Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Simpson Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Simpson Bay
🇸🇽 Sint Maarten
$3,879
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Simpson Bay

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Simpson Bay $3,879

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $6,586 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Simpson Bay $6,586

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $9,293 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Simpson Bay $9,293

Ubud, Bali is about 65% cheaper than Simpson Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Simpson Bay sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 1%, Simpson Bay by 187%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$19.30 ANG 34.54
-82.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$132 ANG 236
-73.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$13.10 ANG 23.44
-55.73%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$4.45 ANG 7.96
-38.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$2.96 ANG 5.29
-44.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$2.92 ANG 5.23
-71.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$5.45 ANG 9.76
-50.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$4.12 ANG 7.37
4.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$4.09 ANG 7.32
-63.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$2.75 ANG 4.92
-16.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$2.93 ANG 5.25
-59.73%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$4.50 ANG 8.06
-52.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$24.59 ANG 44.02
-28.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$13.46 ANG 24.10
-70.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$17.21 ANG 30.80
-28.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$4.28 ANG 7.65
-17.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$3.51 ANG 6.29
-55.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$6.55 ANG 11.72
-65.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$5.07 ANG 9.08
-61.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$4.02 ANG 7.20
-53.23%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$3.51 ANG 6.29
-34.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$2.92 ANG 5.23
-66.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$1.44 ANG 2.58
-63.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$14.87 ANG 26.62
54.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$1.70 ANG 3.05
71.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$3.05 ANG 5.45
-92.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$15.20 ANG 27.21
-96.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.31 ANG 2.34
-32.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$506 ANG 906
-83.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$34.60 ANG 61.9
-81.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$88.9 ANG 159
-79.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$75.5 ANG 135
-26.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$7.97 ANG 14.27
-45.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$753 ANG 1,348
-34.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$11.9K ANG 21.3K
-51.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$49.79 ANG 89.1
-7.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$39.25 ANG 70.3
-9.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$101 ANG 181
-21.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$59.8 ANG 107
31.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$2,321 ANG 4,155
-50.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$2,246 ANG 4,020
-69.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$5,924 ANG 10.6K
-40.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$5,759 ANG 10.3K
-70.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Simpson Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
0
-

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Simpson Bay
–
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Simpson Bay
–
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Simpson Bay
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Simpson Bay
–
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Simpson Bay
–
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Simpson Bay
–
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Simpson Bay
–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,321 in Simpson Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $132 in Simpson Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $466 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇸🇽 Simpson Bay
🕒 Local time
07:08 7:08 AM
19:08 7:08 PM
12 h behind Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
6,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Simpson Bay 18,940 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Simpson Bay

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 Simpson Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Simpson Bay?
Simpson Bay costs about 184% more than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Simpson Bay?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $5,818 in Simpson Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ubud, Bali or Simpson Bay?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Simpson Bay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali and $132 in Simpson Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Simpson Bay?
Groceries cost about 61% more in Simpson Bay, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Simpson Bay?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Simpson Bay at $3,879. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Simpson Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Simpson Bay?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubud, Bali costs $1,368 versus $3,879 in Simpson Bay. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Simpson Bay?
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.
Should I move to Ubud, Bali or to Simpson Bay?
If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Simpson Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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