Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz, Aruba

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $1,886 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. The total is higher in Santa Cruz despite lower rent and utilities.

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,886 in Santa Cruz.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Santa Cruz $1,886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,900 in Santa Cruz.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Santa Cruz $2,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,914 in Santa Cruz.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Santa Cruz $3,914

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 29% less than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Santa Cruz is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 60.9K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 625.4K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.6K

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.3K

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

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 76.9K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$2.20 AWG 3.94

-33.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

$2.64 AWG 4.73

-13.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$4.42 AWG 7.91

-74.89%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 37.9K

$4.78 AWG 8.55

-56.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 287.7K

$8.14 AWG 14.57

95.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.1K

$7.69 AWG 13.77

-49.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 205.8K

$6.75 AWG 12.08

68.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$4.52 AWG 8.08

-21.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$4.57 AWG 8.17

-66.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$8.12 AWG 14.54

-72.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$6.87 AWG 12.29

-71.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

$6.70 AWG 11.99

-72.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$1.89 AWG 3.39

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

$3.00 AWG 5.37

-66.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,427

$4.54 AWG 8.13

-88.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.7K

$10.34 AWG 18.51

-78.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 393.2K

$19.59 AWG 35.05

11.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.0K

$2.55 AWG 4.56

-8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.6K

$3.09 AWG 5.54

-3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

$1.96 AWG 3.50

-87.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 147.5K

$154 AWG 276

-94.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,901

$19.32 AWG 34.57

-97.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,446

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

$19.75 AWG 35.34

-71.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

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

$24.4K Rp 441.3M

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

$31.7K Rp 572.1M

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$141 AWG 252

-44.88%

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

$6.14 Rp 110.9K

$71.3 AWG 128

-91.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 341.4K

$207 AWG 371

-90.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 920.4K

$68.5 AWG 123

-25.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 329.4K

$46.44 AWG 83.1

-60.70%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.1K

$8.39 AWG 15.02

-47.79%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$141 AWG 252

249.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 220.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 815.1K

$78.8 AWG 141

-42.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 629.7K

$110 AWG 197

-68.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$140 AWG 251

-44.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$137 AWG 245

-43.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.4M

$1,268 AWG 2,270

-15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$557 AWG 998

19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.4M

$1,534 AWG 2,746

128.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$1,407 AWG 2,519

18.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$3,667 AWG 6,564

-95.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Santa Cruz

–

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Santa Cruz

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Santa Cruz

–

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Santa Cruz

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Santa Cruz

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Santa Cruz

–

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Santa Cruz

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,268 in Santa Cruz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz pays about 22 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

15,236

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,262 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Santa Cruz 19,290 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz

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 Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $1,886 in Santa Cruz, so Ubud, Bali is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,268 in Santa Cruz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $141 in Santa Cruz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 95% less than in Santa Cruz. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Santa Cruz on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.