Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Richards Bay

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,050 in Richards Bay.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,334 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,648 in Richards Bay.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,273 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,246 in Richards Bay.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 33% more expensive than in Richards Bay, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% above, Richards Bay is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 Rp 59.7K

$7.92 R 127

-57.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.59 Rp 682.4K

$39.77 R 636

-2.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 Rp 97.6K

$5.70 R 91.2

-3.16%

Cappuccino

$2.64 Rp 46.8K

$2.19 R 35.01

20.55%

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

$1.67 Rp 29.6K

$1.18 R 18.79

41.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.6K

$0.93 R 14.85

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 Rp 46.6K

$1.51 R 24.13

74.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 Rp 75.7K

$1.91 R 30.61

124.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 Rp 27.3K

$1.21 R 19.39

28.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 Rp 39.3K

$1.04 R 16.59

113.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 Rp 19.9K

$1.56 R 24.95

-27.56%

Eggs

$2.09 Rp 36.9K

$2.53 R 40.49

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 Rp 307.6K

$6.57 R 105

164.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 Rp 68.4K

$4.68 R 74.9

-17.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.55 Rp 221.9K

$6.95 R 111

80.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 Rp 63.9K

$1.97 R 31.53

83.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 27.6K

$1.69 R 26.96

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 Rp 41.6K

$2.01 R 32.19

16.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 Rp 36.4K

$1.72 R 27.57

19.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 33.6K

$0.94 R 15.04

102.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 Rp 41.3K

$1.20 R 19.26

95.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 Rp 18.2K

$1.22 R 19.53

-15.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 Rp 9,809

$1.19 R 19.10

-53.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 Rp 39.8K

$2.42 R 38.70

-7.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.81 Rp 421.0K

$4.91 R 78.6

384.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 Rp 40.9K

$1.50 R 23.94

54.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 Rp 49.5K

$2.00 R 32.06

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 Rp 153.2K

$105 R 1,685

-91.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,515

$0.44 R 7.07

9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 7,887

$0.74 R 11.82

-39.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 Rp 101.1K

$7.71 R 123

-25.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.4K

$1.41 R 22.50

-46.10%

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

$24.5K Rp 433.0M

$21.9K R 350.9K

11.59%

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

$32.1K Rp 568.0M

$29.9K R 477.6K

7.57%

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

$83.6 Rp 1.5M

$135 R 2,165

-38.29%

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

$6.46 Rp 114.2K

$30.74 R 492

-78.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.99 Rp 335.9K

$39.23 R 627

-51.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 Rp 989.8K

$37.31 R 597

50.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.62 Rp 329.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 Rp 75.7K

$6.64 R 106

-35.54%

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

$487 Rp 8.6M

$112 R 1,795

333.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,856 Rp 103.6M

$2,727 R 43.6K

114.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.56 Rp 805.6K

$53.1 R 848

-14.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.38 Rp 643.3K

$18.92 R 303

92.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 Rp 1.4M

$79.0 R 1,263

3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 Rp 1.4M

$89.1 R 1,425

-9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 Rp 19.7M

$368 R 5,890

203.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 Rp 12.4M

$266 R 4,256

163.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,537 Rp 62.5M

$688 R 11.0K

414.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,762 Rp 31.2M

$581 R 9,288

203.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,826 Rp 50.0M

$360 R 5,761

684.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,292 Rp 40.5M

$518 R 8,281

342.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$170 Rp 3.0M

$1,225 R 19.6K

-86.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

7.5

83.73%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: August 31, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: September 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,117 in Ubud, Bali and $368 in Richards Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Richards Bay pays 622% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $40.00 in Richards Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $185, with Richards Bay cheaper for home cooking.

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 Richards Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Richards Bay is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 622% lower in Richards Bay. 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: $1,117 in Ubud, Bali versus $368 in Richards Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Richards Bay – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $39.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,050 in Richards Bay versus $1,396 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Richards Bay but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Richards Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Richards Bay is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ubud, Bali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.