Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Midrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Midrand: $1,097 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Midrand, South Africa
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Midrand
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,097
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,097 in Midrand.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Midrand $1,097

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,641 in Midrand.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Midrand $1,641

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,185 in Midrand.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Midrand $2,185

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 23% more expensive than in Midrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$5.71 R 95.3
-41.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.5K
$30.15 R 503
18.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$3.12 R 52.1
77.24%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$1.78 R 29.69
52.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$1.23 R 20.49
38.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.92 R 15.38
-17.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.1K
$2.37 R 39.48
11.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$2.39 R 39.95
83.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
$1.33 R 22.25
12.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$1.19 R 19.94
91.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.31 R 21.82
-9.16%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.80 R 46.72
-27.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.1K
$9.06 R 151
95.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$5.55 R 92.7
-28.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.1K
$9.05 R 151
34.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$2.02 R 33.73
81.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.09 R 18.14
39.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$1.75 R 29.29
27.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.49 R 24.88
32.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$1.72 R 28.70
7.56%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$1.85 R 30.84
30.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$1.23 R 20.56
-19.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,313
$1.27 R 21.28
-59.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$3.29 R 55.0
-32.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.4K
$5.42 R 90.4
310.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$0.94 R 15.70
140.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$1.24 R 20.73
139.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,553
$1.50 R 25.12
-83.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.9K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,972
$0.83 R 13.86
-46.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,801
$0.58 R 9.69
-25.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.1K
$14.67 R 245
-63.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.46 R 24.33
-43.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.4M
$34.4K R 573.5K
-30.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.9M
$30.3K R 505.0K
4.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$108 R 1,801
-26.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.9K
$24.41 R 408
-73.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.0K
$37.64 R 628
-50.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.5K
$32.28 R 539
53.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.1K
$10.71 R 179
64.80%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.5K
$8.73 R 146
-51.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$183 R 3,059
167.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.9M
$5,471 R 91.3K
3.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 809.7K
$59.3 R 989
-24.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.0K
$45.72 R 763
-23.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$84.3 R 1,407
-5.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$84.2 R 1,406
-5.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$492 R 8,219
128.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$441 R 7,354
52.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
$834 R 13.9K
327.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$758 R 12.7K
127.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.5M
$867 R 14.5K
215.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
$694 R 11.6K
229.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Midrand
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10.91
26.31%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Midrand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Midrand
$441 34.4% $231
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Midrand
$202 30% $87
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Midrand
$102 5.7% $6.1
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Midrand
$123 14.5% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Midrand
$170 63.3% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Midrand
$50 14.3% $8.3
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Midrand
$9.8 * 14.6% $1.7

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $492 in Midrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $30 in Midrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $202 per month, with Midrand cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇿🇦 Midrand
🕒 Local time
18:52 6:52 PM
12:52 12:52 PM
6 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
87,387
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Midrand 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Midrand

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 Midrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Midrand cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Midrand is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $1,645 in Midrand to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Midrand?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $492 in Midrand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Midrand?
Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Ubud, Bali and in Midrand?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,097 in Midrand – Midrand is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 enough for either Ubud, Bali or Midrand?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Midrand gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Ubud, Bali or in Midrand?
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.

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