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$30.10 ARS 45.6K

-39.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$31.31 ARS 47.5K

76.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-57.89%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$304 ARS 460.4K

59.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$87.7 ARS 133.1K

-48.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$121 ARS 184.2K

-34.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$54.8 ARS 83.1K

41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$328 ARS 497.2K

243.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$253 ARS 383.9K

166.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$801 ARS 1.2M

351.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$654 ARS 992.3K

165.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$610 ARS 925.5K

-72.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Mar del Plata

$253 24.7% 62.4% $421

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Mar del Plata

$198 * 19.3% 31.6% $92

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Mar del Plata

$278 27% 157% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Mar del Plata

$119 * 11.6% 11.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Mar del Plata

$117 11.4% 11.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Mar del Plata

$51 5% 19.1% $12

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Mar del Plata

$10 * 1% 5% $0.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali and $328 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 268% 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 $60.0 in Mar del Plata. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $198, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

09:26 9:26 AM

11 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

593,337

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Mar del Plata 14,790 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Mar del Plata

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 Mar del Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 268% lower in Mar del Plata. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $328 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,038 in Mar del Plata – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,038 in Mar del Plata versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mar del Plata delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,038 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mar del Plata hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Mar del Plata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mar del Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.