Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and McAllen, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,788 in McAllen, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in McAllen, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
McAllen, TX $1,788

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,731 in McAllen, TX.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
McAllen, TX $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,674 in McAllen, TX.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
McAllen, TX $3,674

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 24% less than in McAllen, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, McAllen, TX 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$18.21 $18.21

-81.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$76.3 $76.3

-53.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$7.93 $7.93

-26.86%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$4.53 $4.53

-39.74%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$2.44 $2.44

-32.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.93 $1.93

-56.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$4.97 $4.97

-45.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$5.40 $5.40

-20.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$0.97 $0.97

54.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$2.94 $2.94

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$4.36 $4.36

-72.94%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$3.37 $3.37

-36.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$9.87 $9.87

77.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$12.58 $12.58

-67.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$15.09 $15.09

-18.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$5.14 $5.14

-30.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$2.39 $2.39

-34.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$3.28 $3.28

-31.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$2.06 $2.06

-6.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$2.96 $2.96

-36.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$2.62 $2.62

-12.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.74 $1.74

-43.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$2.09 $2.09

-74.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$8.68 $8.68

-73.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$15.75 $15.75

46.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$2.09 $2.09

11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$2.22 $2.22

31.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$4.29 $4.29

-88.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.78 $0.78

-41.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.89 $0.89

-1.12%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$27.0K $27.0K

-9.01%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$23.5K $23.5K

32.98%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$164 $164

-49.50%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$37.59 $37.59

-82.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$66.3 $66.3

-72.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$44.90 $44.90

24.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$12.23 $12.23

-64.19%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$908 $908

-45.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$78.5 $78.5

-41.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$44.89 $44.89

-21.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$74.2 $74.2

6.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$96.6 $96.6

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$816 $816

40.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$669 $669

0.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$1,342 $1,342

161.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$1,144 $1,144

48.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,676 $1,676

66.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,700 $1,700

31.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$3,646 $3,646

-95.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.48

112.65%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

McAllen, TX

$669 37.4% 1% $6.6

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

McAllen, TX

$364 20.4% 25.3% $73

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

McAllen, TX

$277 15.5% 155% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

McAllen, TX

$268 15% 148% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

McAllen, TX

$132 7.4% 23.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

McAllen, TX

$69 3.9% 7.4% $4.8

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

McAllen, TX

$8.2 * 0.5% 34.7% $4.4

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 $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays 2116% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $76.0 in McAllen, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $364 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

20:18 8:18 PM

13 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

142,210

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali McAllen, TX 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
McAllen, TX

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 McAllen, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and McAllen, TX differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,788 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2116% lower in McAllen, TX. 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: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $908 in McAllen, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $76.0 in McAllen, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in McAllen, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and McAllen, TX 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in McAllen, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.