Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
30

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 119% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$1.55 ₱98.9

114.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$7.73 ₱495

361.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$2.79 ₱178

98.21%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$1.76 ₱113

54.55%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.37 ₱23.94

359.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.24 ₱15.44

216.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$1.01 ₱64.8

162.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$0.90 ₱57.3

386.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.54 ₱98.5

-3.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.15 ₱73.5

98.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$0.91 ₱58.0

30.77%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.52 ₱97.2

34.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$4.82 ₱308

267.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$3.29 ₱210

20.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$7.20 ₱461

69.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$1.37 ₱87.8

167.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$0.49 ₱31.57

210.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.43 ₱91.8

55.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.06 ₱67.8

85.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.67 ₱107

10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.68 ₱107

44.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.61 ₱39.31

62.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$0.52 ₱33.17

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$2.93 ₱188

-24.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$8.49 ₱544

161.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$0.96 ₱61.5

135.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$2.06 ₱132

44.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$0.21 ₱13.13

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

$11.50 ₱736

-32.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$0.76 ₱48.82

-42.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$0.22 ₱14.02

95.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$1.93 ₱124

180.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.20 ₱76.6

-31.67%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

15.16%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

67.73%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$82.8 ₱5,298

-4.51%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$17.51 ₱1,120

-63.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$22.58 ₱1,445

-17.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$27.30 ₱1,747

81.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

$4.47 ₱286

294.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$5.03 ₱322

-15.11%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$128 ₱8,207

282.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$10.6K ₱678.7K

-46.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$28.32 ₱1,812

57.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$19.21 ₱1,229

81.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$69.6 ₱4,454

14.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$53.7 ₱3,437

47.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$219 ₱14.0K

414.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$160 ₱10.2K

319.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$480 ₱30.7K

642.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$298 ₱19.1K

477.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$2,453 ₱157.0K

11.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$1,079 ₱69.0K

111.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.75

104.15%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 76.1% $511

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 47% $136

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 52.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 28.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 18.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 35.6% $21

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 24.2% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $153 per month, with Santa Cruz, Laguna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

Same time as Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

123,574

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,242 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Santa Cruz, Laguna 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, so Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $128 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz, Laguna but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz, Laguna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.