Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Varadero

For one person, living is cheaper in Varadero: $1,172 a month against $1,331 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Varadero
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Varadero Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,331

/mo nomad

Varadero

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,331 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,172 in Varadero.

Ubud, Bali $1,331
Varadero $1,172

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,542 in Varadero.

Ubud, Bali $2,255
Varadero $1,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,913 in Varadero.

Ubud, Bali $3,180
Varadero $1,913

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 14% more expensive than in Varadero, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ubud, Bali 2% lower, Varadero 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 Rp 60.9K

$3.51 CUP 84.2

-3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 Rp 625.4K

$20.38 CUP 489

70.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 Rp 100.6K

$4.89 CUP 117

13.91%

Cappuccino

$2.62 Rp 47.3K

$1.06 CUP 25.43

147.17%

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

$1.54 Rp 27.8K

$1.57 CUP 37.69

-1.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$1.01 CUP 24.16

-36.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 Rp 48.1K

$1.17 CUP 28.06

128.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 Rp 76.9K

$2.05 CUP 49.13

107.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$2.68 CUP 64.2

-45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 Rp 41.4K

$1.41 CUP 33.94

62.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.52 CUP 36.40

-26.97%

Eggs

$2.10 Rp 37.9K

$2.22 CUP 53.3

-5.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 Rp 287.7K

$4.50 CUP 108

254.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 Rp 70.1K

$4.53 CUP 109

-14.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 Rp 205.8K

$8.30 CUP 199

37.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 Rp 64.1K

$3.48 CUP 83.6

2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$1.04 CUP 25.03

48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

$1.51 CUP 36.29

47.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.6K

$1.53 CUP 36.63

28.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

$2.13 CUP 51.2

-12.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$2.68 CUP 64.4

-9.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

$0.67 CUP 16.11

52.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Rp 9,427

$0.53 CUP 12.75

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 Rp 39.7K

$1.69 CUP 40.45

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.79 Rp 393.2K

$5.34 CUP 128

308.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.0K

$0.90 CUP 21.67

158.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.6K

$2.13 CUP 51.0

39.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,519

$0.11 CUP 2.75

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 Rp 147.5K

$15.49 CUP 372

-47.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,901

$1.98 CUP 47.44

-77.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 Rp 8,446

$0.37 CUP 8.80

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.60 Rp 101.1K

$19.69 CUP 473

-71.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.26 CUP 30.32

-34.13%

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

$24.4K Rp 441.3M

$70.3K CUP 1.7M

-65.21%

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

$31.7K Rp 572.1M

$80.7K CUP 1.9M

-60.72%

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

$77.5 Rp 1.4M

$40.71 CUP 977

90.32%

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

$6.14 Rp 110.9K

$38.72 CUP 929

-84.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.92 Rp 341.4K

$90.1 CUP 2,162

-78.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 Rp 920.4K

$40.51 CUP 972

25.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 Rp 329.4K

$14.73 CUP 354

23.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 Rp 79.1K

$0.88 CUP 21.18

397.73%

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

$492 Rp 8.9M

$88.6 CUP 2,126

455.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K Rp 220.6M

$12.5K CUP 299.9K

-2.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 Rp 815.1K

$39.43 CUP 946

14.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 Rp 629.7K

$30.19 CUP 725

15.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 Rp 1.4M

$76.3 CUP 1,831

2.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 Rp 1.4M

$67.5 CUP 1,619

15.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 Rp 19.4M

$494 CUP 11.9K

118.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 Rp 12.0M

$574 CUP 13.8K

15.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,510 Rp 63.4M

$1,190 CUP 28.5K

195.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 Rp 30.2M

$642 CUP 15.4K

160.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 Rp 42.2M

$398 CUP 9,548

488.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 Rp 40.4M

$343 CUP 8,238

551.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 Rp 3.0M

$19.44 CUP 467

755.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

9.1

51.43%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: November 1, 2026

Last update for Varadero: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$665 50%

Varadero

$574 49% 13.7% $91

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$279 21%

Varadero

$195 16.6% 30.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Varadero

$96 8.2% 9.7% $10

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$106 8%

Varadero

$76 6.5% 28.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$103 7.7%

Varadero

$170 14.5% 65.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$60 4.5%

Varadero

$42 3.6% 29.3% $17

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9%

Varadero

$20 1.7% 65.4% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Ubud, Bali and $494 in Varadero. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ubud, Bali pays about 8.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ubud, Bali vs $20 in Varadero for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $195 per month, with Varadero cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇨🇺 Varadero

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

03:31 3:31 AM

13 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

27,170

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,049 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD). 1 EUR = 20,271 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.95 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ubud, Bali Varadero 17,620 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Varadero

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 Varadero: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varadero wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varadero the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ubud, Bali is about 8.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,078 in Ubud, Bali versus $494 in Varadero. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ubud, Bali versus $89 in Varadero. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Varadero 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.

It comes down to priorities – Varadero wins on affordability, Ubud, Bali on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.