Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,447 in Santa Marta, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Marta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,447 in Santa Marta.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Santa Marta $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,693 in Santa Marta.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Santa Marta $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,939 in Santa Marta.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Santa Marta $1,939

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 7% less than in Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.86 COP 12.5K

-29.53%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.59 COP 5,139

-6.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$2.17 COP 6,992

5.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.22 COP 3,924

-2.46%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.46 COP 7,942

-17.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$8.39 COP 27.1K

110.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$9.57 COP 30.9K

-58.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$11.26 COP 36.4K

8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$4.13 COP 13.3K

-11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.04 COP 3,359

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.11 COP 3,600

100.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.99 COP 6,433

-1.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$0.93 COP 2,990

98.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.54 COP 4,972

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.96 COP 3,085

3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$0.62 COP 1,989

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$4.13 COP 13.3K

-46.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$17.52 COP 56.6K

26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.45 COP 4,684

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$1.40 COP 4,533

112.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$0.96 COP 3,108

-73.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$3.07 COP 9,921

-85.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.35 COP 4,352

-39.26%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$23.6K COP 76.2M

1.02%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$34.2K COP 110.3M

-7.10%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$159 COP 512.4K

-50.18%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$9.23 COP 29.8K

-30.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$21.79 COP 70.3K

-14.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$31.36 COP 101.2K

57.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$5.27 COP 17.0K

-18.98%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$10.9K COP 35.1M

-47.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$86.4 COP 279.0K

-48.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$62.8 COP 202.7K

-44.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$92.6 COP 299.0K

-13.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$86.7 COP 279.8K

-8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,096 COP 3.5M

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$752 COP 2.4M

-10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$1,095 COP 3.5M

225.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$620 COP 2.0M

177.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$1,110 COP 3.6M

146.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,191 COP 3.8M

91.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$526 COP 1.7M

-68.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

19.54

-29.48%

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 Marta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Santa Marta

–

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Santa Marta

–

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Marta

–

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Santa Marta

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Santa Marta

–

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Santa Marta

–

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Santa Marta

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,096 in Santa Marta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Marta pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

22:48 10:48 PM

13 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

500,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Santa Marta 18,940 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Santa Marta

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 Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Santa Marta. 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 69% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,096 in Santa Marta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Santa Marta pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $1,447 in Santa Marta – Ubud, Bali is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Ubud, Bali wins on affordability, Santa Marta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.