Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $639 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$639

/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.

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $639 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Santa Cruz $639

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,172 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Santa Cruz $1,172

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,704 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Santa Cruz $1,704

Ubud, Bali costs about 114% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ubud, Bali sits 1% above the global median, while Santa Cruz is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$2.00 BOB 23.19

66.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

$16.80 BOB 195

109.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

$5.10 BOB 59.2

13.73%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$1.77 BOB 20.52

54.24%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

$0.49 BOB 5.72

234.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$0.43 BOB 4.97

93.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$0.86 BOB 9.97

213.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

$1.24 BOB 14.35

246.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

$0.71 BOB 8.23

111.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

$0.94 BOB 10.88

144.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.03 BOB 11.93

14.56%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

$1.06 BOB 12.27

101.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

$3.15 BOB 36.56

454.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

$2.58 BOB 29.92

56.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

$4.98 BOB 57.8

145.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

$1.82 BOB 21.12

95.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$0.62 BOB 7.24

153.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

$0.76 BOB 8.81

194.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

$0.73 BOB 8.48

164.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$0.74 BOB 8.55

154.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

$0.67 BOB 7.75

241.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.57 BOB 6.66

73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,475

$0.63 BOB 7.36

-15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$1.92 BOB 22.25

18.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

$4.32 BOB 50.2

432.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

$1.02 BOB 11.86

129.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

$1.64 BOB 19.01

77.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,315

$0.24 BOB 2.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

$22.48 BOB 261

-60.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,684

$1.64 BOB 19.05

-70.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,233

$0.91 BOB 10.58

-49.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

$6.31 BOB 73.3

-13.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

$0.57 BOB 6.59

54.39%

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

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

$14.1K BOB 163.3K

74.66%

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

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

$19.3K BOB 223.6K

61.91%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$34.84 BOB 405

138.26%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

$19.67 BOB 228

-67.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

$17.53 BOB 204

5.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

$19.56 BOB 227

185.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

$12.84 BOB 149

41.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

$5.86 BOB 68.1

-25.26%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$112 BOB 1,303

339.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

$2,950 BOB 34.2K

95.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

$27.21 BOB 316

69.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

$35.79 BOB 416

-1.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$66.3 BOB 769

19.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$58.3 BOB 677

34.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

$267 BOB 3,105

327.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.2M

$247 BOB 2,869

173.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

$909 BOB 10.6K

285.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

$830 BOB 9,630

104.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

$1,299 BOB 15.1K

114.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$737 BOB 8,551

204.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$276 BOB 3,204

-40.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.17

123.34%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Santa Cruz

$247 38.6% 63.4% $429

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Santa Cruz

$112 17.5% 61.4% $178

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Santa Cruz

$63 9.8% 42.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Santa Cruz

$72 11.3% 33.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Santa Cruz

$84 13.2% 21.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Santa Cruz

$31 4.9% 51.6% $33

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Santa Cruz

$30 4.6% 136% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $267 in Santa Cruz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Santa Cruz, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $17.00 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $112 – making Santa Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇧🇴 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

09:32 9:32 AM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,800,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Santa Cruz 17,090 km ≈ 22 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

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $959 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 159% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $17.00 in Santa Cruz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $639, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,368. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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