Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $4,405 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $36,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
211

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
Learn more

St Thomas Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in St Thomas

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

A single person spends $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,405 in St Thomas, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
St Thomas $4,405

A couple spends around $2,305 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $7,271 in St Thomas, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
St Thomas $7,271

A family of three spends $3,261 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $10.1K in St Thomas, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
St Thomas $10.1K

Ubud, Bali is about 69% cheaper than St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$22.53 $22.53

-85.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 647.3K

$169 $169

-78.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.5K

$13.39 $13.39

-58.70%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

$6.00 $6.00

-54.67%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$3.88 $3.88

-56.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$3.43 $3.43

-77.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.2K

$4.97 $4.97

-46.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.6K

$7.02 $7.02

-37.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

$2.77 $2.77

-46.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$6.70 $6.70

-65.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$18.56 $18.56

-93.59%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$8.84 $8.84

-76.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.5K

$11.47 $11.47

54.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 72.0K

$29.17 $29.17

-86.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.4K

$39.88 $39.88

-69.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$12.14 $12.14

-69.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.6K

$10.95 $10.95

-86.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$11.95 $11.95

-81.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$19.65 $19.65

-89.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.6K

$1.97 $1.97

-6.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$8.71 $8.71

-72.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$8.22 $8.22

-87.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,324

$5.39 $5.39

-90.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.9K

$25.08 $25.08

-11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$5.95 $5.95

-50.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,559

$1.95 $1.95

-87.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 142.1K

$61.0 $61.0

-87.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,982

$19.99 $19.99

-97.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,811

$3.05 $3.05

-85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.44 $1.44

-43.06%

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

$23.8K Rp 433.0M

$54.0K $54.0K

-55.81%

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

$31.7K Rp 576.6M

$48.2K $48.2K

-34.13%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$462 $462

-82.89%

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

$6.45 Rp 117.1K

$98.9 $98.9

-93.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.4K

$147 $147

-87.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 898.7K

$163 $163

-69.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.6K

$10.18 $10.18

-58.06%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$1,471 $1,471

-66.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 103.0M

$22.1K $22.1K

-74.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 810.7K

$116 $116

-61.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.8K

$147 $147

-76.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.5M

$204 $204

-60.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$148 $148

-46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,589 $1,589

-29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$1,813 $1,813

-62.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$3,239 $3,239

10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$4,321 $4,321

-60.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.6M

$4,840 $4,840

-43.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.5M

$11.0K $11.0K

-79.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$2,724 $2,724

-93.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.45

45.82%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

St Thomas

$1.8K 41.2% 170% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

St Thomas

$960 * 21.8% 233% $671

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

St Thomas

$361 8.2% 235% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

St Thomas

$276 6.3% 157% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

St Thomas

$708 16.1% 581% $604

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

St Thomas

$183 4.2% 216% $125

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 811% $93

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,589 in St Thomas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in St Thomas are about 17 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Ubud, Bali versus $169 in St Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $960 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

12 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

20,000

💱 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 = 0.892 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 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 St Thomas 18,920 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
St Thomas

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 St Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, $4,405 in St Thomas – Ubud, Bali comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,023 per month in Ubud, Bali and $6,608 in St Thomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ubud, Bali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,125 there versus $1,589 in St Thomas.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Ubud, Bali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,471 in St Thomas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $4,405 in St Thomas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ubud, Bali – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ubud, Bali. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.