Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whakatane and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,349 a month against $1,982 in Whakatane, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Whakatane
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Whakatane Living Index
65

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

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Whakatane

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,982

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Whakatane and in Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,982 in Whakatane versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali.

Whakatane $1,982
Ubud, Bali $1,349

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Whakatane versus $2,305 in Ubud, Bali.

Whakatane $2,919
Ubud, Bali $2,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,856 in Whakatane versus $3,261 in Ubud, Bali.

Whakatane $3,856
Ubud, Bali $3,261

Living in Whakatane is roughly 47% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.21 NZ$25.23

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

328.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 NZ$120

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

89.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 NZ$15.85

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

61.48%

Cappuccino

$3.16 NZ$5.61

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

16.18%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.53

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

17.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.26

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

140.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 NZ$10.86

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

130.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 NZ$11.21

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

44.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 NZ$3.31

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 NZ$1.75

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

-57.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NZ$3.29

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

56.30%

Eggs

$5.66 NZ$10.05

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

177.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 NZ$15.02

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

-52.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 NZ$15.18

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

115.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 NZ$27.29

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

26.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 NZ$4.31

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

-33.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 NZ$3.82

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

41.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

33.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.73 NZ$10.18

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

190.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NZ$3.55

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

8.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

-37.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 NZ$3.65

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

107.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NZ$1.90

$0.51 Rp 9,303

109.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.52 NZ$48.87

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

1139.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.66 NZ$15.37

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

-61.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 NZ$2.55

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

-36.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 NZ$2.04

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

-61.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$0.25 Rp 4,548

596.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 NZ$166

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

1099.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 NZ$4.00

$0.44 Rp 7,964

411.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$0.43 Rp 7,793

367.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 NZ$57.7

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

500.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 NZ$2.81

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

92.68%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.5K

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

14.62%

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

$9,071 NZ$16.1K

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

-71.43%

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

$119 NZ$212

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

50.70%

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

$26.90 NZ$47.76

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

317.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 NZ$72.1

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

118.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.14 NZ$69.5

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

-20.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

Cinema Ticket

$8.39 NZ$14.89

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

96.49%

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

$1,065 NZ$1,891

$491 Rp 8.9M

117.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K NZ$34.8K

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

245.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 NZ$119

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

49.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.12 NZ$71.2

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

14.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NZ$151

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

6.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 NZ$130

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

-7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 NZ$1,714

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

-14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NZ$1,730

$671 Rp 12.2M

45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 NZ$2,910

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

-54.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,525 NZ$2,707

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

-11.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,810 NZ$8,540

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

76.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,305 NZ$5,868

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

44.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,027 NZ$7,150

$164 Rp 3.0M

2357.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

13.78

-61.03%

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

Last update for Whakatane: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Whakatane

$974 49.2%

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8% 31.1% $303

Groceries & Markets

Whakatane

$295 14.9%

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4% 2.3% $6.8

Eating Out

Whakatane

$237 12%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 54.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Whakatane

$187 9.4%

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7% 44.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Whakatane

$119 6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 10% $12

Getting Around

Whakatane

$113 5.7%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9% 89.9% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Whakatane

$56 2.8%

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3% 3.8% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $966 in Whakatane and $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Whakatane pays about 25 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Whakatane vs $36 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $288 per month, with Ubud, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Whakatane

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

09:19 9:19 AM

5 h behind Whakatane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,700

74,800

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Whakatane Ubud, Bali 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Whakatane
Ubud, Bali

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

Whakatane vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Whakatane. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ubud, Bali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Whakatane is about 25 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: $966 in Whakatane versus $1,125 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 92% less than in Whakatane. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,982 per month in Whakatane versus $1,349 in Ubud, Bali – Ubud, Bali is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ubud, Bali 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, Whakatane and Ubud, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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