Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,348 a month against $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, rent and utilities included – about $35,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
211

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Santa Cruz, 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 Cruz, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Santa Cruz, CA $4,316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,312 in Ubud, Bali versus $6,246 in Santa Cruz, CA.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Santa Cruz, CA $6,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in Ubud, Bali versus $8,177 in Santa Cruz, CA.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Santa Cruz, CA $8,177

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 69% less than in Santa Cruz, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Santa Cruz, CA 222% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$24.94 $24.94

-86.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.3K

$99.7 $99.7

-64.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$14.73 $14.73

-60.90%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$5.83 $5.83

-54.89%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$3.46 $3.46

-49.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$2.42 $2.42

-68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$8.18 $8.18

-66.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$8.04 $8.04

-43.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$1.39 $1.39

10.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$4.75 $4.75

-53.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$7.81 $7.81

-84.38%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$6.37 $6.37

-66.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 317.0K

$26.58 $26.58

-33.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$16.84 $16.84

-77.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$17.62 $17.62

-31.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$7.78 $7.78

-53.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$2.27 $2.27

-33.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.5K

$8.80 $8.80

-73.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$6.61 $6.61

-69.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$4.49 $4.49

-59.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$3.03 $3.03

-21.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$5.10 $5.10

-80.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,375

$2.96 $2.96

-82.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$11.82 $11.82

-81.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.8K

$25.49 $25.49

-9.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$2.17 $2.17

10.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$3.27 $3.27

-8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,256

$1.99 $1.99

-87.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

$64.5 $64.5

-89.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,877

$3.29 $3.29

-86.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,584

$2.47 $2.47

-83.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$39.30 $39.30

-86.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.54 $1.54

-45.45%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.9M

$37.0K $37.0K

-34.34%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.1M

$26.3K $26.3K

21.39%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$373 $373

-78.36%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$57.8 $57.8

-88.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$68.4 $68.4

-73.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.6K

$78.0 $78.0

-29.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 331.0K

$12.74 $12.74

45.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$15.71 $15.71

-73.01%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$2,499 $2,499

-80.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$29.6K $29.6K

-80.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.8K

$68.0 $68.0

-33.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 618.1K

$48.64 $48.64

-28.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$93.4 $93.4

-15.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$158 $158

-50.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$3,049 $3,049

-63.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$2,524 $2,524

-73.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$4,860 $4,860

-25.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$4,160 $4,160

-58.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$8,227 $8,227

-65.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$11.3K $11.3K

-79.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$5,485 $5,485

-96.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.47

112.98%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Santa Cruz, CA

$2.5K 57.6% 274% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Santa Cruz, CA

$599 13.7% 107% $309

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Cruz, CA

$394 9% 265% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Santa Cruz, CA

$166 3.8% 55.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Santa Cruz, CA

$500 11.4% 373% $394

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Santa Cruz, CA

$109 2.5% 72% $46

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Santa Cruz, CA

$88 2% 739% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,127 in Ubud, Bali and $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz, CA pays 3211% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $100 in Santa Cruz, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $599 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Santa Cruz, CA

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

22:49 10:49 PM

15 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

64,220

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 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 October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 17,879 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,035 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 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 Cruz, CA 13,460 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz, 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 Cruz, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 220% lower than in Santa Cruz, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3211% lower in Santa Cruz, CA. 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: $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,049 in Santa Cruz, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $100 in Santa Cruz, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,348 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA – a 220% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,316 in Santa Cruz, CA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Santa Cruz, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,348 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz, CA 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 220% less than in Santa Cruz, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.