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: $1,394 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,032 in Tulum.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,551 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,911 in Tulum.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,790 in Tulum.

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 35% more expensive than in Tulum, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ubud, Bali is 5% above, Tulum is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 Rp 60.6K

$10.79 MX$187

-68.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.38 Rp 577.1K

$49.91 MX$866

-35.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 Rp 89.1K

$7.84 MX$136

-36.22%

Cappuccino

$2.82 Rp 50.3K

$3.76 MX$65.2

-25.00%

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

$1.38 Rp 24.5K

$1.22 MX$21.18

13.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 Rp 13.0K

$1.06 MX$18.38

-31.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 Rp 53.2K

$2.75 MX$47.80

8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 Rp 70.8K

$3.95 MX$68.5

0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 Rp 32.0K

$1.44 MX$25.00

24.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 Rp 43.9K

$1.14 MX$19.84

115.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.4K

$1.55 MX$26.93

-22.58%

Eggs

$2.39 Rp 42.6K

$1.93 MX$33.58

23.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 Rp 256.6K

$5.43 MX$94.3

165.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 Rp 76.4K

$6.90 MX$120

-37.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.82 Rp 210.6K

$6.33 MX$110

86.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 Rp 67.4K

$2.17 MX$37.63

74.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 Rp 29.1K

$1.39 MX$24.14

17.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 Rp 49.9K

$1.46 MX$25.41

91.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 40.3K

$1.42 MX$24.61

59.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 35.6K

$2.16 MX$37.42

-7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

$1.95 MX$33.83

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 Rp 19.1K

$1.07 MX$18.59

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

$0.91 MX$15.86

-16.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 Rp 55.7K

$4.27 MX$74.2

-26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.81 Rp 424.4K

$8.59 MX$149

177.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 Rp 50.6K

$1.32 MX$22.88

115.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 Rp 49.5K

$1.28 MX$22.22

117.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,755

$1.16 MX$20.12

-76.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.37 Rp 149.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 Rp 8,082

$2.10 MX$36.41

-78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,624

$2.14 MX$37.09

-79.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 Rp 106.5K

$5.35 MX$92.8

11.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.3K

$1.31 MX$22.82

-38.93%

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

$25.8K Rp 459.9M

$15.6K MX$270.8K

65.41%

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

$31.8K Rp 566.8M

$21.6K MX$374.1K

47.55%

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

$80.7 Rp 1.4M

$83.1 MX$1,443

-2.89%

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

$4.14 Rp 73.7K

$21.86 MX$379

-81.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Rp 429.8K

$28.60 MX$496

-15.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.8 Rp 1.7M

$33.62 MX$583

190.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.64 Rp 118.4K

$16.05 MX$279

-58.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 Rp 71.9K

$4.51 MX$78.2

-10.42%

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

$297 Rp 5.3M

$206 MX$3,573

44.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,590 Rp 117.4M

$2,806 MX$48.7K

134.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 Rp 982.6K

$26.40 MX$458

108.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 Rp 686.2K

$31.72 MX$550

21.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 Rp 1.5M

$80.2 MX$1,392

7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.0 Rp 1.4M

$46.12 MX$800

69.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 Rp 17.6M

$698 MX$12.1K

41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 11.8M

$393 MX$6,819

69.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,446 Rp 61.4M

$1,456 MX$25.3K

136.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 Rp 36.4M

$1,219 MX$21.1K

67.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,829 Rp 50.4M

$3,300 MX$57.3K

-14.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,282 Rp 40.7M

$1,909 MX$33.1K

19.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 Rp 3.0M

$780 MX$13.5K

-78.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.28

20.73%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: June 14, 2026

Last update for Tulum: June 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Ubud, Bali and $698 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tulum pays 361% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $50.0 in Tulum. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $194, 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 35% 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 361% 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: $985 in Ubud, Bali versus $698 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $297 in Ubud, Bali versus $206 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 $50.0 versus $32.00 in Ubud, Bali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,032 in Tulum versus $1,394 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 $1,032 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 35% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.