Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
84

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

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/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 $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Santa Cruz $1,758

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,778 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Santa Cruz $2,778

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,798 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Santa Cruz $3,798

Ubud, Bali is about 22% cheaper than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 1%, Santa Cruz by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$12.29 ₡5,523

-72.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 629.4K

$62.6 ₡28.1K

-43.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 103.8K

$10.81 ₡4,856

-46.35%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 48.8K

$4.58 ₡2,059

-40.39%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

$2.20 ₡989

-25.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.90 ₡854

-56.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.3K

$3.31 ₡1,489

-18.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 76.9K

$4.36 ₡1,958

-1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 26.9K

$2.38 ₡1,070

-36.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.1K

$3.16 ₡1,422

-27.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

$2.48 ₡1,113

-52.42%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.4K

$3.56 ₡1,599

-39.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 312.7K

$10.50 ₡4,717

66.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.1K

$10.51 ₡4,722

-61.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 218.8K

$14.15 ₡6,359

-13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.5K

$5.20 ₡2,336

-31.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.1K

$1.07 ₡482

46.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$4.83 ₡2,170

-53.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

$3.91 ₡1,758

-50.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.7K

$3.87 ₡1,741

-51.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.0K

$3.64 ₡1,636

-37.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.13 ₡508

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,419

$3.08 ₡1,383

-82.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

$5.78 ₡2,596

-60.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 411.7K

$20.18 ₡9,068

14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 41.9K

$2.88 ₡1,294

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.1K

$3.68 ₡1,654

-20.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,289

$1.29 ₡581

-81.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 157.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,632

$2.50 ₡1,125

-80.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,184

$1.56 ₡701

-70.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.6K

$8.60 ₡3,864

-36.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$1.56 ₡702

-43.59%

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

$24.6K Rp 439.6M

$22.1K ₡9.9M

11.37%

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

$31.2K Rp 558.0M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.64%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$94.5 ₡42.4K

-12.13%

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

$6.45 Rp 115.3K

$35.98 ₡16.2K

-82.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 332.2K

$59.8 ₡26.9K

-68.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 998.7K

$71.7 ₡32.2K

-22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 324.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.4K

$6.75 ₡3,034

-35.11%

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

$493 Rp 8.8M

$978 ₡439.3K

-49.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 102.9M

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-66.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 826.5K

$72.2 ₡32.4K

-36.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 632.2K

$56.1 ₡25.2K

-37.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$129 ₡58.0K

-38.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$132 ₡59.1K

-40.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.4M

$912 ₡409.8K

25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.1M

$665 ₡298.7K

1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 62.7M

$1,689 ₡759.1K

107.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.4M

$1,310 ₡588.5K

29.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 49.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 2.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.62

59.86%

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 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8% 1.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8% 37.7% $110

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9% 109% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8% 76.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Santa Cruz

$175 10% 62.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9% 31.9% $21

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9% 23.3% $2.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $912 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $63.0 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $400 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

05:12 5:12 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,665

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 17,893 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,037 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Santa Cruz 17,720 km ≈ 23 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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, $1,758 in Santa Cruz – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $2,637 in Santa Cruz. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Ubud, Bali and $1,758 in Santa Cruz. That's a gap of about 29%.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $978 in Santa Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Santa Cruz at $1,758. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Santa Cruz has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,368 in Ubud, Bali to $1,758 in Santa Cruz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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