Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
Learn more

Rustenburg Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $797 in Rustenburg.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Rustenburg $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,316 in Rustenburg.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Rustenburg $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,834 in Rustenburg.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Rustenburg $1,834

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 69% more expensive than in Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$4.87 R 81.3

-31.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

$45.11 R 754

-20.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

$6.22 R 104

-11.09%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$1.66 R 27.75

63.86%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$1.02 R 17.03

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.50 R 8.38

52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$1.48 R 24.77

79.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

$2.13 R 35.57

105.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.03 R 17.19

44.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

$0.90 R 15.00

153.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.70 R 28.40

-30.00%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.61 R 43.60

-21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

$7.57 R 127

133.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

$5.04 R 84.3

-21.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

$6.28 R 105

94.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

$1.78 R 29.73

105.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.57 R 26.20

-3.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.80 R 30.00

23.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$1.07 R 17.94

84.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.31 R 21.94

41.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.08 R 18.12

124.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.34 R 22.34

-26.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,303

$0.86 R 14.34

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$3.07 R 51.2

-27.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

$6.02 R 101

269.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$0.59 R 9.80

283.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$0.92 R 15.34

222.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,548

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,964

$0.81 R 13.60

-45.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,793

$0.89 R 14.86

-51.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

$14.27 R 238

-62.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$1.45 R 24.16

-43.45%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

$31.6K R 527.3K

-24.46%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

$31.7K R 529.2K

0.24%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$76.1 R 1,271

3.94%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

$13.47 R 225

-52.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

$37.07 R 619

-49.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

$38.12 R 637

29.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

$6.11 R 102

188.87%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

$4.90 R 81.9

-12.86%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$110 R 1,842

344.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

$5,453 R 91.1K

4.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

$41.73 R 697

6.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

$44.31 R 740

-21.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$112 R 1,863

-28.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$53.3 R 890

49.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$336 R 5,614

234.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$237 R 3,955

183.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

$716 R 12.0K

398.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

$515 R 8,609

234.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$1,065 R 17.8K

-84.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.9

39.19%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Rustenburg

$237 29.7% 64.7% $435

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Rustenburg

$173 21.7% 40.1% $116

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Rustenburg

$95 12% 11.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Rustenburg

$113 14.2% 5% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Rustenburg

$127 15.9% 21.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Rustenburg

$48 6% 17.4% $10

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7% 53.9% $6.2

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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rustenburg pays about 6.5 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 $45 in Rustenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $173, with Rustenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

549,575

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Rustenburg 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rustenburg is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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 $336 in Rustenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $110 in Rustenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $45 in Rustenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.