Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,680 in Quesada, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Quesada despite lower rent and utilities.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Quesada, Costa Rica
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Quesada
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,680
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,680 in Quesada, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Quesada $1,680

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,668 in Quesada, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Quesada $2,668

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,656 in Quesada, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Quesada $3,656

Ubud, Bali is about 21% cheaper than Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ubud, Bali sits 2% below the global median, while Quesada is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
$12.40 ₡5,576
-72.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
$61.7 ₡27.8K
-43.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
$11.57 ₡5,204
-51.86%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$4.57 ₡2,056
-42.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$2.75 ₡1,236
-44.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$1.92 ₡865
-66.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$3.27 ₡1,471
-18.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
$2.49 ₡1,119
71.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$2.41 ₡1,084
-39.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$2.76 ₡1,240
-17.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$2.45 ₡1,102
-54.69%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$2.60 ₡1,171
-19.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
$10.68 ₡4,802
49.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
$10.58 ₡4,759
-63.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
$13.85 ₡6,228
-17.69%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$5.19 ₡2,333
-31.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.60 ₡718
-3.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.12 ₡505
99.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$3.82 ₡1,719
-48.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$3.92 ₡1,762
-52.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$3.58 ₡1,611
-32.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$1.12 ₡503
-8.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,475
$3.22 ₡1,448
-83.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$5.79 ₡2,605
-62.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
$15.29 ₡6,878
42.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$2.79 ₡1,254
-16.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$3.58 ₡1,608
-17.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,542
$1.36 ₡610
-81.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,941
$1.55 ₡697
-71.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,489
$1.63 ₡735
-71.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$8.90 ₡4,003
-37.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.52 ₡682
-45.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
$34.4K ₡15.5M
-28.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
$41.9K ₡18.9M
-24.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$96.0 ₡43.2K
-19.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$29.80 ₡13.4K
-79.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
$55.5 ₡24.9K
-65.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
$68.6 ₡30.8K
-25.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
$16.66 ₡7,491
9.54%
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$5.35 ₡2,405
-18.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$253 ₡113.8K
94.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
$4,284 ₡1.9M
185.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
$70.3 ₡31.6K
-35.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
$57.1 ₡25.7K
-38.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$130 ₡58.3K
-39.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$112 ₡50.3K
-30.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$817 ₡367.3K
31.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$638 ₡287.1K
4.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$1,921 ₡863.8K
82.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$1,264 ₡568.6K
32.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
$4,128 ₡1.9M
-43.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
$2,196 ₡987.4K
1.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Quesada
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Quesada: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Quesada
$638 4% $26
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Quesada
$371 32.8% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Quesada
$166 56.2% $60
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Quesada
$229 116% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Quesada
$181 76.8% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Quesada
$79 32.6% $20
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Quesada
$15 * 26.8% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $817 in Quesada. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $62 in Quesada. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $371 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇨🇷 Quesada
🕒 Local time
05:35 5:35 AM
15:35 3:35 PM
14 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
42,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Quesada 17,850 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in Quesada compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, $1,680 in Quesada – Ubud, Bali comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to Quesada?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,520 in Quesada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ubud, Bali and Quesada?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quesada, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Quesada?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,680 in Quesada. That makes Ubud, Bali about 21% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Ubud, Bali and Quesada?
Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Ubud, Bali and $253 in Quesada. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,680 in Quesada. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Quesada?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,331 in Ubud, Bali to $1,680 in Quesada. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Ubud, Bali or Quesada safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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