Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Paulo: $1,183 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,349
/mo nomad
Sao Paulo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,183
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,183 in Sao Paulo.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,349
  • Sao Paulo $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,948 in Sao Paulo.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,305
  • Sao Paulo $1,948

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,713 in Sao Paulo.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,261
  • Sao Paulo $2,713

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 14% more expensive than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.32 Rp 60.4K
$8.15 R$43.60
-59.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.64 Rp 647.8K
$46.78 R$250
-23.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.53 Rp 100.6K
$8.24 R$44.07
-32.89%
Cappuccino
$2.72 Rp 49.4K
$2.41 R$12.90
12.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 Rp 30.9K
$1.32 R$7.06
28.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 Rp 13.8K
$0.85 R$4.52
-10.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.65 Rp 48.2K
$2.78 R$14.85
-4.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 Rp 79.6K
$4.16 R$22.22
5.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 Rp 27.1K
$1.15 R$6.13
29.57%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.4K
$1.69 R$9.02
34.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.6K
$1.35 R$7.21
-11.85%
Eggs
$2.04 Rp 37.0K
$2.69 R$14.39
-24.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.70 Rp 321.7K
$11.78 R$63.0
50.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.96 Rp 72.0K
$4.97 R$26.56
-20.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 Rp 221.6K
$10.10 R$54.0
20.69%
Apples (1kg)
$3.66 Rp 66.4K
$2.56 R$13.69
42.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 Rp 27.6K
$1.74 R$9.32
-12.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 Rp 40.5K
$1.44 R$7.71
54.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.97 Rp 35.9K
$1.83 R$9.76
7.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.85 Rp 33.6K
$1.29 R$6.90
43.41%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 44.1K
$1.17 R$6.24
106.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
$1.22 R$6.53
-18.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,332
$0.89 R$4.75
-42.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 Rp 40.4K
$2.75 R$14.71
-19.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.24 Rp 404.2K
$9.27 R$49.56
139.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
$1.73 R$9.23
30.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 Rp 54.0K
$2.38 R$12.71
24.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.25 Rp 4,562
$1.02 R$5.48
-75.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.82 Rp 142.2K
$45.02 R$241
-82.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 Rp 7,989
$1.72 R$9.17
-74.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.43 Rp 7,817
$0.89 R$4.78
-51.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 Rp 98.3K
$9.52 R$50.9
-43.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.82 Rp 15.0K
$1.23 R$6.57
-33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K Rp 433.3M
$22.3K R$119.3K
6.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.7K Rp 577.0M
$32.5K R$173.7K
-2.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$98.2 R$525
-19.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 117.2K
$15.47 R$82.7
-58.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.58 Rp 337.7K
$20.73 R$111
-10.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.48 Rp 899.4K
$31.85 R$170
55.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.65 Rp 320.8K
$44.21 R$236
-60.08%
Cinema Ticket
$4.27 Rp 77.7K
$9.07 R$48.51
-52.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$491 Rp 8.9M
$512 R$2,740
-4.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,674 Rp 103.1M
$15.8K R$84.6K
-64.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.64 Rp 811.4K
$60.2 R$322
-25.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.95 Rp 635.3K
$57.2 R$306
-38.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 Rp 1.5M
$92.8 R$496
-13.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 Rp 1.4M
$86.0 R$460
-7.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,125 Rp 20.4M
$632 R$3,377
78.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 Rp 12.2M
$433 R$2,318
54.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,565 Rp 64.8M
$1,354 R$7,239
163.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 Rp 31.3M
$957 R$5,119
79.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,732 Rp 49.6M
$2,480 R$13.3K
10.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Rp 41.5M
$1,909 R$10.2K
19.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Sao Paulo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$164 Rp 3.0M
$818 R$4,373
-79.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11.68
17.98%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$672
Sao Paulo
$433 35.4% $238
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$288
Sao Paulo
$227 21.4% $62
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$108
Sao Paulo
$150 39.1% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Sao Paulo
$133 24% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$104
Sao Paulo
$134 29.1% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$58
Sao Paulo
$50 13.9% $8
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$11
Sao Paulo
$55 384% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $632 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays about 5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $47 in Sao Paulo. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $227, with Sao Paulo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇧🇷 Sao Paulo
🕒 Local time
00:08 12:08 AM
13:08 1:08 PM
11 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
11,451,999
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,228 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Sao Paulo 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Sao Paulo

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 Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sao Paulo cheaper than Ubud, Bali?
Sao Paulo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Ubud, Bali or Sao Paulo?
On paper, salaries run 80% 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.
What is the rent difference between Ubud, Bali and Sao Paulo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $632 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 83% less than in Sao Paulo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $512 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 enough for either Ubud, Bali or Sao Paulo?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Sao Paulo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Ubud, Bali or in Sao Paulo?
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.

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