Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,562 in Palmerston North, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Palmerston North despite lower rent and utilities.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Palmerston North

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,562 in Palmerston North.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Palmerston North $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,537 in Palmerston North.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Palmerston North $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,511 in Palmerston North.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Palmerston North $3,511

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 12% less than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Palmerston North 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$13.50 NZ$23.87

-75.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$63.7 NZ$113

-44.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$8.80 NZ$15.56

-34.09%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$3.13 NZ$5.54

-12.78%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$2.36 NZ$4.18

-30.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.68 NZ$2.97

-50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$6.43 NZ$11.38

-58.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$6.52 NZ$11.53

-34.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$2.14 NZ$3.78

7.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.37 NZ$2.42

-13.87%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-55.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$6.41 NZ$11.34

172.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$9.50 NZ$16.80

-57.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$10.78 NZ$19.06

13.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$2.54 NZ$4.48

39.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-29.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$2.30 NZ$4.07

-2.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-65.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.41 NZ$2.49

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$0.86 NZ$1.53

166.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.72 NZ$3.04

-42.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.75 NZ$1.33

-29.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-89.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$7.91 NZ$13.99

190.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$2.65 NZ$4.69

-11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$2.78 NZ$4.91

4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-93.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$82.3 NZ$146

-89.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$1.87 NZ$3.30

-74.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-74.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$16.63 NZ$29.40

-67.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-46.34%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

13.91%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

30.36%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$68.2 NZ$121

21.68%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$32.09 NZ$56.8

-79.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$34.64 NZ$61.3

-46.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$21.79 NZ$38.54

156.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$14.08 NZ$24.90

28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$11.60 NZ$20.52

-62.24%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$1,034 NZ$1,829

-52.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

-32.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$69.5 NZ$123

-33.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$27.70 NZ$48.98

27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$83.1 NZ$147

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$82.5 NZ$146

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$906 NZ$1,602

26.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$639 NZ$1,129

5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$1,587 NZ$2,807

120.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$1,311 NZ$2,318

29.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$2,023 NZ$3,577

37.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,836 NZ$3,247

22.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$2,494 NZ$4,411

-93.40%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 5.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 2.5% $7.2

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 115% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 24.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 9.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 30.3% $20

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 767% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $906 in Palmerston North. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palmerston North pays 1416% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $64.0 in Palmerston North. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $283, with Palmerston North cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

15:51 3:51 PM

5 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

90,500

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Palmerston North 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali and Palmerston North differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,562 including rent). Ubud, Bali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1416% lower in Palmerston North. 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: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $906 in Palmerston North. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,034 in Palmerston North. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Palmerston North pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,562 in Palmerston North, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Palmerston North. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Palmerston North are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Palmerston North. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.