Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Plettenberg Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Plettenberg Bay: $1,117 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Plettenberg Bay
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Plettenberg Bay Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Plettenberg Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Plettenberg Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,117 in Plettenberg Bay.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Plettenberg Bay $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,803 in Plettenberg Bay.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Plettenberg Bay $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,488 in Plettenberg Bay.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Plettenberg Bay $2,488

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 21% more expensive than in Plettenberg Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$10.92 R 182

-69.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

$41.38 R 688

-13.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$5.91 R 98.2

-6.43%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.14 R 35.56

27.10%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.02 R 16.91

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.77 R 12.83

-1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$2.77 R 46.04

-4.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$2.09 R 34.71

109.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.12 R 18.58

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.03 R 17.20

121.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.44 R 23.89

-17.36%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.68 R 44.55

-23.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

$8.68 R 144

103.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$5.47 R 91.0

-27.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

$8.29 R 138

47.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$1.78 R 29.64

105.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.36 R 22.56

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.37 R 22.87

62.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.52 R 25.29

29.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.01 R 16.89

83.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$0.95 R 15.81

154.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.84 R 13.98

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,316

$1.02 R 16.95

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$2.86 R 47.51

-22.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

$4.68 R 77.9

375.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.25 R 20.87

80.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$1.75 R 29.13

69.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

$1.53 R 25.42

-83.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$0.59 R 9.77

-25.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

$0.47 R 7.74

-8.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

$3.59 R 59.8

50.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.44 R 24.02

-43.06%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

$35.1K R 584.8K

-32.17%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

$29.4K R 489.0K

8.02%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$122 R 2,027

-35.11%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

$35.09 R 584

-81.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

$44.10 R 734

-57.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

$31.31 R 521

58.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

$1.22 R 20.25

1346.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$6.35 R 106

-32.76%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$148 R 2,456

232.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$5,983 R 99.5K

-5.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

$44.35 R 738

0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

$37.64 R 626

-7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$113 R 1,873

-29.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$95.5 R 1,589

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$688 R 11.5K

63.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$391 R 6,505

71.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,336 R 22.2K

166.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$893 R 14.9K

92.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$2,146 R 35.7K

27.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,495 R 24.9K

52.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,353 R 22.5K

-87.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.44

31.99%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Plettenberg Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Plettenberg Bay

$391 35% 41.8% $281

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Plettenberg Bay

$186 16.7% 35.5% $102

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Plettenberg Bay

$156 14% 44.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Plettenberg Bay

$131 11.7% 21.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Plettenberg Bay

$201 18% 93.1% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Plettenberg Bay

$44 3.9% 24.2% $14

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Plettenberg Bay

$9 * 0.8% 20.9% $2.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $688 in Plettenberg Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plettenberg Bay pays about 8.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $41 in Plettenberg Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $186, with Plettenberg Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Plettenberg Bay

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

38,126

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Plettenberg Bay 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Plettenberg Bay

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 Plettenberg Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plettenberg Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Plettenberg Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $688 in Plettenberg Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $148 in Plettenberg Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $41 in Plettenberg Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Plettenberg Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Plettenberg Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.