Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Sonora, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,331 a month against $2,642 in Sonora, CA, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Sonora, CA
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Sonora, CA Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Sonora, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Sonora, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,642 in Sonora, CA.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Sonora, CA $2,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,982 in Sonora, CA.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Sonora, CA $3,982

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $5,322 in Sonora, CA.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Sonora, CA $5,322

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 50% less than in Sonora, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 2% below, Sonora, CA is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 61.2K

$25.41 $25.41

-86.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 628.6K

$112 $112

-69.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 101.1K

$14.95 $14.95

-62.74%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

$5.82 $5.82

-54.98%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$2.92 $2.92

-47.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$2.47 $2.47

-74.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$9.13 $9.13

-70.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 77.3K

$7.77 $7.77

-45.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$1.26 $1.26

15.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.6K

$4.40 $4.40

-47.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$4.82 $4.82

-76.97%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 38.1K

$5.50 $5.50

-61.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 289.2K

$24.79 $24.79

-35.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.4K

$11.71 $11.71

-66.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 206.8K

$13.26 $13.26

-14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.4K

$5.60 $5.60

-36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

$3.10 $3.10

-50.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$4.65 $4.65

-52.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$5.85 $5.85

-66.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$3.38 $3.38

-44.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$3.98 $3.98

-39.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

$2.91 $2.91

-64.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,475

$2.74 $2.74

-81.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

$11.83 $11.83

-81.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

$13.09 $13.09

66.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.2K

$1.89 $1.89

23.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.46 $2.46

20.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,542

$1.98 $1.98

-87.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 148.3K

$55.9 $55.9

-85.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,941

$4.03 $4.03

-89.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,489

$1.72 $1.72

-72.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

$32.87 $32.87

-82.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.46 $1.46

-43.15%

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

$24.4K Rp 443.5M

$27.4K $27.4K

-10.79%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.0M

$25.1K $25.1K

26.06%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$138 $138

-43.74%

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

$6.14 Rp 111.5K

$39.25 $39.25

-84.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 343.1K

$61.9 $61.9

-69.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 925.0K

$34.87 $34.87

46.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 331.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$18.02 $18.02

-75.69%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$2,160 $2,160

-77.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 221.7M

$19.8K $19.8K

-38.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 819.2K

$51.4 $51.4

-12.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 632.9K

$39.85 $39.85

-12.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$75.8 $75.8

3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$60.6 $60.6

28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.5M

$1,606 $1,606

-32.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.1M

$1,284 $1,284

-48.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.7M

$2,573 $2,573

36.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.3M

$2,070 $2,070

-19.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.4M

$3,052 $3,052

-23.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.6M

$2,058 $2,058

8.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.69

105.98%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sonora, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Sonora, CA

$1.3K 48.6% 93.1% $619

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Sonora, CA

$468 17.7% 67.5% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Sonora, CA

$102 3.9% 3.6% $3.9

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Sonora, CA

$401 15.2% 279% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Sonora, CA

$239 9% 133% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Sonora, CA

$71 2.7% 18.7% $11

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Sonora, CA

$76 2.9% 540% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $1,606 in Sonora, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $112 in Sonora, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $468 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Sonora, CA

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

16 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

5,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,384 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Sonora, CA 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Sonora, CA

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 Sonora, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,331 in Ubud, Bali and $2,642 in Sonora, CA, so Ubud, Bali is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,996 in Ubud, Bali and $3,963 in Sonora, CA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,606 in Sonora, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $35 versus $112 in Sonora, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,331 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,642 in Sonora, CA – Ubud, Bali is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Sonora, CA are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Sonora, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.