Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Valley Center, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $2,734 in Valley Center, CA, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
Learn more

Ubud, Bali Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Valley Center, CA
Learn more

Valley Center, CA Living Index

Jump to prices

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Valley Center, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Valley Center, CA

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 Valley Center, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,734 in Valley Center, CA.

Ubud, Bali $1,368
Valley Center, CA $2,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $4,022 in Valley Center, CA.

Ubud, Bali $2,314
Valley Center, CA $4,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $5,310 in Valley Center, CA.

Ubud, Bali $3,260
Valley Center, CA $5,310

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 50% less than in Valley Center, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Valley Center, CA 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

$29.60 $29.60

-88.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 Rp 629.4K

$74.8 $74.8

-52.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 Rp 103.8K

$10.06 $10.06

-42.35%

Cappuccino

$2.73 Rp 48.8K

$5.36 $5.36

-49.07%

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

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

$2.86 $2.86

-42.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.57 $1.57

-47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 Rp 48.3K

$4.97 $4.97

-45.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.30 Rp 76.9K

$5.62 $5.62

-23.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 Rp 26.9K

$0.97 $0.97

54.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 Rp 41.1K

$3.26 $3.26

-29.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

$2.84 $2.84

-58.45%

Eggs

$2.14 Rp 38.4K

$5.66 $5.66

-62.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.48 Rp 312.7K

$13.09 $13.09

33.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 Rp 72.1K

$6.59 $6.59

-38.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 Rp 218.8K

$12.50 $12.50

-2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 63.5K

$4.94 $4.94

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 Rp 28.1K

$2.16 $2.16

-27.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

$4.48 $4.48

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

$4.35 $4.35

-55.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.7K

$2.17 $2.17

-13.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 Rp 41.0K

$1.91 $1.91

19.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$2.15 $2.15

-53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Rp 9,418

$1.53 $1.53

-65.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 Rp 40.9K

$9.91 $9.91

-76.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.01 Rp 411.7K

$8.95 $8.95

157.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 Rp 41.9K

$1.61 $1.61

45.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 Rp 52.1K

$1.97 $1.97

47.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 Rp 4,289

$1.77 $1.77

-86.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 157.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,632

$3.49 $3.49

-86.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 Rp 8,183

$1.88 $1.88

-75.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 97.6K

$24.26 $24.26

-77.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$1.38 $1.38

-36.23%

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

$24.6K Rp 439.5M

$33.4K $33.4K

-26.50%

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

$31.2K Rp 558.0M

$26.2K $26.2K

19.05%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$251 $251

-66.88%

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

$6.45 Rp 115.3K

$81.7 $81.7

-92.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 Rp 332.2K

$66.0 $66.0

-71.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 Rp 998.7K

$45.77 $45.77

21.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 Rp 324.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 78.4K

$11.93 $11.93

-63.29%

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

$493 Rp 8.8M

$539 $539

-8.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,754 Rp 102.9M

$8,317 $8,317

-30.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.19 Rp 826.5K

$31.25 $31.25

47.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 Rp 632.2K

$35.09 $35.09

0.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$70.8 $70.8

11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

$140 $140

-43.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 Rp 20.4M

$1,805 $1,805

-36.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Rp 12.1M

$1,405 $1,405

-51.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,503 Rp 62.7M

$2,428 $2,428

44.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 Rp 30.4M

$2,424 $2,424

-29.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,784 Rp 49.8M

$2,526 $2,526

10.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.1M

$2,599 $2,599

-13.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$165 Rp 2.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

6.68

106.29%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Valley Center, CA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4%

Valley Center, CA

$1.4K 51.4% 108% $730

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2%

Valley Center, CA

$330 12.1% 13.8% $40

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$109 8%

Valley Center, CA

$385 14.1% 254% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Valley Center, CA

$398 14.6% 269% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9%

Valley Center, CA

$125 4.6% 15.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7%

Valley Center, CA

$70 2.6% 7.8% $5

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9%

Valley Center, CA

$20 * 0.7% 59.2% $7.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $1,805 in Valley Center, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $75.0 in Valley Center, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $330 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇺🇸 Valley Center, CA

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

06:17 6:17 AM

15 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

10,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.01 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 17,892 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19,973 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.01 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Valley Center, CA 14,000 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Valley Center, CA

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 Valley Center, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Valley Center, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,051 in Ubud, Bali and $4,100 in Valley Center, CA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,805 in Valley Center, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Valley Center, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,368 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $2,734 in Valley Center, CA – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,734 in Valley Center, CA, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Valley Center, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ubud, Bali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ubud, Bali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Valley Center, CA 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 Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Valley Center, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.