Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sao Tome

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Tome: $1,219 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sao Tome
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Sao Tome Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Sao Tome

🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,219 in Sao Tome.

Ubud, Bali $1,353
Sao Tome $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,924 in Sao Tome.

Ubud, Bali $2,297
Sao Tome $1,924

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,629 in Sao Tome.

Ubud, Bali $3,241
Sao Tome $2,629

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 11% more expensive than in Sao Tome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Sao Tome is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$9.18 STN 200

-64.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

$45.02 STN 981

-22.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

$7.99 STN 174

-28.66%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

$2.33 STN 50.8

12.45%

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

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

$1.81 STN 39.49

-4.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.27 STN 27.64

-36.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$1.66 STN 36.20

59.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

$1.88 STN 40.98

132.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

$1.52 STN 33.18

3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

$1.01 STN 22.12

116.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.13 STN 46.40

-44.60%

Eggs

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

$4.96 STN 108

-56.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

$19.41 STN 423

-9.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

$19.50 STN 425

-80.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

$24.70 STN 538

-51.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

$3.82 STN 83.3

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

$1.78 STN 38.75

-10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

$3.59 STN 78.2

-35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$3.48 STN 75.9

-45.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

$2.83 STN 61.6

-37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

$2.31 STN 50.4

0.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$0.54 STN 11.76

85.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,509

$2.06 STN 45.01

-74.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

$2.33 STN 50.8

-1.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

$7.96 STN 174

177.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

$1.56 STN 34.09

50.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

$1.65 STN 36.01

80.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,112

$1.34 STN 29.17

-82.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,466

$1.66 STN 36.13

-71.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,737

$2.55 STN 55.6

-83.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

$13.93 STN 304

-60.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.69 STN 36.95

-50.89%

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

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

$24.3K STN 529.0K

-1.61%

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

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

$31.6K STN 689.7K

3.62%

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

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

$233 STN 5,083

-65.70%

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

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

$30.60 STN 667

-78.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

$65.9 STN 1,436

-71.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

$33.92 STN 739

59.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

$25.32 STN 552

-27.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

$19.86 STN 433

-78.60%

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

$493 Rp 8.9M

$226 STN 4,925

118.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

$2,179 STN 47.5K

156.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

$75.1 STN 1,638

-53.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

$18.53 STN 404

323.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

$283 STN 6,161

300.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 Rp 12.1M

$192 STN 4,184

250.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

$929 STN 20.3K

288.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

$452 STN 9,846

276.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

$1,850 STN 40.3K

46.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

$1,160 STN 25.3K

93.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$257 STN 5,595

-35.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

7.38

86.72%

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 Tome: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7%

Sao Tome

$192 15.7% 71.5% $481

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2%

Sao Tome

$412 33.8% 43.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9%

Sao Tome

$42 * 3.5% 60.5% $64

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9%

Sao Tome

$150 12.3% 40.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8%

Sao Tome

$330 27% 214% $225

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6%

Sao Tome

$74 6% 17.6% $11

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Sao Tome

$20 * 1.6% 58.9% $7.3

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali and $283 in Sao Tome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Tome pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $45.00 in Sao Tome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $412 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇸🇹 Sao Tome

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

09:45 9:45 AM

8 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

53,300 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra STN Db

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 STN = 4.59 USD

100 STN = 4.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

STN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Sao Tome and Principe Dobra exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 21.8 STN (100 STN = 4.59 USD). 1 EUR = 24.51 STN (100 STN = 4.08 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Sao Tome 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Sao Tome

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 Tome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Tome wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sao Tome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Sao Tome. 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: $1,131 in Ubud, Bali versus $283 in Sao Tome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $226 in Sao Tome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Tome – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,219 in Sao Tome versus $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sao Tome but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Tome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sao Tome delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,219 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sao Tome hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Sao Tome are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sao Tome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.