Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Santa Barbara, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA, rent and utilities included – about $34,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
205

Cost of Living Index in Santa Barbara, CA
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Santa Barbara, CA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Santa Barbara, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Santa Barbara, CA

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 Santa Barbara, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Santa Barbara, CA $4,251

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $6,124 in Santa Barbara, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Santa Barbara, CA $6,124

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $7,997 in Santa Barbara, CA, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Santa Barbara, CA $7,997

Ubud, Bali is about 68% cheaper than Santa Barbara, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$25.05 $25.05

-86.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.7K

$99.4 $99.4

-64.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$15.24 $15.24

-63.71%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$5.91 $5.91

-53.98%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$3.70 $3.70

-54.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$3.06 $3.06

-75.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$8.09 $8.09

-67.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$11.92 $11.92

-63.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.43 $1.43

4.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$4.50 $4.50

-49.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$6.93 $6.93

-82.83%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$5.22 $5.22

-60.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.2K

$19.06 $19.06

-7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$14.54 $14.54

-72.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.2K

$21.93 $21.93

-44.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$8.17 $8.17

-55.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$3.37 $3.37

-54.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$6.21 $6.21

-64.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$10.08 $10.08

-80.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$8.74 $8.74

-78.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$4.71 $4.71

-48.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$3.59 $3.59

-72.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,316

$2.83 $2.83

-81.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$11.61 $11.61

-80.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.6K

$16.30 $16.30

36.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$2.22 $2.22

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$4.37 $4.37

-32.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,555

$2.47 $2.47

-89.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.0K

$52.6 $52.6

-85.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,975

$2.95 $2.95

-85.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,804

$2.56 $2.56

-83.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

$58.9 $58.9

-90.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.48 $1.48

-44.59%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.6M

$28.0K $28.0K

-14.99%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.1M

$26.2K $26.2K

21.33%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$256 $256

-69.07%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.0K

$74.3 $74.3

-91.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.1K

$72.1 $72.1

-74.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.9K

$84.1 $84.1

-41.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.2K

$20.23 $20.23

-12.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$13.85 $13.85

-69.17%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$1,427 $1,427

-65.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$37.7K $37.7K

-84.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.0K

$86.4 $86.4

-48.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.2K

$45.42 $45.42

-23.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$78.8 $78.8

1.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$130 $130

-39.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$2,886 $2,886

-61.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$2,521 $2,521

-73.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$4,968 $4,968

-28.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$4,122 $4,122

-58.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$12.9K $12.9K

-78.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$10.9K $10.9K

-79.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$5,202 $5,202

-96.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.75

104.15%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Santa Barbara, CA

$2.5K 59.3% 275% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Santa Barbara, CA

$576 13.6% 99.8% $288

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Barbara, CA

$408 9.6% 279% $301

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Barbara, CA

$153 3.6% 42.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Santa Barbara, CA

$402 9.5% 286% $298

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Santa Barbara, CA

$112 2.6% 92.7% $54

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Santa Barbara, CA

$78 1.8% 585% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,886 in Santa Barbara, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Santa Barbara, CA are about 32 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $99 in Santa Barbara, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $576 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Santa Barbara, CA

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

16 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

91,196

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Santa Barbara, CA 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Santa Barbara, CA

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 Santa Barbara, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Barbara, CA is pricier by about 215%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $6,376 in Santa Barbara, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $2,886 in Santa Barbara, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA. That makes Ubud, Bali about 68% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $4,251 in Santa Barbara, CA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Barbara, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.