Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Whanganui and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubud, Bali: $1,368 a month against $1,854 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Whanganui
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,854
/mo nomad
Ubud, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,368
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Whanganui 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 Whanganui and in Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,854 in Whanganui versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Whanganui $1,854
  • Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,785 in Whanganui versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Whanganui $2,785
  • Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,715 in Whanganui versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

  • Whanganui $3,715
  • Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Whanganui is roughly 36% more expensive than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Whanganui 37% above, Ubud, Bali 1% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.16 NZ$21.51
$3.33 Rp 59.9K
265.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.2 NZ$129
$35.18 Rp 633.2K
108.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.24 NZ$14.58
$5.80 Rp 104.5K
42.07%
Cappuccino
$3.30 NZ$5.83
$2.73 Rp 49.1K
20.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 NZ$3.84
$1.64 Rp 29.5K
32.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 NZ$3.49
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
137.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.62 NZ$9.93
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
108.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.38 NZ$9.51
$4.30 Rp 77.4K
25.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 NZ$2.30
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
-13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.92 NZ$1.63
$2.30 Rp 41.4K
-60.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.13 NZ$2.00
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
-4.24%
Eggs
$5.26 NZ$9.30
$2.14 Rp 38.6K
145.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.62 NZ$9.95
$17.48 Rp 314.6K
-67.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.40 NZ$13.08
$4.03 Rp 72.5K
83.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.62 NZ$20.56
$12.23 Rp 220.1K
-4.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 NZ$4.03
$3.55 Rp 63.9K
-35.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 NZ$3.43
$1.57 Rp 28.3K
23.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 NZ$3.32
$2.24 Rp 40.2K
-16.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.44 NZ$6.08
$1.93 Rp 34.7K
78.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 NZ$2.96
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-11.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 NZ$2.31
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
-43.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 NZ$3.74
$0.99 Rp 17.9K
114.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 NZ$0.91
$0.53 Rp 9,475
-3.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.63 NZ$40.02
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
892.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 NZ$17.35
$23.01 Rp 414.2K
-57.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.46 NZ$4.36
$2.34 Rp 42.2K
5.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 NZ$4.00
$2.91 Rp 52.4K
-22.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 NZ$3.17
$0.24 Rp 4,315
645.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.1 NZ$152
$8.82 Rp 158.7K
875.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.58 NZ$6.34
$0.48 Rp 8,684
645.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.72 NZ$3.04
$0.46 Rp 8,233
273.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.21 NZ$46.36
$5.45 Rp 98.2K
380.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.61 NZ$2.85
$0.88 Rp 15.9K
82.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.0K NZ$47.7K
$24.6K Rp 442.2M
9.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K NZ$40.4K
$31.2K Rp 561.4M
-26.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$197 NZ$349
$83.0 Rp 1.5M
137.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.22 NZ$57.0
$6.45 Rp 116.0K
399.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.49 NZ$84.0
$18.57 Rp 334.2K
155.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.33 NZ$67.8
$55.8 Rp 1.0M
-31.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.11 Rp 326.0K
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.53 NZ$9.78
$4.38 Rp 78.9K
26.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$655 NZ$1,158
$493 Rp 8.9M
32.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K NZ$40.0K
$5,754 Rp 103.6M
292.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.8 NZ$109
$46.19 Rp 831.4K
33.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.24 NZ$67.6
$35.33 Rp 636.0K
8.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.0 NZ$166
$79.1 Rp 1.4M
18.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 NZ$186
$78.4 Rp 1.4M
34.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$960 NZ$1,697
$1,142 Rp 20.6M
-16.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$828 NZ$1,464
$676 Rp 12.2M
22.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,603 NZ$2,834
$3,503 Rp 63.1M
-54.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 NZ$2,531
$1,700 Rp 30.6M
-15.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,235 NZ$9,259
$2,784 Rp 50.1M
88.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,097 NZ$5,477
$2,241 Rp 40.3M
38.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Whanganui
Ubud, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$165 Rp 3.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.8
13.78
-50.65%

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

Last update for Whanganui: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Whanganui
$828
Ubud, Bali
$676 18.4% $152
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Whanganui
$277
Ubud, Bali
$108 61% $169
Groceries & Markets
Whanganui
$243
Ubud, Bali
$290 19.5% $47
Eating Out
Whanganui
$217
Ubud, Bali
$109 49.9% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Whanganui
$135
Ubud, Bali
$108 20.2% $27
Getting Around
Whanganui
$105
Ubud, Bali
$13 88.1% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Whanganui
$49
Ubud, Bali
$65 30.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $960 in Whanganui and $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Whanganui vs $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries flip the comparison at $243 vs $290, with Whanganui cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Whanganui
🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali
🕒 Local time
06:58 6:58 AM
01:58 1:58 AM
5 h behind Whanganui
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,300
74,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Whanganui Ubud, Bali 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Whanganui
  • 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
Whanganui vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Whanganui or Ubud, Bali?
Ubud, Bali wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Whanganui. 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 Whanganui and in Ubud, Bali?
You'd need roughly $2,781 in Whanganui and $2,051 in Ubud, Bali 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 Whanganui compared to Ubud, Bali?
Rent for a central apartment: $960 in Whanganui versus $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Whanganui and in Ubud, Bali?
Childcare runs $655 in Whanganui versus $493 in Ubud, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Whanganui or in Ubud, Bali?
Shoppers in Whanganui pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Whanganui or in Ubud, Bali?
At $1,368 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,854 in Whanganui, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ubud, Bali but tight or insufficient in Whanganui. The gap between the two cities makes Ubud, Bali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Whanganui or Ubud, Bali?
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 Whanganui compared to Ubud, Bali?
Safety-wise, Whanganui and Ubud, Bali 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 36% less than in Whanganui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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