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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,336 in Tulum.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,327 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,232 in Tulum.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,275 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,129 in Tulum.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 3% more expensive than in Tulum, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 0% above, Tulum is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 58.7K

$9.02 MX$153

-63.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 Rp 630.7K

$58.6 MX$994

-38.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.63 Rp 99.1K

$8.60 MX$146

-34.53%

Cappuccino

$2.82 Rp 49.7K

$4.23 MX$71.8

-33.33%

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

$1.75 Rp 30.8K

$1.23 MX$20.93

42.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 Rp 14.0K

$1.18 MX$20.02

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 Rp 53.6K

$3.00 MX$50.9

1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 75.7K

$3.95 MX$67.0

8.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 Rp 28.3K

$1.71 MX$29.00

-5.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 Rp 39.9K

$2.18 MX$37.02

4.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 20.6K

$1.92 MX$32.51

-39.06%

Eggs

$2.17 Rp 38.2K

$2.08 MX$35.30

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 Rp 310.5K

$5.95 MX$101

196.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.05 Rp 71.4K

$8.30 MX$141

-51.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 Rp 214.5K

$9.93 MX$168

22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 Rp 63.7K

$2.83 MX$48.07

27.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 Rp 28.8K

$1.52 MX$25.71

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 Rp 40.6K

$1.64 MX$27.89

40.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 34.5K

$1.60 MX$27.23

22.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 32.5K

$2.38 MX$40.43

-22.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 41.7K

$1.95 MX$33.12

21.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 Rp 18.5K

$1.56 MX$26.40

-32.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 Rp 9,560

$0.94 MX$15.91

-42.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 Rp 40.6K

$4.81 MX$81.6

-52.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.08 Rp 406.4K

$8.87 MX$151

160.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 41.2K

$1.42 MX$24.08

64.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 Rp 54.0K

$1.41 MX$23.90

117.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,365

$1.50 MX$25.37

-83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.42 Rp 165.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,631

$3.01 MX$51.1

-83.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,349

$2.65 MX$44.99

-82.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 98.6K

$5.97 MX$101

-6.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 Rp 14.2K

$1.56 MX$26.41

-48.08%

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

$25.0K Rp 440.3M

$23.3K MX$395.0K

7.41%

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

$31.1K Rp 547.0M

$25.9K MX$439.3K

19.98%

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

$82.7 Rp 1.5M

$115 MX$1,953

-28.16%

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

$6.49 Rp 114.2K

$17.85 MX$303

-63.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 Rp 330.8K

$37.18 MX$631

-49.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 Rp 972.6K

$36.21 MX$614

52.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 Rp 320.6K

Cinema Ticket

$4.30 Rp 75.7K

$7.15 MX$121

-39.86%

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

$494 Rp 8.7M

$277 MX$4,703

78.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,917 Rp 104.2M

$3,139 MX$53.3K

88.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.28 Rp 814.8K

$43.54 MX$739

6.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 Rp 641.6K

$35.22 MX$597

3.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 Rp 1.4M

$102 MX$1,732

-20.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.8 Rp 1.4M

$64.4 MX$1,092

22.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 Rp 19.6M

$652 MX$11.1K

70.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 Rp 12.2M

$569 MX$9,656

21.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,639 Rp 64.1M

$1,639 MX$27.8K

122.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 Rp 30.1M

$1,400 MX$23.8K

22.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,761 Rp 48.6M

$3,362 MX$57.0K

-17.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 Rp 40.4M

$1,918 MX$32.5K

19.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$167 Rp 2.9M

$842 MX$14.3K

-80.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.8

27.59%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: September 6, 2026

Last update for Tulum: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,114 in Ubud, Bali and $652 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 404% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $59.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $238, with Tulum 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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tulum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 404% lower in Tulum. 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: $1,114 in Ubud, Bali versus $652 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Ubud, Bali versus $277 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $36.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,336 in Tulum versus $1,378 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tulum delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,336 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tulum hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Tulum 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 Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.