Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $819 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$819

/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 $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $819 in Merida, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Merida $819

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,422 in Merida, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Merida $1,422

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,025 in Merida, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Merida $2,025

Ubud, Bali costs about 65% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Merida is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$11.78 VES 10.3K

-71.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$60.6 VES 53.0K

-41.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$10.95 VES 9,573

-47.40%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$2.44 VES 2,132

7.79%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$2.22 VES 1,943

-21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.37 VES 1,195

-43.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$2.01 VES 1,759

34.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$3.08 VES 2,698

46.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$2.02 VES 1,764

-24.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$3.18 VES 2,784

-30.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$1.99 VES 1,741

-38.69%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$2.59 VES 2,262

-17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$6.89 VES 6,022

157.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$7.90 VES 6,909

-51.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$7.48 VES 6,546

60.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$5.14 VES 4,495

-29.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$1.46 VES 1,277

3.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$2.76 VES 2,411

-15.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$2.37 VES 2,074

-15.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$1.97 VES 1,725

-8.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$1.36 VES 1,189

75.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.49 VES 1,304

-33.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$2.67 VES 2,337

-80.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$3.70 VES 3,233

-41.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$10.85 VES 9,491

111.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$1.39 VES 1,214

72.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$2.11 VES 1,847

42.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$0.31 VES 274

-22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$4.08 VES 3,569

-89.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$1.46 VES 1,281

-71.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$6.14 VES 5,367

-11.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.76 VES 665

10.53%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$44.5K VES 38.9M

-45.32%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$50.8K VES 44.4M

-37.21%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$12.63 VES 11.0K

539.98%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$10.30 VES 9,007

-36.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$30.37 VES 26.6K

-39.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$30.21 VES 26.4K

82.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

$14.98 VES 13.1K

23.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$4.96 VES 4,338

-14.52%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$89.8 VES 78.5K

440.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$2,399 VES 2.1M

136.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$73.5 VES 64.3K

-38.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$41.18 VES 36.0K

-16.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$98.6 VES 86.2K

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$97.6 VES 85.3K

-20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$132 VES 115.4K

753.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$93.0 VES 81.3K

625.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$224 VES 196.3K

1512.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$191 VES 166.8K

809.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$1,155 VES 1.0M

144.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$1,181 VES 1.0M

95.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$289 VES 252.9K

-42.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

-44.88%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Merida

$93 11.4% 86.2% $581

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Merida

$290 35.5% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Merida

$187 22.9% 72.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Merida

$140 17.2% 31.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Merida

$53 6.5% 49.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Merida

$40 4.9% 36.9% $23

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Merida

$13 * 1.6% 20.5% $2.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $132 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 run about 75% higher in Merida, 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $61.0 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $290 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

13:05 1:05 PM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

250,303

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, 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).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Merida 19,310 km ≈ 25 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

Ubud, Bali costs about 65% more than Merida, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,022 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,228 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,348 in Ubud, Bali and $819 in Merida. That's a gap of about 65%.

Kindergarten costs $486 per month in Ubud, Bali and $89.8 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $819, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,348. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Merida costs $819 versus $1,348 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Merida. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.