Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and San Marcos, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
San Marcos, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,361
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • San Marcos, TX $2,361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,510 in San Marcos, TX.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • San Marcos, TX $3,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,658 in San Marcos, TX.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • San Marcos, TX $4,658

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 42% less than in San Marcos, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, San Marcos, TX 75% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$14.98 $14.98
-77.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$60.5 $60.5
-41.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$11.80 $11.80
-50.85%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$4.72 $4.72
-42.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$2.90 $2.90
-43.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.73 $1.73
-52.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$5.12 $5.12
-47.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$6.11 $6.11
-29.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$0.76 $0.76
97.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$3.20 $3.20
-28.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$3.74 $3.74
-68.45%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$2.77 $2.77
-22.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$10.06 $10.06
73.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$9.81 $9.81
-58.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$12.95 $12.95
-5.56%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$6.21 $6.21
-42.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$1.13 $1.13
38.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$6.58 $6.58
-65.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$4.83 $4.83
-60.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$3.99 $3.99
-52.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$2.92 $2.92
-21.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$1.83 $1.83
-45.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$1.80 $1.80
-70.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$8.49 $8.49
-73.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$13.93 $13.93
65.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$1.77 $1.77
32.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$3.94 $3.94
-26.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$4.57 $4.57
-89.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$1.82 $1.82
-74.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$59.5 $59.5
-90.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$0.81 $0.81
8.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$36.0K $36.0K
-31.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$25.0K $25.0K
24.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$134 $134
-38.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$40.38 $40.38
-84.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$55.8 $55.8
-66.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$68.9 $68.9
-19.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$11.32 $11.32
-61.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$665 $665
-25.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$17.7K $17.7K
-67.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$59.4 $59.4
-22.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$38.15 $38.15
-7.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$83.0 $83.0
-4.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$123 $123
-36.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$1,350 $1,350
-15.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$1,258 $1,258
-46.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$2,855 $2,855
22.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$2,205 $2,205
-22.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$2,463 $2,463
13.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$1,874 $1,874
19.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
San Marcos, TX
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
$3,143 $3,143
-94.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
6.45
113.64%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Marcos, TX: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
San Marcos, TX
$1.3K 86.1% $582
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
San Marcos, TX
$363 25.1% $73
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
San Marcos, TX
$268 147% $160
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
San Marcos, TX
$230 113% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
San Marcos, TX
$136 26.8% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
San Marcos, TX
$92 41.7% $27
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
San Marcos, TX
$14 * 8.9% $1.1

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 $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $1,350 in San Marcos, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Marcos, TX pays 1810% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $60.0 in San Marcos, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $363 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX
🕒 Local time
03:25 3:25 AM
14:25 2:25 PM
13 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
44,894
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali San Marcos, TX 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • San Marcos, TX

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 Marcos, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or San Marcos, TX?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in San Marcos, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ubud, Bali or in San Marcos, TX?
On paper, salaries run 1810% lower in San Marcos, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to San Marcos, TX?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,350 in San Marcos, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in San Marcos, TX?
Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in San Marcos, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Ubud, Bali compared to San Marcos, TX?
All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in San Marcos, TX?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in San Marcos, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or San Marcos, TX?
Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to San Marcos, TX?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and San Marcos, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in San Marcos, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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