Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Palo Alto, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $5,023 in Palo Alto, CA, rent and utilities included – about $44,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
238

Cost of Living Index in Palo Alto, CA
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Palo Alto, CA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Palo Alto, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$5,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Palo Alto, CA

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 Palo Alto, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $5,023 in Palo Alto, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Palo Alto, CA $5,023

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $7,582 in Palo Alto, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Palo Alto, CA $7,582

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $10.1K in Palo Alto, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Palo Alto, CA $10.1K

Ubud, Bali is about 74% cheaper than Palo Alto, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ubud, Bali sits 2% below the global median, while Palo Alto, CA is 272% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

$25.16 $25.16

-86.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 629.1K

$108 $108

-68.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.2K

$13.24 $13.24

-57.93%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.6K

$5.78 $5.78

-54.67%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$3.04 $3.04

-49.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.82 $2.82

-77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$8.18 $8.18

-67.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.4K

$9.85 $9.85

-56.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.66 $1.66

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$5.40 $5.40

-57.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$5.57 $5.57

-80.07%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$5.71 $5.71

-63.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.4K

$17.70 $17.70

-9.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.5K

$14.50 $14.50

-73.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 207.0K

$21.77 $21.77

-47.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.5K

$5.00 $5.00

-29.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.95 $1.95

-21.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.75 $4.75

-53.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$6.58 $6.58

-70.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$3.30 $3.30

-43.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$4.01 $4.01

-39.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$2.37 $2.37

-56.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,483

$2.59 $2.59

-79.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$11.56 $11.56

-80.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.6K

$15.49 $15.49

40.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$2.41 $2.41

-3.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$3.31 $3.31

-10.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,546

$2.48 $2.48

-89.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.4K

$152 $152

-94.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,947

$4.17 $4.17

-89.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,496

$2.09 $2.09

-77.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.7K

$30.55 $30.55

-81.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.56 $1.56

-46.79%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.8M

$33.6K $33.6K

-27.27%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.5M

$26.0K $26.0K

22.14%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$271 $271

-71.45%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.6K

$48.52 $48.52

-87.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.4K

$80.6 $80.6

-76.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.8K

$170 $170

-69.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.3K

$19.96 $19.96

-8.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$16.59 $16.59

-73.60%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$3,046 $3,046

-83.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.9M

$42.2K $42.2K

-71.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.9K

$67.9 $67.9

-33.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 633.4K

$51.3 $51.3

-31.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$101 $101

-22.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$120 $120

-35.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.6M

$3,662 $3,662

-70.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$3,193 $3,193

-79.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$7,275 $7,275

-51.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$6,068 $6,068

-72.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$9,987 $9,987

-98.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.83

101.76%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Palo Alto, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Palo Alto, CA

$3.2K 63.6% 380% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Palo Alto, CA

$503 10% 80.1% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Palo Alto, CA

$153 3.1% 44.1% $47

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Palo Alto, CA

$394 7.9% 273% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Palo Alto, CA

$400 8% 291% $298

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Palo Alto, CA

$203 4% 240% $143

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Palo Alto, CA

$176 3.5% 1374% $164

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,662 in Palo Alto, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Palo Alto, CA are about 60 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $108 in Palo Alto, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $503 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Palo Alto, CA

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

16 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

64,403

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,155 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,438 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.89 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Palo Alto, CA 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Palo Alto, CA

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 Palo Alto, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, $5,023 in Palo Alto, CA – Ubud, Bali comes out roughly 74% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $7,535 in Palo Alto, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,078 there versus $3,662 in Palo Alto, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $5,023 in Palo Alto, CA. That makes Ubud, Bali about 74% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 95% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $5,023 in Palo Alto, CA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,331 in Ubud, Bali to $5,023 in Palo Alto, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Palo Alto, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.