Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,865 in Nelson, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,865 in Nelson.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Nelson $1,865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,872 in Nelson.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Nelson $2,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,879 in Nelson.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Nelson $3,879

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 28% less than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$13.72 NZ$24.40

-75.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$64.8 NZ$115

-45.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$8.27 NZ$14.71

-33.13%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.19 NZ$5.66

-14.73%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.82 NZ$3.23

-6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.65 NZ$2.94

-53.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$7.61 NZ$13.52

-65.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$5.84 NZ$10.38

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-22.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$2.19 NZ$3.89

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-39.29%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$5.85 NZ$10.40

-65.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$9.13 NZ$16.22

93.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$7.62 NZ$13.54

-48.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$13.65 NZ$24.26

-10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$3.15 NZ$5.61

16.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-29.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$3.00 NZ$5.33

-25.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$5.63 NZ$10.01

-65.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$2.07 NZ$3.68

-10.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.23 NZ$2.19

96.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$2.02 NZ$3.60

-50.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$1.08 NZ$1.92

-52.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$25.87 NZ$45.99

-91.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$9.94 NZ$17.66

123.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$3.14 NZ$5.58

-28.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.81 NZ$5.00

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$2.20 NZ$3.92

-88.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$1.83 NZ$3.25

-75.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-75.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$33.80 NZ$60.1

-83.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.56 NZ$2.77

-47.44%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

39.76%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$22.4K NZ$39.7K

42.04%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$130 NZ$231

-39.27%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$32.93 NZ$58.5

-80.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$43.70 NZ$77.7

-57.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$101 NZ$179

-50.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$34.48 NZ$61.3

-48.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$11.14 NZ$19.81

-61.67%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$458 NZ$814

7.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$13.1K NZ$23.3K

-56.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$52.9 NZ$94.1

-15.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$28.57 NZ$50.8

22.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$104 NZ$185

-23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$143 NZ$254

-44.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,023 NZ$1,819

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$813 NZ$1,445

-17.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,755 NZ$3,120

103.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,455 NZ$2,586

18.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$1,396 NZ$2,482

95.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$852 NZ$1,514

168.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$2,043 NZ$3,632

-91.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.39

155.66%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Nelson

$813 43.6% 21% $141

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Nelson

$319 17.1% 10.5% $30

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Nelson

$236 12.7% 120% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Nelson

$148 7.9% 37.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Nelson

$207 11.1% 98.7% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Nelson

$123 6.6% 112% $65

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 71.5% $8.2

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 $1,023 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nelson pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $65 in Nelson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $319 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

5 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

51,100

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, 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 = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Nelson 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Nelson

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 Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Nelson. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,023 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $458 in Nelson. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $65 in Nelson. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Nelson are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Nelson on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.