Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Vilcabamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilcabamba: $943 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Vilcabamba
Learn more

Vilcabamba Living Index

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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Vilcabamba

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $943 in Vilcabamba.

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Vilcabamba $943

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,400 in Vilcabamba.

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Vilcabamba $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,857 in Vilcabamba.

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Vilcabamba $1,857

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 43% more expensive than in Vilcabamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.3K

$3.53 $3.53

-5.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 646.5K

$29.95 $29.95

19.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.4K

$8.06 $8.06

-31.39%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.20 $2.20

23.64%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

$0.97 $0.97

75.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$1.07 $1.07

-28.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$2.03 $2.03

30.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.5K

$3.45 $3.45

26.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.04 $1.04

43.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.3K

$1.79 $1.79

27.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.47 $1.47

-19.05%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$2.48 $2.48

-17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 321.1K

$8.29 $8.29

113.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.9K

$5.14 $5.14

-22.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 221.1K

$7.24 $7.24

68.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.3K

$1.87 $1.87

95.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.10 $1.10

38.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.21 $1.21

84.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$1.13 $1.13

74.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$0.93 $0.93

98.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 44.0K

$1.09 $1.09

122.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 18.0K

$0.81 $0.81

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,313

$1.02 $1.02

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$5.22 $5.22

-57.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.4K

$11.20 $11.20

98.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$1.64 $1.64

37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.78 $2.78

6.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,553

$0.34 $0.34

-26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,972

$1.40 $1.40

-68.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,801

$1.23 $1.23

-65.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.1K

$10.09 $10.09

-46.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 15.0K

$0.68 $0.68

20.59%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.4M

$22.9K $22.9K

4.23%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.9M

$29.8K $29.8K

6.69%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$34.34 $34.34

130.23%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.9K

$13.49 $13.49

-52.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 337.0K

$36.53 $36.53

-49.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 897.5K

$30.19 $30.19

63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 320.1K

$16.60 $16.60

6.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.5K

$6.34 $6.34

-32.65%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$341 $341

43.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.9M

$6,293 $6,293

-9.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 809.7K

$61.1 $61.1

-26.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 634.0K

$44.77 $44.77

-21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$92.3 $92.3

-13.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$72.6 $72.6

9.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$383 $383

193.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$381 $381

76.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.7M

$618 $618

476.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.3M

$572 $572

201.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$1,295 $1,295

110.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,087 $1,087

110.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$448 $448

-63.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

10.09

36.57%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vilcabamba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Vilcabamba

$381 40.4% 43.2% $290

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Vilcabamba

$200 21.2% 30.8% $89

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Vilcabamba

$104 11% 3.4% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Vilcabamba

$122 12.9% 13.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Vilcabamba

$84 9% 18.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Vilcabamba

$43 4.6% 26.1% $15

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Vilcabamba

$8.9 * 0.9% 22.1% $2.5

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 $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $383 in Vilcabamba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilcabamba pays about 2.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $30 in Vilcabamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $200 per month, with Vilcabamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇪🇨 Vilcabamba

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

03:06 3:06 AM

13 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Vilcabamba 17,870 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
Vilcabamba

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 Vilcabamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vilcabamba wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Ubud, Bali. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Vilcabamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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 $383 in Vilcabamba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $943 in Vilcabamba – Vilcabamba is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Vilcabamba 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 Vilcabamba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.