Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and San Isidro, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,676 in San Isidro, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. The total is higher in San Isidro despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,676 in San Isidro.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
San Isidro $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,650 in San Isidro.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
San Isidro $2,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,623 in San Isidro.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
San Isidro $3,623

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$11.90 ₡5,353

-71.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$57.6 ₡25.9K

-39.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$11.51 ₡5,177

-51.61%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$4.22 ₡1,897

-37.91%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.50 ₡1,123

-38.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$1.86 ₡837

-65.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$3.34 ₡1,504

-20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$4.38 ₡1,972

-2.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$2.34 ₡1,050

-37.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$3.02 ₡1,356

-24.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$2.50 ₡1,122

-55.60%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$3.43 ₡1,543

-38.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$10.72 ₡4,822

48.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$10.66 ₡4,795

-63.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

$14.17 ₡6,374

-19.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$4.96 ₡2,229

-28.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$1.67 ₡750

-7.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$3.28 ₡1,474

-32.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$3.52 ₡1,584

-44.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$2.86 ₡1,284

-34.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$3.16 ₡1,419

-23.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$1.03 ₡463

-0.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$2.65 ₡1,192

-80.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$5.63 ₡2,531

-60.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$16.48 ₡7,412

32.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$2.64 ₡1,185

-11.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.71 ₡1,220

9.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

$1.30 ₡583

-80.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$2.22 ₡997

-80.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$1.83 ₡822

-74.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$8.65 ₡3,891

-35.26%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-29.41%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$40.6K ₡18.3M

-22.01%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$93.6 ₡42.1K

-17.23%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$30.02 ₡13.5K

-79.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

$59.9 ₡26.9K

-68.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

$66.6 ₡30.0K

-23.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$7.97 ₡3,584

-45.04%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$857 ₡385.5K

-42.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$15.9K ₡7.2M

-23.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

$69.2 ₡31.1K

-34.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

$48.22 ₡21.7K

-27.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$127 ₡57.2K

-38.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$138 ₡62.2K

-43.72%

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

$624 ₡280.7K

6.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$1,908 ₡858.1K

83.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$1,245 ₡559.9K

34.22%

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

$1,101 ₡495.2K

-84.90%

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 Isidro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

San Isidro

$624 37.3% 6.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

San Isidro

$373 22.3% 33.5% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

San Isidro

$172 10.3% 62.1% $66

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

San Isidro

$223 13.3% 111% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

San Isidro

$184 11% 79% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

San Isidro

$83 4.9% 38.2% $23

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

San Isidro

$17 * 1% 38.4% $4.6

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 $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $809 in San Isidro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Isidro pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $58 in San Isidro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $373 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

13:35 1:35 PM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

17,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 = 20,286 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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Ubud, Bali
San Isidro

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 Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in San Isidro. 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 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $809 in San Isidro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $857 in San Isidro. 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 $35 versus $58 in San Isidro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Isidro 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 Isidro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.