Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $927 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Mexicali, Mexico
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Mexicali
🇲🇽 Mexico
$927
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $927 in Mexicali, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Mexicali $927

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,485 in Mexicali, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Mexicali $1,485

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,042 in Mexicali, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Mexicali $2,042

Ubud, Bali costs about 45% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$12.33 MX$231
-73.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.7K
$33.01 MX$619
7.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$6.49 MX$122
-14.79%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$3.33 MX$62.3
-18.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$1.37 MX$25.75
24.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$1.07 MX$19.97
-28.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$3.21 MX$60.2
-17.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$4.03 MX$75.5
8.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.20 MX$22.41
24.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$2.32 MX$43.41
-1.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.44 MX$26.92
-17.36%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.67 MX$50.1
-23.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.2K
$2.40 MX$44.92
637.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$6.04 MX$113
-34.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.2K
$6.60 MX$124
84.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$1.61 MX$30.11
127.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.31 MX$24.59
16.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$1.37 MX$25.63
62.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.57 MX$29.36
25.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$1.37 MX$25.70
35.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$1.38 MX$25.88
75.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$1.34 MX$25.09
-26.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,316
$0.77 MX$14.47
-33.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$4.01 MX$75.2
-44.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.6K
$7.99 MX$150
178.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$1.96 MX$36.77
15.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$3.99 MX$74.7
-25.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,555
$1.02 MX$19.15
-75.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.0K
$34.66 MX$649
-77.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,975
$2.80 MX$52.4
-84.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,804
$2.19 MX$41.11
-80.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.2K
$19.17 MX$359
-71.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.37 MX$25.72
-40.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.6M
$24.5K MX$459.9K
-2.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 576.1M
$23.1K MX$432.9K
37.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$47.16 MX$884
67.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.0K
$21.80 MX$409
-70.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.1K
$28.74 MX$539
-35.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.9K
$39.07 MX$732
26.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.2K
$16.32 MX$306
8.15%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.6K
$3.99 MX$74.7
7.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$198 MX$3,715
147.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.0M
$4,438 MX$83.2K
27.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 810.0K
$33.30 MX$624
34.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.2K
$32.11 MX$602
8.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$75.5 MX$1,415
5.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$37.44 MX$702
112.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$967 MX$18.1K
16.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$265 MX$4,961
153.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
$1,370 MX$25.7K
160.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$534 MX$10.0K
222.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
$2,628 MX$49.2K
3.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$1,427 MX$26.7K
60.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Mexicali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$837 MX$15.7K
-80.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
12.07
14.17%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Mexicali
$265 60.6% $407
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Mexicali
$193 33% $95
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Mexicali
$192 78.2% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Mexicali
$80 25.3% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Mexicali
$98 6.1% $6.4
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Mexicali
$47 18.9% $11
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Mexicali
$53 360% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $967 in Mexicali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexicali are about 5.1 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 $33 in Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $193 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇲🇽 Mexicali
🕒 Local time
00:49 12:49 AM
08:49 8:49 AM
16 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
854,186
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Mexicali 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Mexicali

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 Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in Mexicali compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $927 in Mexicali – Mexicali comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Mexicali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,391 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ubud, Bali and Mexicali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexicali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $967 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali and $33 in Mexicali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $927, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,349. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Ubud, Bali or Mexicali?
Families tend to lean toward Mexicali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Ubud, Bali or Mexicali safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?