Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Port Shepstone Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Port Shepstone

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,408 in Ubud, Bali versus $924 in Port Shepstone.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,585 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,416 in Port Shepstone.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,763 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,909 in Port Shepstone.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 52% more expensive than in Port Shepstone, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 5% above, Port Shepstone is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$7.37 R 122

-53.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.34 Rp 581.1K

$27.63 R 456

17.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 Rp 87.1K

$5.13 R 84.7

-5.65%

Cappuccino

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

$1.94 R 31.98

41.75%

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

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

$0.88 R 14.56

56.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.72 R 11.84

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

$1.98 R 32.70

51.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 Rp 69.2K

$2.20 R 36.35

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 Rp 31.2K

$0.81 R 13.32

114.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 Rp 44.2K

$0.61 R 10.03

303.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.0K

$1.10 R 18.10

6.36%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 43.7K

$1.37 R 22.56

77.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.50 Rp 260.6K

$6.65 R 110

118.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 Rp 78.2K

$3.41 R 56.3

27.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.98 Rp 215.3K

$6.15 R 101

94.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 Rp 66.8K

$1.14 R 18.78

226.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 Rp 29.2K

$0.68 R 11.27

139.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 Rp 49.3K

$0.58 R 9.60

372.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

$1.36 R 22.50

64.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

$0.58 R 9.56

231.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

$1.22 R 20.13

86.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 Rp 19.1K

$0.88 R 14.53

20.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 12.9K

$0.59 R 9.67

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 Rp 59.0K

$3.14 R 51.9

4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.19 Rp 416.8K

$4.86 R 80.1

377.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 49.9K

$1.39 R 22.89

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.69 R 27.91

61.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,786

$1.63 R 26.95

-83.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.11 Rp 145.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,675

$1.72 R 28.32

-72.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,545

$0.63 R 10.33

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 Rp 111.8K

$6.54 R 108

-4.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.29 R 21.32

-37.21%

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

$26.6K Rp 478.2M

$19.8K R 327.4K

34.15%

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

$32.2K Rp 578.5M

$23.7K R 391.7K

35.62%

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

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$112 R 1,843

-29.84%

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

$4.07 Rp 73.1K

$17.11 R 282

-76.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.33 Rp 437.1K

$33.84 R 559

-28.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 Rp 1.8M

$28.93 R 477

240.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.34 Rp 113.9K

Cinema Ticket

$3.99 Rp 71.6K

$6.70 R 111

-40.45%

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

$305 Rp 5.5M

$204 R 3,365

49.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,642 Rp 119.4M

$4,591 R 75.8K

44.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 Rp 972.9K

$41.42 R 684

30.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.81 Rp 679.4K

$30.03 R 496

25.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 Rp 1.6M

$92.8 R 1,532

-6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 Rp 1.4M

$72.0 R 1,188

6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 Rp 17.8M

$357 R 5,897

177.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$328 R 5,412

105.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,375 Rp 60.7M

$690 R 11.4K

389.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 Rp 36.8M

$697 R 11.5K

194.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,805 Rp 50.4M

$877 R 14.5K

219.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,227 Rp 40.0M

$709 R 11.7K

214.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$167 Rp 3.0M

$3,038 R 50.1K

-94.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

12.01

10.57%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: July 11, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $992 in Ubud, Bali and $357 in Port Shepstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Shepstone pays 1719% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $28.00 in Port Shepstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $133 per month, with Port Shepstone cheaper across the board.

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 Port Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Shepstone wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Shepstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1719% lower in Port Shepstone. 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: $992 in Ubud, Bali versus $357 in Port Shepstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $305 in Ubud, Bali versus $204 in Port Shepstone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Shepstone – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $32.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $924 in Port Shepstone versus $1,408 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Shepstone but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Port Shepstone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Port Shepstone delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $924 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Port Shepstone hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.