Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Tamarindo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $2,114 in Tamarindo, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Tamarindo
Learn more

Tamarindo Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Tamarindo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,114 in Tamarindo.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Tamarindo $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,090 in Tamarindo.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Tamarindo $3,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,066 in Tamarindo.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Tamarindo $4,066

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 36% less than in Tamarindo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$12.37 ₡5,583

-73.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$62.0 ₡28.0K

-42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$11.80 ₡5,329

-53.14%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$4.42 ₡1,995

-38.46%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$2.72 ₡1,228

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.84 ₡833

-58.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$3.38 ₡1,526

-21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$4.41 ₡1,992

-0.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$2.31 ₡1,045

-35.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$3.17 ₡1,431

-28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.52 ₡1,138

-52.78%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$3.55 ₡1,604

-42.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$10.58 ₡4,775

67.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$10.30 ₡4,650

-61.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$14.15 ₡6,388

-13.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$5.22 ₡2,356

-29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.66 ₡748

-8.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$3.56 ₡1,609

-37.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$3.83 ₡1,728

-48.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$2.61 ₡1,180

-29.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$3.56 ₡1,608

-32.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$1.07 ₡483

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$3.07 ₡1,386

-83.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$5.11 ₡2,306

-56.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$13.35 ₡6,025

66.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$2.89 ₡1,305

-21.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.97 ₡1,341

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$2.11 ₡954

-88.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

$84.1 ₡38.0K

-90.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$2.40 ₡1,083

-81.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$1.63 ₡737

-73.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$6.69 ₡3,021

-19.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$1.51 ₡681

-45.70%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-30.80%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$36.5K ₡16.5M

-13.00%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$96.4 ₡43.5K

-17.97%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$30.50 ₡13.8K

-78.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$59.3 ₡26.8K

-68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$102 ₡45.9K

-51.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$26.43 ₡11.9K

-33.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$7.73 ₡3,488

-44.76%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$572 ₡258.4K

-14.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$9,152 ₡4.1M

-38.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-37.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$26.50 ₡12.0K

31.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$118 ₡53.4K

-32.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$134 ₡60.4K

-40.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$1,915 ₡864.6K

-41.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$941 ₡424.7K

-28.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$2,713 ₡1.2M

31.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$1,396 ₡630.2K

23.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$5,329 ₡2.4M

-48.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$3,241 ₡1.5M

-29.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$950 ₡428.9K

-82.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.62

59.86%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tamarindo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Tamarindo

$941 44.5% 40.1% $269

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Tamarindo

$377 17.9% 30.8% $89

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Tamarindo

$231 11% 115% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Tamarindo

$158 7.5% 46.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Tamarindo

$186 8.8% 78.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Tamarindo

$117 5.5% 102% $59

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Tamarindo

$103 4.9% 803% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $1,915 in Tamarindo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tamarindo pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $62 in Tamarindo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $377 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇷 Tamarindo

🕒 Local time

17:06 5:06 PM

03:06 3:06 AM

14 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

6,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Tamarindo 17,690 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Tamarindo

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 Tamarindo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,349 in Ubud, Bali and $2,114 in Tamarindo, so Ubud, Bali is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Ubud, Bali. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,915 in Tamarindo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Tamarindo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ubud, Bali – a meal for two runs $36 versus $62 in Tamarindo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Tamarindo 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 36% less than in Tamarindo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.