Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,038 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
San Juan del Sur
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
$1,038
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in San Juan del Sur

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 Juan del Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,038 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • San Juan del Sur $1,038

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,655 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • San Juan del Sur $1,655

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,272 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • San Juan del Sur $2,272

Ubud, Bali costs about 28% more than San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ubud, Bali and San Juan del Sur are more affordable than the global median – Ubud, Bali 2% lower, San Juan del Sur 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 60.8K
$4.26 NIO 156
-20.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 623.8K
$34.05 NIO 1,247
1.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 100.3K
$5.49 NIO 201
1.46%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.2K
$2.53 NIO 92.7
3.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.7K
$0.89 NIO 32.60
73.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.5K
$0.69 NIO 25.12
-7.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.0K
$1.47 NIO 53.8
81.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 76.7K
$2.19 NIO 80.2
94.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.3K
$1.20 NIO 43.77
21.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.47 NIO 54.0
55.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 19.9K
$1.17 NIO 42.71
-5.13%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 37.8K
$2.39 NIO 87.5
-12.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 287.0K
$7.67 NIO 281
107.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 69.9K
$6.16 NIO 226
-37.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 205.3K
$7.83 NIO 287
45.59%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.0K
$3.97 NIO 145
-10.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.7K
$0.61 NIO 22.36
152.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.1K
$1.78 NIO 65.0
25.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.5K
$2.36 NIO 86.3
-16.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.4K
$3.11 NIO 114
-40.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.5K
$2.24 NIO 82.0
8.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.4K
$1.10 NIO 40.34
-7.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,404
$1.00 NIO 36.73
-48.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.6K
$2.69 NIO 98.4
-18.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 392.3K
$9.68 NIO 354
125.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 41.9K
$1.42 NIO 52.2
64.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
$2.19 NIO 80.3
35.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,508
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 147.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,881
$1.67 NIO 61.2
-73.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,425
$1.59 NIO 58.2
-70.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 100.8K
$6.97 NIO 255
-19.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
$1.36 NIO 49.66
-38.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 440.1M
$22.9K NIO 840.2K
6.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 570.6M
$25.9K NIO 948.6K
22.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$59.3 NIO 2,170
30.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 110.6K
$10.65 NIO 390
-42.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 340.5K
$32.81 NIO 1,202
-42.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 918.0K
$30.17 NIO 1,105
69.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 328.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$8.90 NIO 326
-50.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$235 NIO 8,592
109.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 220.0M
$6,163 NIO 225.7K
98.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 813.1K
$60.5 NIO 2,215
-25.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 628.1K
$64.2 NIO 2,350
-45.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$123 NIO 4,502
-36.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$145 NIO 5,298
-46.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.4M
$426 NIO 15.6K
153.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.0M
$380 NIO 13.9K
74.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.2M
$916 NIO 33.5K
283.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.1M
$776 NIO 28.4K
115.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
San Juan del Sur
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$351 NIO 12.8K
-52.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11.92
15.60%

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 Juan del Sur: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
San Juan del Sur
$380 42.8% $285
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
San Juan del Sur
$222 20.7% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
San Juan del Sur
$177 66% $70
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
San Juan del Sur
$99 6.4% $6.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
San Juan del Sur
$103 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
San Juan del Sur
$48 19.7% $12
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
San Juan del Sur
$9.6 * 19.6% $2.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $426 in San Juan del Sur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in San Juan del Sur are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $34 in San Juan del Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $222 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur
🕒 Local time
08:50 8:50 AM
18:50 6:50 PM
14 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
14,741
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18,003 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.97 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.93 NIO (100 NIO = 2.44 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali San Juan del Sur 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • San Juan del Sur

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 Juan del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in San Juan del Sur compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, $1,038 in San Juan del Sur – San Juan del Sur comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to San Juan del Sur?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,557 in San Juan del Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ubud, Bali and San Juan del Sur?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan del Sur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali and $34 in San Juan del Sur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 26% more in Ubud, Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How far does $2,000 go in Ubud, Bali compared to San Juan del Sur?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,038 in San Juan del Sur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and San Juan del Sur?
It depends on your priorities. San Juan del Sur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,038 in San Juan del Sur to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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