Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Shelby, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,348 a month against $2,055 in Shelby, NC, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Shelby, NC
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Shelby, NC Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Shelby, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Shelby, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,055 in Shelby, NC.

Ubud, Bali $1,348
Shelby, NC $2,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,312 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,899 in Shelby, NC.

Ubud, Bali $2,312
Shelby, NC $2,899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,276 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,742 in Shelby, NC.

Ubud, Bali $3,276
Shelby, NC $3,742

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 34% less than in Shelby, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Shelby, NC 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$13.84 $13.84

-75.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.42 Rp 633.1K

$34.81 $34.81

1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 Rp 102.9K

$9.31 $9.31

-38.13%

Cappuccino

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

$5.20 $5.20

-49.42%

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

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

$1.52 $1.52

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.28 $1.28

-39.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

$2.48 $2.48

9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 Rp 80.8K

$2.92 $2.92

54.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$0.75 $0.75

104.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 Rp 39.2K

$3.27 $3.27

-32.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

$9.81 $9.81

-87.56%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

$4.92 $4.92

-56.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.73 Rp 316.9K

$17.88 $17.88

-0.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 68.9K

$13.61 $13.61

-71.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 Rp 215.0K

$27.56 $27.56

-56.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 Rp 64.5K

$7.96 $7.96

-54.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

$3.04 $3.04

-50.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 Rp 41.4K

$6.79 $6.79

-65.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$7.51 $7.51

-73.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

$4.74 $4.74

-61.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

$6.15 $6.15

-61.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$2.83 $2.83

-65.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,373

$3.59 $3.59

-85.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.0K

$8.11 $8.11

-73.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.98 Rp 410.7K

$14.74 $14.74

55.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 Rp 42.8K

$1.62 $1.62

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

$4.44 $4.44

-32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,255

$2.12 $2.12

-88.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.99 Rp 125.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,876

$7.15 $7.15

-93.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,582

$2.34 $2.34

-82.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.4K

$14.75 $14.75

-63.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.97 $0.97

-13.40%

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

$24.3K Rp 434.8M

$24.1K $24.1K

0.74%

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

$31.9K Rp 570.0M

$22.3K $22.3K

42.71%

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

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

$172 $172

-53.07%

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

$6.58 Rp 117.6K

$34.92 $34.92

-81.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.24 Rp 326.1K

$48.06 $48.06

-62.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 Rp 985.4K

$40.95 $40.95

34.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.51 Rp 330.9K

Cinema Ticket

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

$12.14 $12.14

-65.07%

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

$486 Rp 8.7M

$301 $301

61.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

$9,906 $9,906

-42.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.18 Rp 807.6K

$39.58 $39.58

14.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.57 Rp 617.9K

$31.37 $31.37

10.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

$69.7 $69.7

13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$80.5 $80.5

-3.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 Rp 20.1M

$827 $827

36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 Rp 12.1M

$869 $869

-22.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

$1,195 $1,195

202.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

$1,129 $1,129

53.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

$2,445 $2,445

15.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 Rp 41.2M

$2,223 $2,223

3.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$2,481 $2,481

-93.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.38

115.99%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shelby, NC: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6%

Shelby, NC

$869 41.4% 29% $195

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4%

Shelby, NC

$554 26.4% 90.8% $263

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Shelby, NC

$230 11% 113% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Shelby, NC

$100 4.7% 6.5% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8%

Shelby, NC

$255 12.2% 142% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7%

Shelby, NC

$65 3.1% 2.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8%

Shelby, NC

$27 * 1.3% 160% $17

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 $1,127 in Ubud, Bali and $827 in Shelby, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shelby, NC pays 1398% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $35.00 in Shelby, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $554 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Shelby, NC

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

02:53 2:53 AM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

21,378

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Shelby, NC 16,580 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Shelby, NC

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 Shelby, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Shelby, NC. 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 1398% lower in Shelby, NC. 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: $1,127 in Ubud, Bali versus $827 in Shelby, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $486 in Ubud, Bali versus $301 in Shelby, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,348 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,055 in Shelby, NC, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Shelby, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,348 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Shelby, NC 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Shelby, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.