Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sao Carlos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Carlos: $982 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sao Carlos
Learn more

Sao Carlos Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Sao Carlos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Sao Carlos

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $982 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Sao Carlos $982

A couple spends around $2,297 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $1,709 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Sao Carlos $1,709

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,436 in Sao Carlos, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Sao Carlos $2,436

Ubud, Bali costs about 38% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ubud, Bali sits 0% above the global median, while Sao Carlos is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$4.98 R$25.25

-35.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$40.05 R$203

-12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$6.77 R$34.33

-15.81%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$2.12 R$10.74

23.58%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.34 R$6.78

28.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$0.79 R$3.98

2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.63 R$8.24

62.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$2.83 R$14.36

54.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.34 R$6.80

17.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.96 R$9.96

11.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.78 R$9.03

-33.71%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$2.95 R$14.94

-26.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$12.48 R$63.3

41.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$5.25 R$26.61

-28.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$9.22 R$46.72

29.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$2.71 R$13.72

32.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.84 R$9.33

-13.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$1.78 R$9.01

29.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.96 R$9.95

-2.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$1.74 R$8.84

2.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$1.36 R$6.88

71.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.01 R$5.14

-0.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$1.16 R$5.88

-54.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$3.19 R$16.18

-28.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$8.46 R$42.91

160.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.48 R$7.50

58.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$2.91 R$14.73

2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$0.98 R$4.97

-76.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

$23.86 R$121

-62.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.48 R$7.48

-68.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$1.01 R$5.11

-57.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$3.64 R$18.45

50.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.25 R$6.32

-33.60%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$20.2K R$102.2K

18.47%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$31.5K R$159.5K

4.21%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$62.4 R$316

28.25%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$13.74 R$69.6

-52.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$24.07 R$122

-22.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$34.77 R$176

55.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$48.31 R$245

-62.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$5.38 R$27.29

-21.00%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$302 R$1,531

63.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$3,032 R$15.4K

84.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

$84.7 R$429

-46.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$96.7 R$490

-63.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

$139 R$705

-44.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$163 R$826

-51.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$272 R$1,377

316.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$236 R$1,197

185.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$673 R$3,410

437.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$663 R$3,358

156.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$849 R$4,303

220.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$730 R$3,698

207.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$681 R$3,453

-75.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.75

28.19%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sao Carlos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Sao Carlos

$236 24% 64.9% $437

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Sao Carlos

$241 24.5% 16.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Sao Carlos

$218 22.1% 104% $111

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Sao Carlos

$108 11% 1.4% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Sao Carlos

$100 10.2% 4.7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Sao Carlos

$46 4.6% 27.3% $17

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Sao Carlos

$34 3.5% 176% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $272 in Sao Carlos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 309% higher in Sao Carlos, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $40.00 in Sao Carlos. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Ubud, Bali vs $241 in Sao Carlos – so Sao Carlos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇧🇷 Sao Carlos

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

21:52 9:52 PM

11 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

254,857

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Sao Carlos 16,170 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Sao Carlos

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 Sao Carlos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali costs about 38% more than Sao Carlos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,030 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,474 in Sao Carlos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Carlos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $40.00 in Sao Carlos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Carlos, where all-in costs run around $982, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Sao Carlos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Carlos costs $982 versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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