Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Nelspruit

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelspruit: $1,024 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Nelspruit, South Africa
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Nelspruit
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,024
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,024 in Nelspruit, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Nelspruit $1,024

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,579 in Nelspruit, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Nelspruit $1,579

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,135 in Nelspruit, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Nelspruit $2,135

Ubud, Bali costs about 32% more than Nelspruit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.3K
$12.14 R 202
-72.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 646.7K
$44.84 R 746
-20.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.4K
$6.38 R 106
-13.32%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.3K
$2.44 R 40.55
11.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$1.22 R 20.21
39.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.62 R 10.24
22.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$2.22 R 36.95
19.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$2.72 R 45.24
61.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.35 R 22.44
10.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.3K
$1.02 R 16.90
123.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.07 R 17.72
11.21%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.9K
$2.11 R 35.11
-3.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.2K
$8.69 R 145
103.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.9K
$4.41 R 73.4
-10.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.2K
$7.39 R 123
64.95%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.3K
$1.70 R 28.27
115.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.5K
$1.14 R 18.98
33.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
$0.77 R 12.83
189.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.78 R 29.56
10.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
$0.61 R 10.16
203.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.0K
$1.29 R 21.40
87.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$1.45 R 24.08
-31.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,316
$1.26 R 20.94
-59.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
$2.78 R 46.21
-20.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 403.6K
$3.84 R 64.0
479.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.0K
$1.00 R 16.63
126.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$1.53 R 25.44
94.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,555
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,975
$0.80 R 13.37
-45.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,804
$0.91 R 15.17
-52.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.2K
$2.37 R 39.46
128.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.57 R 26.04
-47.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 432.6M
$35.8K R 595.6K
-33.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 576.1M
$34.8K R 578.8K
-8.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$151 R 2,505
-47.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.0K
$39.13 R 651
-83.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.1K
$36.74 R 611
-49.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 897.9K
$24.09 R 401
105.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.6K
$4.28 R 71.1
-0.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$182 R 3,034
168.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.0M
$5,477 R 91.1K
3.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 810.0K
$60.3 R 1,003
-25.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 634.2K
$44.88 R 747
-22.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$114 R 1,888
-29.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$111 R 1,855
-28.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$268 R 4,459
319.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$266 R 4,431
152.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.7M
$489 R 8,138
628.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$485 R 8,061
255.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.4M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Nelspruit
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 Nelspruit: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Nelspruit
$266 60.3% $405
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Nelspruit
$175 39.3% $113
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Nelspruit
$169 57.3% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Nelspruit
$149 38.2% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Nelspruit
$226 118% $122
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Nelspruit
$33 43.8% $25
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Nelspruit
$5.4 * 53.1% $6.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $268 in Nelspruit. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $45 in Nelspruit. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Ubud, Bali vs $175 in Nelspruit – so Nelspruit wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇿🇦 Nelspruit
🕒 Local time
03:51 3:51 AM
21:51 9:51 PM
6 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
110,159
💱 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 = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Nelspruit 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Nelspruit

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 Nelspruit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Nelspruit?
Ubud, Bali costs about 32% more than Nelspruit, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Nelspruit?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,536 in Nelspruit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ubud, Bali or Nelspruit?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nelspruit, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $268 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Nelspruit?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,024 in Nelspruit. That makes Nelspruit about 24% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Nelspruit?
Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $182 in Nelspruit. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Nelspruit?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,024 in Nelspruit. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Nelspruit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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