Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Surfers Paradise

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Surfers Paradise $2,824

A couple spends around $2,314 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $4,398 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Surfers Paradise $4,398

A family of three spends $3,260 per month in Ubud, Bali vs $5,973 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Surfers Paradise $5,973

Ubud, Bali is about 52% cheaper than Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ubud, Bali and Surfers Paradise sit above the global median – Ubud, Bali by 1%, Surfers Paradise by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$17.36 A$24.87

-80.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 629.4K

$105 A$150

-66.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 103.8K

$10.85 A$15.55

-46.54%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 48.8K

$4.10 A$5.87

-33.41%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

$2.81 A$4.03

-41.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$2.40 A$3.44

-65.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.3K

$7.86 A$11.26

-65.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 76.9K

$7.87 A$11.27

-45.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 26.9K

$1.66 A$2.38

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.1K

$2.70 A$3.87

-14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

$2.41 A$3.45

-51.04%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.4K

$4.90 A$7.02

-56.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 312.7K

$8.68 A$12.43

101.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.1K

$9.09 A$13.01

-55.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 218.8K

$14.47 A$20.73

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.5K

$3.92 A$5.62

-9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.1K

$3.08 A$4.41

-49.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$3.37 A$4.83

-33.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

$4.84 A$6.93

-60.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.7K

$2.82 A$4.04

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.0K

$2.44 A$3.49

-6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$2.39 A$3.43

-58.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,418

$2.07 A$2.97

-74.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

$37.58 A$53.8

-93.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 411.7K

$14.26 A$20.43

61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 41.9K

$5.97 A$8.55

-60.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.1K

$5.12 A$7.33

-43.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,289

$0.34 A$0.49

-29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 157.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,632

$2.10 A$3.01

-77.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,183

$1.62 A$2.32

-71.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.6K

$35.24 A$50.5

-84.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$1.30 A$1.86

-32.31%

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

$24.6K Rp 439.5M

$27.0K A$38.7K

-9.11%

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

$31.2K Rp 558.0M

$28.3K A$40.6K

10.02%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$212 A$304

-60.89%

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

$6.45 Rp 115.3K

$29.92 A$42.87

-78.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 332.2K

$55.4 A$79.4

-66.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 998.7K

$66.1 A$94.6

-15.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 324.0K

$14.45 A$20.70

25.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.4K

$17.42 A$24.95

-74.86%

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

$493 Rp 8.8M

$1,944 A$2,785

-74.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 102.9M

$12.4K A$17.7K

-53.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 826.5K

$83.1 A$119

-44.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 632.2K

$55.1 A$78.9

-35.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$111 A$159

-28.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$121 A$174

-35.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.4M

$1,912 A$2,739

-40.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.1M

$1,570 A$2,250

-56.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 62.7M

$3,770 A$5,400

-7.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.4M

$3,067 A$4,393

-44.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 49.8M

$5,895 A$8,444

-52.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.1M

$4,954 A$7,096

-54.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 2.9M

$3,288 A$4,710

-95.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

5.81

137.18%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 132% $895

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 30.8% $90

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 173% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 176% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 55% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 56.2% $36

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 7.9% $1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1898% higher in Surfers Paradise, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali versus $105 in Surfers Paradise. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $380 – making Ubud, Bali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

2 h ahead of Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

19,668

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 17,892 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,022 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Surfers Paradise 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surfers Paradise is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,051 per month in Ubud, Bali and $4,235 in Surfers Paradise. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Ubud, Bali and $2,824 in Surfers Paradise. That's a gap of about 106%.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Ubud, Bali and $1,944 in Surfers Paradise. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubud, Bali, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Surfers Paradise at $2,824. In Ubud, Bali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surfers Paradise it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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.

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