Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sandton Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sandton

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,419 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,116 in Sandton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,540 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,766 in Sandton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,660 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,416 in Sandton.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 27% more expensive than Sandton, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 6% above, Sandton is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.56 Rp 63.9K

$11.10 R 181

-67.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.73 Rp 586.8K

$45.62 R 746

-28.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 Rp 88.7K

$4.80 R 78.4

3.13%

Cappuccino

$2.71 Rp 48.6K

$2.13 R 34.80

27.23%

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

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

$1.02 R 16.67

31.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 Rp 12.5K

$0.89 R 14.50

-21.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 Rp 52.3K

$2.28 R 37.22

28.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 Rp 70.9K

$2.56 R 41.87

54.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$1.20 R 19.59

50.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 Rp 45.1K

$1.02 R 16.66

147.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.64 R 26.84

-29.27%

Eggs

$2.46 Rp 44.1K

$2.45 R 40.11

0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 Rp 263.7K

$7.54 R 123

95.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 Rp 77.4K

$4.56 R 74.5

-5.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 Rp 217.5K

$6.77 R 111

79.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 Rp 68.8K

$1.63 R 26.73

135.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 27.9K

$1.46 R 23.92

6.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 Rp 50.8K

$1.60 R 26.09

76.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.7K

$1.65 R 26.91

41.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.36 R 22.17

40.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 Rp 39.5K

$1.38 R 22.56

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 Rp 18.2K

$1.14 R 18.63

-11.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 Rp 13.9K

$0.98 R 16.09

-20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 Rp 59.4K

$2.81 R 46.00

18.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.74 Rp 425.5K

$6.10 R 99.8

289.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 Rp 50.0K

$1.35 R 22.10

106.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 Rp 51.3K

$1.66 R 27.20

72.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,819

$1.67 R 27.24

-83.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.03 Rp 143.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,181

$1.14 R 18.56

-59.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 Rp 8,068

$0.93 R 15.22

-51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 Rp 109.3K

$3.10 R 50.6

96.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

$1.27 R 20.74

-37.80%

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

$26.1K Rp 468.8M

$22.2K R 363.1K

17.72%

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

$32.1K Rp 575.8M

$23.9K R 390.1K

34.61%

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

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$120 R 1,961

-33.37%

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

$4.06 Rp 72.9K

$37.26 R 609

-89.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.52 Rp 421.6K

$42.18 R 689

-44.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.7 Rp 1.8M

$43.30 R 708

127.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.63 Rp 118.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.15 Rp 74.3K

$7.36 R 120

-43.61%

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

$304 Rp 5.4M

$194 R 3,168

56.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,613 Rp 118.5M

$4,825 R 78.9K

37.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 Rp 995.6K

$51.2 R 837

8.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.31 Rp 686.7K

$33.71 R 551

13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 Rp 1.6M

$89.0 R 1,455

-0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$87.4 R 1,428

-10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 Rp 18.0M

$385 R 6,292

161.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$675 Rp 12.1M

$379 R 6,194

78.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,442 Rp 61.7M

$664 R 10.8K

418.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 Rp 36.6M

$819 R 13.4K

149.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,841 Rp 50.9M

$777 R 12.7K

265.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 Rp 40.6M

$720 R 11.8K

214.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$2,116 R 34.6K

-92.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

11.51

15.38%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: June 1, 2026

Last update for Sandton: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,006 in Ubud, Bali and $385 in Sandton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays 1180% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $46.00 in Sandton. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $181, with Sandton cheaper for home cooking.

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 Sandton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sandton wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sandton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Sandton earns 1180% less. 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: $1,006 in Ubud, Bali versus $385 in Sandton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $304 in Ubud, Bali versus $194 in Sandton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sandton – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $33.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,116 in Sandton versus $1,419 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sandton but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Sandton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sandton delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,116 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sandton hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Sandton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sandton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.