Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,331
/mo nomad
Santa Cruz do Sul
🇧🇷 Brazil
$866
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,331
  • Santa Cruz do Sul $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,393 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,255
  • Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,919 in Santa Cruz do Sul.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,180
  • Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 54% more expensive than in Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Santa Cruz do Sul 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 Rp 61.2K
$5.50 R$30.00
-38.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.65 Rp 628.6K
$36.04 R$197
-3.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.57 Rp 101.1K
$6.30 R$34.41
-11.59%
Cappuccino
$2.62 Rp 47.5K
$2.33 R$12.70
12.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.24 R$6.77
24.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 Rp 11.6K
$1.02 R$5.59
-37.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.67 Rp 48.4K
$2.25 R$12.27
18.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.26 Rp 77.3K
$2.70 R$14.77
57.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
$0.91 R$4.94
60.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 Rp 41.6K
$1.53 R$8.34
49.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
$0.98 R$5.35
13.27%
Eggs
$2.10 Rp 38.1K
$2.21 R$12.05
-4.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 Rp 289.2K
$9.89 R$54.0
61.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.88 Rp 70.4K
$4.38 R$23.89
-11.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.40 Rp 206.8K
$9.10 R$49.68
25.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 64.4K
$2.23 R$12.19
59.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 Rp 27.9K
$1.35 R$7.39
14.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.24 R$6.79
79.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.8K
$1.48 R$8.05
33.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 Rp 33.7K
$1.11 R$6.04
67.57%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.9K
$1.01 R$5.50
139.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
$0.79 R$4.31
29.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 Rp 9,475
$0.74 R$4.01
-29.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 Rp 39.9K
$2.28 R$12.44
-3.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.79 Rp 395.2K
$7.34 R$40.07
196.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 Rp 42.2K
$1.09 R$5.94
113.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 53.9K
$1.99 R$10.86
49.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,542
$0.94 R$5.14
-73.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.17 Rp 148.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,941
$1.32 R$7.20
-66.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 Rp 8,489
$0.73 R$4.01
-35.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.60 Rp 101.6K
$7.69 R$41.99
-27.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.22 R$6.68
-31.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K Rp 443.5M
$21.7K R$118.5K
12.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 575.0M
$32.3K R$176.2K
-1.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.5 Rp 1.4M
$72.7 R$397
6.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.14 Rp 111.5K
$11.41 R$62.3
-46.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.92 Rp 343.1K
$20.47 R$112
-7.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 Rp 925.0K
$26.21 R$143
94.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.25 Rp 331.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 79.5K
$6.74 R$36.79
-35.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$492 Rp 8.9M
$520 R$2,838
-5.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K Rp 221.7M
$22.8K R$124.7K
-46.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.16 Rp 819.2K
$46.12 R$252
-2.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.89 Rp 632.9K
$53.1 R$290
-34.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 Rp 1.4M
$94.2 R$514
-16.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Rp 1.4M
$73.3 R$400
6.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 Rp 19.5M
$524 R$2,862
105.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 Rp 12.1M
$288 R$1,570
131.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,510 Rp 63.7M
$890 R$4,860
294.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 Rp 30.3M
$591 R$3,224
182.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,340 Rp 42.4M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,236 Rp 40.6M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz do Sul
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$166 Rp 3.0M
$372 R$2,029
-55.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11.5
19.83%

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 do Sul: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$665
Santa Cruz do Sul
$288 56.7% $377
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$279
Santa Cruz do Sul
$189 32.4% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$106
Santa Cruz do Sul
$120 12.9% $14
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$106
Santa Cruz do Sul
$116 10.2% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$103
Santa Cruz do Sul
$105 2% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$60
Santa Cruz do Sul
$40 33.6% $20
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$12
Santa Cruz do Sul
$8.8 * 26.8% $3.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Cruz do Sul pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $189, with Santa Cruz do Sul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul
🕒 Local time
15:00 3:00 PM
04:00 4:00 AM
11 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
133,246
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,421 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.9 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Santa Cruz do Sul 15,570 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Santa Cruz do Sul

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 do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ubud, Bali and in Santa Cruz do Sul?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul, so Santa Cruz do Sul is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 55% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Ubud, Bali and in Santa Cruz do Sul?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ubud, Bali or Santa Cruz do Sul?
All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul – Santa Cruz do Sul is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz do Sul but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz do Sul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ubud, Bali and Santa Cruz do Sul?
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.

Ubud, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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