Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Paarl

For one person, living is cheaper in Paarl: $1,168 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Paarl, South Africa
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Paarl
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,168
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,168 in Paarl, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Paarl $1,168

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,018 in Paarl, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Paarl $2,018

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,867 in Paarl, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Paarl $2,867

Ubud, Bali costs about 15% more than Paarl, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 59.9K
$12.17 R 202
-72.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 642.4K
$46.36 R 771
-23.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 99.7K
$5.98 R 99.6
-7.53%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.0K
$2.11 R 35.16
28.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.7K
$1.03 R 17.20
65.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.7K
$0.97 R 16.14
-21.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 47.8K
$2.34 R 39.01
13.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.0K
$2.78 R 46.26
57.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
$1.35 R 22.41
10.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.0K
$1.11 R 18.46
105.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
$2.19 R 36.41
-45.66%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 36.7K
$2.68 R 44.55
-23.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 319.1K
$7.43 R 124
138.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 71.4K
$5.49 R 91.3
-27.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 219.7K
$9.67 R 161
26.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 65.9K
$1.91 R 31.81
91.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.4K
$1.94 R 32.34
-21.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.2K
$1.69 R 28.12
31.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.6K
$1.90 R 31.69
3.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.3K
$0.63 R 10.55
193.65%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.7K
$1.39 R 23.10
74.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
$1.29 R 21.53
-23.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,255
$1.02 R 16.97
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.0K
$3.68 R 61.3
-39.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 400.9K
$4.53 R 75.4
390.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 40.7K
$1.38 R 22.94
63.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
$2.15 R 35.83
38.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,525
$1.52 R 25.26
-83.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 141.0K
$88.9 R 1,478
-91.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,923
$0.62 R 10.25
-29.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,753
$0.47 R 7.79
-8.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 97.5K
$5.00 R 83.3
8.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 14.9K
$1.42 R 23.56
-42.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 429.7M
$34.8K R 579.7K
-31.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 572.3M
$33.5K R 557.9K
-5.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$79.8 R 1,327
-0.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.2K
$28.84 R 480
-77.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 334.9K
$40.48 R 674
-54.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 892.0K
$40.90 R 680
20.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 318.1K
$10.94 R 182
61.33%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.0K
$8.94 R 149
-52.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.8M
$266 R 4,429
84.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 102.3M
$3,664 R 61.0K
54.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 804.7K
$54.9 R 914
-18.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 630.1K
$32.81 R 546
6.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
$114 R 1,903
-30.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$105 R 1,752
-24.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.3M
$805 R 13.4K
39.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.1M
$355 R 5,906
89.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.3M
$1,242 R 20.7K
186.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.1M
$1,009 R 16.8K
70.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.2M
$900 R 15.0K
203.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.2M
$668 R 11.1K
241.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Paarl
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$1,130 R 18.8K
-85.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
10.97
25.62%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Paarl: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Paarl
$355 47.1% $317
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Paarl
$203 29.7% $86
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Paarl
$166 54.1% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Paarl
$138 28.7% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Paarl
$149 43.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Paarl
$59 1.3% $0.7
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Paarl
$98 757% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $805 in Paarl. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Paarl are about 6.9 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 $46 in Paarl. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Ubud, Bali vs $203 in Paarl – so Paarl wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇿🇦 Paarl
🕒 Local time
02:06 2:06 AM
20:06 8:06 PM
6 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
112,045
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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 = 20,066 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Paarl 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Paarl

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 Paarl: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Paarl?
Ubud, Bali costs about 15% more than Paarl, 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 Paarl?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,752 in Paarl. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ubud, Bali or Paarl?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Paarl, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $805 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.
How do dining costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Paarl?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali and $46 in Paarl. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to Paarl?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,168 in Paarl. That’s a gap of about 15%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Paarl?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,168 in Paarl. 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 Paarl – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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