Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,117 in Rarotonga.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Rarotonga $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,580 in Rarotonga.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Rarotonga $1,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,044 in Rarotonga.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Rarotonga $2,044

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 19% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Rarotonga 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.1K

$14.17 NZ$25.57

-76.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 627.3K

$51.9 NZ$93.6

-33.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.9K

$5.71 NZ$10.31

-2.45%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.4K

$3.51 NZ$6.33

-25.36%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.22 NZ$4.00

-30.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.31 NZ$4.17

-72.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.3K

$4.97 NZ$8.96

-46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.2K

$5.17 NZ$9.32

-17.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$2.77 NZ$5.00

-47.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.5K

$2.79 NZ$5.03

-17.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.0K

$6.29 NZ$11.34

-66.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 288.6K

$7.35 NZ$13.26

116.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.3K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.4K

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.3K

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.6K

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.8K

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,456

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

$11.42 NZ$20.59

-80.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 394.4K

$11.23 NZ$20.25

94.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.1K

$3.34 NZ$6.03

-30.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$5.12 NZ$9.24

-41.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,533

$2.81 NZ$5.07

-91.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,925

$19.77 NZ$35.66

-97.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,472

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.4K

$34.02 NZ$61.4

-83.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.74 NZ$3.15

-52.30%

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

$24.4K Rp 442.6M

$11.4K NZ$20.5K

115.11%

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

$31.7K Rp 573.8M

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$100 NZ$181

-22.84%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.2K

$47.44 NZ$85.6

-87.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 342.4K

$103 NZ$186

-81.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 923.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 330.4K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.3K

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 817.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 631.6K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$460 NZ$830

134.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$457 NZ$824

45.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.5M

$682 NZ$1,231

414.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$631 NZ$1,138

164.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$3,929 NZ$7,087

-95.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Rarotonga

–

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Rarotonga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Rarotonga

–

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Rarotonga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Rarotonga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Rarotonga

–

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Rarotonga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $460 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 24 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $52 in Rarotonga. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $152, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

05:44 5:44 AM

18 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

13,373

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1 NZD = 0.554 USD

1 NZD = 0.494 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,103 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,331 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.8 NZD (1 NZD = 0.554 USD). 1 EUR = 2.03 NZD (1 NZD = 0.494 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Rarotonga 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Rarotonga

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 Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rarotonga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 96% 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $460 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,117 in Rarotonga – Rarotonga is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga 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 Rarotonga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.