Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Merida, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,307 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,307 in Merida, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Merida $1,307

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,126 in Merida, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Merida $2,126

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,946 in Merida, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Merida $2,946

Ubud, Bali costs about 3% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$13.28 MX$250

-75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$54.9 MX$1,031

-35.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$8.13 MX$153

-31.98%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.90 MX$73.4

-30.26%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.06 MX$19.94

60.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.15 MX$21.66

-33.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$2.89 MX$54.3

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$3.64 MX$68.5

20.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.59 MX$29.92

-6.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$2.57 MX$48.38

-11.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.69 MX$31.72

-29.59%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$1.84 MX$34.58

10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$9.99 MX$188

77.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$7.49 MX$141

-47.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$12.02 MX$226

1.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$2.67 MX$50.1

37.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.36 MX$25.52

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$2.14 MX$40.23

4.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.97 MX$36.96

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$2.17 MX$40.83

-14.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.75 MX$32.96

38.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.46 MX$27.46

-32.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$1.15 MX$21.57

-55.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$4.28 MX$80.5

-48.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$10.73 MX$202

107.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.47 MX$27.66

53.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.45 MX$45.98

21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$0.62 MX$11.69

-59.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

$32.93 MX$619

-76.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$2.73 MX$51.2

-83.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$3.70 MX$69.6

-88.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$8.79 MX$165

-38.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.49 MX$27.97

-44.97%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$22.5K MX$423.6K

5.78%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$22.9K MX$430.9K

38.46%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$112 MX$2,110

-29.57%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$21.28 MX$400

-69.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$34.17 MX$642

-45.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$28.29 MX$532

74.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$11.51 MX$216

53.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$6.41 MX$121

-33.39%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$259 MX$4,874

89.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$3,584 MX$67.4K

58.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$54.3 MX$1,020

-17.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$52.1 MX$978

-32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$99.3 MX$1,866

-19.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$84.0 MX$1,579

-5.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$611 MX$11.5K

84.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$441 MX$8,282

52.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,220 MX$22.9K

192.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$958 MX$18.0K

79.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$2,244 MX$42.2K

21.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,205 MX$22.6K

89.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$579 MX$10.9K

-71.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

11.64

18.38%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Merida

$441 33.7% 34.4% $231

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Merida

$263 20.1% 9% $26

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Merida

$208 15.9% 93.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Merida

$130 10% 21.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Merida

$168 12.8% 61.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Merida

$41 3.2% 29.1% $17

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Merida

$57 4.3% 396% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $611 in Merida. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Merida are about 3.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $55 in Merida. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Ubud, Bali vs $263 in Merida – so Merida wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇲🇽 Merida

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

975,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Merida 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,961 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $259 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,307 in Merida, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.