Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Pietermaritzburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Pietermaritzburg $1,033

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,555 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Pietermaritzburg $1,555

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,077 in Pietermaritzburg, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Pietermaritzburg $2,077

Ubud, Bali costs about 31% more than Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$7.74 R 129

-57.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.8K

$35.63 R 594

0.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$5.80 R 96.6

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$2.36 R 39.27

15.25%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.16 R 19.40

46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.03 R 17.15

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$2.15 R 35.77

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$2.51 R 41.75

74.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.33 R 22.16

12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$0.92 R 15.33

147.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.70 R 28.31

-30.00%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$3.16 R 52.7

-35.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.7K

$7.22 R 120

145.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$4.94 R 82.3

-19.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.6K

$6.36 R 106

91.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$2.04 R 34.00

79.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.94 R 32.28

-21.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.32 R 38.74

-3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$2.03 R 33.90

-2.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.78 R 29.68

3.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.81 R 30.09

33.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.49 R 24.78

-33.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,332

$1.04 R 17.28

-50.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$3.14 R 52.3

-29.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.2K

$3.92 R 65.4

467.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.42 R 23.70

59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.75 R 29.20

69.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,562

$2.86 R 47.70

-91.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.2K

$19.71 R 328

-60.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,989

$1.59 R 26.52

-72.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,817

$1.06 R 17.69

-59.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.44 R 23.96

-43.06%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.3M

$26.5K R 442.3K

-10.19%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.0M

$26.8K R 446.3K

18.55%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$205 R 3,416

-61.43%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$32.46 R 541

-80.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.7K

$37.19 R 620

-50.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.4K

$43.80 R 730

12.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.8K

$3.05 R 50.9

478.69%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$4.84 R 80.6

-11.78%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$177 R 2,949

177.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.1M

$5,103 R 85.0K

11.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.4K

$56.7 R 945

-21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.3K

$34.35 R 572

1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$114 R 1,897

-29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$69.9 R 1,165

13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$216 R 3,606

419.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$217 R 3,613

209.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$576 R 9,598

518.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$405 R 6,753

325.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$5,914 R 98.5K

-53.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$148 R 2,470

1441.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,058 R 17.6K

-84.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

11.67

18.08%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21% 67.7% $455

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8% 32.6% $94

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8% 22.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12% 15% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6% 164% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2% 7.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7% 233% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $216 in Pietermaritzburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pietermaritzburg are about 6.5 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 $36 in Pietermaritzburg. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Ubud, Bali vs $194 in Pietermaritzburg – so Pietermaritzburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

618,536

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,228 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Pietermaritzburg 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Pietermaritzburg

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 Pietermaritzburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,550 in Pietermaritzburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pietermaritzburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.