Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubud, Bali and Waiheke Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,908 in Waiheke Island, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Waiheke Island
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,908
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ubud, Bali and in Waiheke Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,908 in Waiheke Island.

  • Ubud, Bali $1,368
  • Waiheke Island $1,908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,314 in Ubud, Bali versus $2,944 in Waiheke Island.

  • Ubud, Bali $2,314
  • Waiheke Island $2,944

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ubud, Bali versus $3,979 in Waiheke Island.

  • Ubud, Bali $3,260
  • Waiheke Island $3,979

Living in Ubud, Bali costs roughly 28% less than in Waiheke Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ubud, Bali 1% above, Waiheke Island 41% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
$14.57 NZ$25.76
-77.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
$68.5 NZ$121
-48.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
$8.82 NZ$15.59
-34.24%
Cappuccino
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
$3.28 NZ$5.80
-16.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
$2.27 NZ$4.01
-27.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.60 NZ$2.83
-48.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$6.03 NZ$10.66
-55.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
$6.46 NZ$11.42
-33.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
$1.54 NZ$2.71
-2.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
$1.96 NZ$3.46
17.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$1.79 NZ$3.16
-34.08%
Eggs
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
$4.93 NZ$8.72
-56.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
$8.13 NZ$14.38
115.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
$8.06 NZ$14.25
-50.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
$14.90 NZ$26.35
-17.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
$2.26 NZ$3.99
57.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
$2.30 NZ$4.06
-31.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
$3.40 NZ$6.02
-34.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
$5.44 NZ$9.62
-64.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$2.07 NZ$3.66
-9.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$1.59 NZ$2.82
44.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
$2.07 NZ$3.66
-52.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,475
$0.98 NZ$1.73
-45.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$21.85 NZ$38.64
-89.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
$8.93 NZ$15.80
157.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
$3.01 NZ$5.32
-22.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
$3.18 NZ$5.62
-8.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 Rp 4,315
$1.88 NZ$3.32
-87.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
$73.7 NZ$130
-88.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 Rp 8,684
$2.28 NZ$4.04
-78.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 Rp 8,233
$1.87 NZ$3.32
-75.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
$30.71 NZ$54.3
-82.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
$1.65 NZ$2.92
-46.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
$28.1K NZ$49.8K
-12.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
$22.3K NZ$39.4K
40.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
$102 NZ$181
-18.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
$27.42 NZ$48.48
-76.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
$43.86 NZ$77.6
-57.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
$39.44 NZ$69.8
41.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
$11.70 NZ$20.69
-62.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$493 Rp 8.9M
$576 NZ$1,019
-14.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
$18.0K NZ$31.8K
-67.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
$70.1 NZ$124
-34.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
$36.02 NZ$63.7
-1.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
$105 NZ$186
-24.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
$107 NZ$189
-26.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
$1,048 NZ$1,854
8.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$676 Rp 12.2M
$890 NZ$1,573
-24.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
$1,625 NZ$2,873
115.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
$1,610 NZ$2,847
5.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
$5,251 NZ$9,286
-46.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
$3,477 NZ$6,149
-35.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ubud, Bali
Waiheke Island
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$165 Rp 3.0M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
5.57
147.40%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Waiheke Island: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ubud, Bali
$676
Waiheke Island
$890 31.7% $214
Groceries & Markets
Ubud, Bali
$290
Waiheke Island
$306 5.3% $15
Eating Out
Ubud, Bali
$109
Waiheke Island
$241 121% $132
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ubud, Bali
$108
Waiheke Island
$173 60.5% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Ubud, Bali
$108
Waiheke Island
$143 33.1% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Ubud, Bali
$65
Waiheke Island
$63 2.7% $1.7
Getting Around
Ubud, Bali
$13
Waiheke Island
$93 640% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,142 in Ubud, Bali and $1,048 in Waiheke Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Ubud, Bali vs $68.0 in Waiheke Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $306 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🇳🇿 Waiheke Island
🕒 Local time
06:03 6:03 AM
11:03 11:03 AM
5 h ahead of Ubud, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,800
1,950
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ubud, Bali Waiheke Island 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ubud, Bali
  • Waiheke Island

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 Waiheke Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ubud, Bali or Waiheke Island?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Waiheke Island. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ubud, Bali and in Waiheke Island?
You'd need roughly $2,051 in Ubud, Bali and $2,863 in Waiheke Island 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ubud, Bali compared to Waiheke Island?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,142 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,048 in Waiheke Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Ubud, Bali and in Waiheke Island?
Childcare runs $493 in Ubud, Bali versus $576 in Waiheke Island. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Ubud, Bali or in Waiheke Island?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Waiheke Island. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ubud, Bali or in Waiheke Island?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,908 in Waiheke Island, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Waiheke Island. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ubud, Bali or Waiheke Island?
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.
How safe is Ubud, Bali compared to Waiheke Island?
Safety-wise, Ubud, Bali and Waiheke Island are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Ubud, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Waiheke Island. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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