Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Monterrey, Mexico
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Monterrey $3,536

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 18% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 59.9K
$13.45 MX$251
-75.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 642.4K
$48.43 MX$905
-26.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 99.7K
$10.90 MX$204
-49.27%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.0K
$3.82 MX$71.3
-28.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.7K
$1.67 MX$31.14
1.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.7K
$0.98 MX$18.37
-22.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.8K
$2.35 MX$43.91
12.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.0K
$4.41 MX$82.4
-0.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
$1.80 MX$33.66
-17.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.0K
$2.79 MX$52.2
-18.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
$1.82 MX$34.10
-34.62%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.7K
$2.51 MX$46.95
-18.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 319.1K
$12.09 MX$226
46.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.4K
$9.41 MX$176
-57.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 219.7K
$12.71 MX$237
-4.09%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 65.9K
$3.21 MX$59.9
14.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.4K
$1.50 MX$27.99
1.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$2.14 MX$40.07
4.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.6K
$2.32 MX$43.38
-15.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.3K
$2.20 MX$41.14
-15.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.7K
$2.60 MX$48.55
-6.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$1.44 MX$26.92
-31.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,255
$1.17 MX$21.93
-56.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
$4.79 MX$89.5
-53.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 400.9K
$13.22 MX$247
68.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 40.7K
$1.94 MX$36.30
16.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
$2.89 MX$53.9
2.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,525
$0.87 MX$16.30
-71.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.0K
$31.14 MX$582
-74.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,923
$1.66 MX$30.96
-73.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,753
$1.09 MX$20.44
-60.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 97.5K
$10.67 MX$199
-49.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$1.47 MX$27.53
-44.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 429.7M
$24.2K MX$453.0K
-1.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 572.3M
$23.6K MX$440.1K
34.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$118 MX$2,202
-32.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.2K
$25.55 MX$477
-74.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 334.9K
$26.43 MX$494
-29.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 892.0K
$30.77 MX$575
60.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 318.1K
$21.07 MX$394
-16.23%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.0K
$5.09 MX$95.1
-16.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.8M
$694 MX$13.0K
-29.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.3M
$11.3K MX$211.5K
-49.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 804.7K
$72.5 MX$1,354
-38.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 630.1K
$41.51 MX$776
-15.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$110 MX$2,050
-27.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$115 MX$2,148
-30.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.3M
$1,056 MX$19.7K
6.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.1M
$721 MX$13.5K
-6.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.3M
$1,999 MX$37.4K
78.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.1M
$1,435 MX$26.8K
20.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.2M
$4,219 MX$78.8K
-35.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.2M
$2,731 MX$51.0K
-16.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$1,149 MX$21.5K
-85.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11.79
16.88%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Monterrey
$721 7.4% $50
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Monterrey
$303 5.2% $15
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Monterrey
$217 102% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Monterrey
$152 41.7% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Monterrey
$170 63.2% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Monterrey
$41 29.4% $17
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Monterrey
$42 266% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $303 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
19:18 7:18 PM
05:18 5:18 AM
14 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,061 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Monterrey 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Monterrey?
Ubud, Bali and Monterrey differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,349 vs $1,647 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Monterrey?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Monterrey?
All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,647 in Monterrey – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Where should digital nomads live: Ubud, Bali or Monterrey?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,349 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How do I decide between Ubud, Bali and Monterrey?
It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Monterrey on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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