Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Puntarenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Puntarenas: $1,019 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Puntarenas
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Puntarenas Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Puntarenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,019 in Puntarenas.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Puntarenas $1,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,582 in Puntarenas.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Puntarenas $1,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,145 in Puntarenas.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Puntarenas $2,145

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 32% more expensive than in Puntarenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$8.14 ₡3,673

-59.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$39.71 ₡17.9K

-10.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$9.67 ₡4,365

-42.81%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$4.42 ₡1,996

-38.46%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.61 ₡1,177

-34.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.86 ₡841

-59.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$3.24 ₡1,465

-18.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$4.52 ₡2,040

-3.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$2.04 ₡920

-26.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$3.18 ₡1,435

-28.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.93 ₡872

-38.34%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.92 ₡1,317

-30.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$6.13 ₡2,769

188.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$7.48 ₡3,377

-47.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$12.50 ₡5,642

-2.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$3.88 ₡1,753

-5.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.49 ₡672

2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.36 ₡1,064

-5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$2.44 ₡1,100

-19.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$2.44 ₡1,103

-24.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$2.40 ₡1,084

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.89 ₡404

11.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$2.76 ₡1,247

-81.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$4.94 ₡2,228

-55.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$8.25 ₡3,725

169.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.77 ₡799

27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$2.30 ₡1,040

29.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$1.03 ₡465

-75.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$2.21 ₡999

-80.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$1.13 ₡508

-61.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$8.49 ₡3,834

-36.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.52 ₡688

-46.05%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$34.2K ₡15.4M

-30.32%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$18.6K ₡8.4M

70.24%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$54.5 ₡24.6K

44.96%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$27.98 ₡12.6K

-76.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$41.15 ₡18.6K

-54.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$26.11 ₡11.8K

89.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$7.73 ₡3,491

-44.76%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$1,002 ₡452.1K

-51.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$17.4K ₡7.9M

-67.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$26.17 ₡11.8K

70.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$17.89 ₡8,078

95.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$128 ₡57.9K

-37.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$53.3 ₡24.1K

48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$358 ₡161.8K

213.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$256 ₡115.6K

162.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$530 ₡239.3K

572.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$414 ₡186.7K

316.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$986 ₡445.3K

176.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$661 ₡298.4K

245.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$862 ₡389.2K

-81.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.62

59.86%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Puntarenas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Puntarenas

$256 25.1% 61.9% $415

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Puntarenas

$294 28.8% 1.8% $5.1

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Puntarenas

$190 18.7% 76.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Puntarenas

$102 10% 5.5% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Puntarenas

$124 12.1% 18.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Puntarenas

$42 4.1% 28.3% $16

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Puntarenas

$12 * 1.2% 4.7% $0.5

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 $358 in Puntarenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puntarenas pays about 5.3 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 $40 in Puntarenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $294 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 Puntarenas

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

03:00 3:00 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

70,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Puntarenas 17,800 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Puntarenas

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 Puntarenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puntarenas wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Puntarenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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 $358 in Puntarenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,019 in Puntarenas – Puntarenas is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $40 in Puntarenas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Puntarenas 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.