Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,718 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. The total is higher in San Rafael despite lower rent and utilities.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
San Rafael, Costa Rica
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
San Rafael
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,718
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,718 in San Rafael, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • San Rafael $1,718

A couple spends around $2,255 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,741 in San Rafael, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • San Rafael $2,741

A family of three spends $3,180 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,765 in San Rafael, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • San Rafael $3,765

Ubud, Bali is about 23% cheaper than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ubud, Bali sits 2% below the global median, while San Rafael is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
$12.45 ₡5,597
-72.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
$62.3 ₡28.0K
-44.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
$11.82 ₡5,315
-52.88%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$4.34 ₡1,951
-39.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$2.61 ₡1,174
-41.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$1.93 ₡866
-66.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$3.30 ₡1,484
-19.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
$4.46 ₡2,007
-4.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$2.31 ₡1,039
-36.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$3.06 ₡1,375
-25.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$2.39 ₡1,074
-53.56%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$3.53 ₡1,589
-40.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
$10.70 ₡4,813
48.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
$10.61 ₡4,772
-63.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
$13.86 ₡6,232
-17.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$5.12 ₡2,301
-30.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.60 ₡717
-3.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$4.89 ₡2,197
-54.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$3.82 ₡1,718
-48.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$3.72 ₡1,671
-50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$3.71 ₡1,666
-34.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$1.13 ₡509
-9.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,475
$3.20 ₡1,439
-83.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$6.00 ₡2,696
-63.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
$19.67 ₡8,846
10.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$2.87 ₡1,291
-18.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$3.55 ₡1,595
-16.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,542
$1.35 ₡607
-81.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,941
$2.46 ₡1,107
-82.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,489
$1.62 ₡728
-70.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$8.85 ₡3,978
-36.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.56 ₡702
-46.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
$33.9K ₡15.3M
-27.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
$42.2K ₡19.0M
-24.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$96.5 ₡43.4K
-19.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$35.72 ₡16.1K
-82.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
$59.7 ₡26.9K
-68.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
$68.3 ₡30.7K
-25.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$7.73 ₡3,478
-43.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$985 ₡442.8K
-50.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
$16.9K ₡7.6M
-27.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
$72.3 ₡32.5K
-37.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
$56.9 ₡25.6K
-38.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$127 ₡56.9K
-38.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$133 ₡59.6K
-41.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$795 ₡357.3K
35.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$621 ₡279.3K
7.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$1,888 ₡849.2K
85.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$1,271 ₡571.8K
31.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
San Rafael
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
-
-
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 Rafael: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
San Rafael
$621 6.6% $44
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
San Rafael
$400 43.2% $121
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
San Rafael
$175 64.4% $68
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
San Rafael
$231 118% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
San Rafael
$192 87.2% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
San Rafael
$84 40.2% $24
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
San Rafael
$16 * 33.5% $4

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 $795 in San Rafael. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali versus $62 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $400 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇨🇷 San Rafael
🕒 Local time
04:56 4:56 AM
14:56 2:56 PM
14 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
30,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali San Rafael 17,880 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ubud, Bali and in San Rafael compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, $1,718 in San Rafael – Ubud, Bali comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Ubud, Bali compared to San Rafael?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,996 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,577 in San Rafael. 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 Rafael?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $1,078 in Ubud, Bali.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ubud, Bali and $62 in San Rafael. 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 43% more in San Rafael, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,718 in San Rafael. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and San Rafael?
It depends on your priorities. Ubud, Bali has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,331 in Ubud, Bali to $1,718 in San Rafael. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?