Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Soweto Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Soweto

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,128 in Soweto.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,327 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,739 in Soweto.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,275 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,350 in Soweto.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 22% more expensive than in Soweto, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Soweto is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 58.7K

$9.13 R 148

-63.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 Rp 630.7K

$38.99 R 631

-8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 Rp 99.1K

$5.52 R 89.2

1.99%

Cappuccino

$2.82 Rp 49.7K

$2.36 R 38.21

19.49%

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

$1.75 Rp 30.8K

$1.07 R 17.35

63.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 Rp 14.0K

$0.93 R 15.01

-13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 Rp 53.6K

$2.22 R 35.88

36.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 75.7K

$2.89 R 46.80

48.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 Rp 28.3K

$1.20 R 19.40

34.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 Rp 39.9K

$1.12 R 18.06

102.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 20.6K

$1.84 R 29.72

-36.41%

Eggs

$2.17 Rp 38.2K

$2.63 R 42.56

-17.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 Rp 310.5K

$8.20 R 133

115.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 Rp 71.4K

$5.18 R 83.8

-21.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 Rp 214.5K

$7.35 R 119

65.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 Rp 63.7K

$1.87 R 30.29

93.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 28.8K

$1.74 R 28.19

-5.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 40.6K

$1.86 R 30.02

24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 34.5K

$1.61 R 26.11

21.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 32.5K

$1.22 R 19.79

50.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 41.7K

$1.24 R 20.09

91.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 Rp 18.5K

$1.22 R 19.77

-13.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 Rp 9,560

$1.36 R 22.00

-60.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 Rp 40.6K

$3.32 R 53.7

-30.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.08 Rp 406.4K

$5.13 R 83.0

349.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 41.2K

$1.58 R 25.52

48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 Rp 54.0K

$1.99 R 32.26

54.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,365

$1.54 R 24.93

-83.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.42 Rp 165.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,631

$0.30 R 4.81

63.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,349

$0.78 R 12.58

-39.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 98.6K

$15.26 R 247

-63.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.2K

$1.57 R 25.37

-48.41%

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

$25.0K Rp 440.3M

$36.8K R 595.5K

-32.05%

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

$31.1K Rp 547.0M

$32.4K R 524.5K

-4.18%

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

$82.7 Rp 1.5M

$156 R 2,531

-47.12%

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

$6.49 Rp 114.2K

$37.68 R 610

-82.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 Rp 330.8K

$37.72 R 610

-50.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 Rp 972.6K

$34.65 R 560

59.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 Rp 320.6K

Cinema Ticket

$4.30 Rp 75.7K

$7.35 R 119

-41.50%

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

$494 Rp 8.7M

$256 R 4,143

92.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,917 Rp 104.2M

$5,760 R 93.2K

2.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.28 Rp 814.8K

$55.9 R 904

-17.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 Rp 641.6K

$33.23 R 538

9.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 Rp 1.4M

$94.4 R 1,527

-14.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$86.0 R 1,391

-8.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 Rp 19.6M

$478 R 7,730

133.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 Rp 12.2M

$379 R 6,124

83.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,639 Rp 64.1M

$801 R 13.0K

354.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 Rp 30.1M

$739 R 12.0K

131.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,761 Rp 48.6M

$901 R 14.6K

206.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 Rp 40.4M

$629 R 10.2K

264.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$167 Rp 2.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.91

26.31%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: September 6, 2026

Last update for Soweto: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,114 in Ubud, Bali and $478 in Soweto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $39.00 in Soweto. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $198, with Soweto cheaper for home cooking.

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 Soweto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Soweto wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Soweto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,067 in Ubud, Bali and $1,692 in Soweto 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: $1,114 in Ubud, Bali versus $478 in Soweto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Ubud, Bali versus $256 in Soweto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Soweto – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $36.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,128 in Soweto versus $1,378 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Soweto but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Soweto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Soweto delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,128 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Soweto hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Soweto 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 Soweto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.