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: $1,378 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,254 in Sandton.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,327 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,963 in Sandton.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,275 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,672 in Sandton.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 10% more expensive than in Sandton, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Sandton is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 58.7K

$11.38 R 183

-70.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 Rp 630.7K

$48.42 R 780

-26.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 Rp 99.1K

$5.80 R 93.4

-2.93%

Cappuccino

$2.82 Rp 49.7K

$2.59 R 41.71

8.88%

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

$1.75 Rp 30.8K

$1.08 R 17.46

62.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 Rp 14.0K

$0.87 R 14.09

-8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 Rp 53.6K

$2.21 R 35.63

37.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 75.7K

$3.07 R 49.52

40.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 Rp 28.3K

$1.20 R 19.31

34.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 Rp 39.9K

$1.13 R 18.24

100.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 20.6K

$1.91 R 30.69

-38.74%

Eggs

$2.17 Rp 38.2K

$2.80 R 45.11

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 Rp 310.5K

$9.32 R 150

89.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 Rp 71.4K

$5.02 R 80.8

-19.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 Rp 214.5K

$7.59 R 122

60.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 Rp 63.7K

$2.20 R 35.36

64.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 28.8K

$1.84 R 29.59

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 40.6K

$1.84 R 29.59

25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 34.5K

$1.95 R 31.39

0.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 32.5K

$1.57 R 25.29

17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 41.7K

$1.84 R 29.63

28.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 Rp 18.5K

$1.23 R 19.78

-14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 Rp 9,560

$1.37 R 22.04

-60.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 Rp 40.6K

$3.30 R 53.2

-30.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.08 Rp 406.4K

$6.27 R 101

268.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 41.2K

$1.64 R 26.48

42.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 Rp 54.0K

$2.06 R 33.24

49.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,365

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.42 Rp 165.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,631

$0.30 R 4.77

63.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,349

$0.95 R 15.36

-50.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 98.6K

$15.11 R 243

-62.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.2K

$1.57 R 25.26

-48.41%

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

$25.0K Rp 440.3M

$36.8K R 593.3K

-32.12%

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

$31.1K Rp 547.0M

$34.4K R 553.8K

-9.67%

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

$82.7 Rp 1.5M

$170 R 2,742

-51.42%

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

$6.49 Rp 114.2K

$38.91 R 627

-83.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 Rp 330.8K

$38.17 R 615

-50.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 Rp 972.6K

$37.80 R 609

46.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 Rp 320.6K

Cinema Ticket

$4.30 Rp 75.7K

$7.53 R 121

-42.90%

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

$494 Rp 8.7M

$270 R 4,344

83.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,917 Rp 104.2M

$7,455 R 120.0K

-20.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.28 Rp 814.8K

$58.1 R 936

-20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 Rp 641.6K

$47.59 R 766

-23.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 Rp 1.4M

$101 R 1,634

-20.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$95.0 R 1,530

-17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 Rp 19.6M

$571 R 9,191

95.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 Rp 12.2M

$465 R 7,492

49.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,639 Rp 64.1M

$1,035 R 16.7K

251.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 Rp 30.1M

$861 R 13.9K

98.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,761 Rp 48.6M

$881 R 14.2K

213.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 Rp 40.4M

$773 R 12.4K

196.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$167 Rp 2.9M

$1,866 R 30.1K

-91.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

25.27%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: September 6, 2026

Last update for Sandton: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,114 in Ubud, Bali and $571 in Sandton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sandton pays 1017% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $48.00 in Sandton. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $212, 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 10% 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, salaries run 1017% lower in Sandton. 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: $1,114 in Ubud, Bali versus $571 in Sandton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Ubud, Bali versus $270 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 $48.00 versus $36.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,254 in Sandton versus $1,378 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 $1,254 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 10% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.