Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and San Francisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,683 in San Francisco, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in San Francisco despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
Learn more

San Francisco Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in San Francisco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,683 in San Francisco.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
San Francisco $1,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,673 in San Francisco.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
San Francisco $2,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,662 in San Francisco.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
San Francisco $3,662

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 21% less than in San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$9.66 ₡4,345

-65.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$61.6 ₡27.7K

-43.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$10.85 ₡4,878

-48.66%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$4.48 ₡2,015

-41.52%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.36 ₡611

13.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$1.77 ₡798

-63.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$3.21 ₡1,441

-16.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$4.35 ₡1,958

-2.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$2.39 ₡1,077

-38.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$3.08 ₡1,386

-25.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$2.54 ₡1,142

-56.30%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$3.53 ₡1,586

-40.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$10.89 ₡4,898

46.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$10.32 ₡4,641

-62.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

$13.81 ₡6,211

-17.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$5.21 ₡2,344

-31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.63 ₡735

-5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.80 ₡2,159

-53.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$3.95 ₡1,775

-50.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$3.88 ₡1,745

-52.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$3.60 ₡1,621

-32.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$1.11 ₡500

-8.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$3.21 ₡1,444

-83.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$5.78 ₡2,601

-61.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$19.70 ₡8,857

10.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$2.78 ₡1,251

-16.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$3.71 ₡1,668

-19.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

$1.34 ₡603

-81.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

$65.3 ₡29.4K

-87.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$1.71 ₡769

-74.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$1.78 ₡800

-73.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$8.21 ₡3,693

-31.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.56 ₡704

-46.79%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-29.25%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-23.25%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$77.3 ₡34.8K

0.19%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$33.59 ₡15.1K

-81.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

$58.2 ₡26.2K

-67.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

$67.9 ₡30.6K

-24.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$7.91 ₡3,556

-44.63%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$970 ₡436.2K

-49.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$18.8K ₡8.5M

-35.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-37.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

$56.6 ₡25.4K

-38.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$65.3 ₡29.4K

19.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$55.3 ₡24.9K

40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$809 ₡364.0K

33.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$634 ₡285.0K

4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$1,934 ₡869.5K

81.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$1,263 ₡568.0K

32.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$890 ₡400.0K

-81.30%

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 San Francisco: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

San Francisco

$634 37.6% 4.7% $31

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

San Francisco

$402 23.9% 43.9% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

San Francisco

$112 6.7% 5.5% $5.9

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

San Francisco

$201 11.9% 90% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

San Francisco

$169 10.1% 64.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

San Francisco

$84 5% 40.2% $24

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

San Francisco

$81 4.8% 580% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $809 in San Francisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Francisco pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $62 in San Francisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $402 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

08:40 8:40 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

55,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,309 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali San Francisco 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
San Francisco

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 San Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in San Francisco. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $809 in San Francisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 87% less than in San Francisco. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $970 in San Francisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, San Francisco on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.