Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Soweto

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,106 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Soweto
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Soweto Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Soweto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,106 in Soweto.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Soweto $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,704 in Soweto.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Soweto $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,302 in Soweto.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Soweto $2,302

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 22% more expensive than in Soweto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.4K

$8.94 R 148

-62.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 648.1K

$36.84 R 612

-3.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.6K

$5.20 R 86.4

6.35%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$2.21 R 36.64

23.08%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$1.04 R 17.35

63.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.80 R 13.35

-5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.3K

$2.45 R 40.76

8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.7K

$2.81 R 46.71

55.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$1.16 R 19.29

28.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.4K

$1.11 R 18.43

105.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.80 R 29.92

-33.89%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$2.51 R 41.74

-18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.9K

$8.68 R 144

103.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.1K

$5.08 R 84.4

-22.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.7K

$7.35 R 122

65.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.5K

$1.72 R 28.62

112.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$1.67 R 27.70

-8.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$1.74 R 28.86

28.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.9K

$1.57 R 26.04

25.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.13 R 18.82

63.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.1K

$1.20 R 19.88

101.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.25 R 20.69

-20.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,336

$1.26 R 20.99

-59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$3.32 R 55.2

-33.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 404.4K

$5.02 R 83.3

343.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.1K

$1.60 R 26.53

41.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$1.91 R 31.73

55.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,564

$1.53 R 25.46

-83.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,992

$0.29 R 4.79

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,821

$0.76 R 12.55

-43.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.4K

$14.33 R 238

-62.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.58 R 26.22

-48.10%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.5M

$36.5K R 607.0K

-34.77%

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

$31.7K Rp 577.3M

$34.2K R 568.6K

-7.25%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$152 R 2,518

-47.84%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.2K

$37.05 R 615

-82.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.8K

$37.83 R 628

-50.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 899.8K

$32.60 R 541

51.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.9K

$10.87 R 181

62.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.7K

$7.35 R 122

-41.90%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$251 R 4,163

95.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.2M

$5,490 R 91.2K

3.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 811.7K

$54.2 R 900

-17.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 635.6K

$32.08 R 533

8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$92.5 R 1,536

-13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$83.7 R 1,390

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.5M

$388 R 6,445

189.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$371 R 6,155

81.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.8M

$732 R 12.2K

387.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$734 R 12.2K

134.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.7M

$860 R 14.3K

217.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$696 R 11.6K

228.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Soweto: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Soweto

$371 33.5% 44.8% $301

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Soweto

$195 17.6% 32.5% $94

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Soweto

$139 12.6% 29% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Soweto

$118 10.7% 9.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Soweto

$226 20.5% 118% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Soweto

$47 4.3% 18.5% $11

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Soweto

$10 * 0.9% 10.7% $1.2

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $388 in Soweto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $37 in Soweto. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $195, with Soweto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇿🇦 Soweto

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

10:19 10:19 AM

6 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

1,270,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18,183 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Soweto 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Soweto

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 Soweto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Soweto wins on cost – living expenses run 18% 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 $2,023 in Ubud, Bali and $1,659 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $388 in Soweto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $491 in Ubud, Bali versus $251 in Soweto. 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 $36 versus $37 in Soweto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Soweto 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.