Hotels, Resorts, Villas & Holiday Rentals
Cost of Living in Bali
Bali has become one of the most desired destinations to settle in South East Asia – whether it’s for a few months or a few years. The quality of life attracts digital nomads & remote workers, investors and retirees alike. And of course, Bali attracts hospitality professionals from all over the world who come here and work in management positions for international hotels and entertainment businesses.
Important to know: Bali is a “cash-driven economy”. Means, many expenses you will have to pay in advance. If you rent a place for a year or two, it’s most common that you will have to pay the full amount in advance.
So how much does it cost to live in Bali?
Of course, like anywhere else in the world your cost of living depends very much on your lifestyle – are you comfortable with a minimal and budget approach, or would you like an elevated level of comfort, or do you desire something more luxurious?
Are you settling alone, with a partner, or with kids. Living in Bali with children is ads significantly to the expenses due to the costs for kindergarten, schools, and transport and the need to choose an accommodation that’s probably near a school or other facilities.
What’s for certain however, is that Bali offers an incredible value for money, particularly when it comes to accommodation options and restaurants, compared to other cities and destinations, that are as popular as Bali.
Accommodation & Rent
The rent will most likely be your major expense when living in Bali, and you will be amazed at how affordable and convenient living in villas can be, especially if you can sign a contract for 2 or 3 years. The cost of renting a property in Bali varies substantially depending on its location and amenities. You can choose between single rooms at guesthouses and apartments to private villas of up to 6 bedrooms. Whether you’d like a large garden, a tropical pool, a closed living room, …these commonly popular add-ons would increase your budget significantly. However, the first thing to decide on is what area you would like to live in.
Note: We are covering the topic of renting a property more longterm in another article (Click here).
Favorite Destinations
The most desired and therefore the most expensive places to settle in Bali are Canggu & Berawa (incl. Babakan and surrounding areas), Pererenan, Umalas, Petitenget, Ubud, Sanur, and a few spots in Seminyak. The other destinations in Bali like Kuta, Legian, Amed, Candidasa etc, are less in demand to settle down, because they are more suited for tourists or are too remote with little infrastructure, and/or too far to get to work or to schools if necessary.
Living on a Budget – Homestays (Losmen), Guesthouses, Rooms with Bunkbeds
(USD 300-500 / month)
…still very popular and in high demand for young travellers, and digital nomads who are just starting their journey dipping their toes into the world f being a freelancer. Decent places can be found starting at 10-15 USD/night for a room. Some offer bunk beds, which might be even cheaper but is rarely used for long-stays. If you wish to stay in a private, air-conditioned room i a guest house with decent amenities (private bathroom, fridge, double bed, AC) then you will find a decent place for 20 USD for sure. Guest houses often have communal spaces and kitchens to be shared with other long-term residents.
Apartments & Studios
(USD 700-1000 / month)
There are not yet many on the market, this is a segment that is just starting to grow and developers are in process of building plenty new projects in Berawa, Canggu, Pererenan and other popular destinations.
Private Villas in Bali
(USD 1200-1800 / month for 2-3 bedrooms) – mid range
Development of private villas has grown incredibly in Bali and a couple of thousand have been put on the market. Some of them are under professional management, while others are family-run. These properties come in all sizes and shapes, with unique designs and facilities that can vary greatly. Even though there are so many private villas on the market, most of them are not available for monthly or long-term rental but are managed by villa management companies and rented on airbnb and other portals for daily and weekly rental – especially in the most desired destinations and locations. So the quality of properties that are available are either, let’s say is “not so stunning”, or really nice, but expensive. Of course, there are exceptions and you can still find great places, particularly if you take your time to search and if you can look for places during off-season.
Home-pooling is popular among digital nomads, which often makes sense, if you consider, that for the price of renting a room in a guest house you would get now a room in a private and more exclusive villa.
For luxury villas in prime location, with 5 bedrooms or more, the prices can go up to between 3000-5000 USD – or more.
Living in Canggu
This is a cost of living example for living in a decent area in Canggu, in a 2 bedroom villa with pool within the comfort segment (nice but not luxurious), when renting for a year – in USD. It’s quite common that travellers decide to share a villa (homepooling).
Basic Rent
1300
Note: 1 bedroom villas and apartments are often not much cheaper, because in high demand. 3-4 bedroom villas are rarer than smaller units and in high demand for homepooling and for families with kids.
Electricity
100
Electricity incl. AC, normal consumption, can double if you need to run the AC 24/7. Usually you top-up prepaid buying KW/H. The water is often coming from a deep-well and rarely charged extra.
Other Expenses
200
Pool, Garden Cleaning Lady 3 x a week. Can be more, if garden and pool are big, or you need more regular cleaning. Depending on your contract you might need to add ca USD50-100 for community tax and rubbish.
Food & Drinks
We all need to eat and drink. Many many foreigners who live in Bali, rarely cook for themselves and mostly eat out or get something delivered. That*s because
- buying groceries can be expensive if you don’t manage to buy on a local market
- delivery services are convenient, efficient and cheap
- restaurants are reasonably priced and the many local warung provide the most tasty meals for 1-3 dollars. It’s hard to cook any cheaper for yourself.
Some decide to hire a maid/cook who usually also then does the shopping and gets fresh products from the local market, which is significantly cheaper than buying in the grocery stores such as Pepito or Festive. Of course, some love to cook at home and for themselves, and they dive into the amazing variety of local and fresh produce to create their meals.
It’s easy to slip into spending like a tourist when you actually live here, particularly for drinks. Sometimes, every day, feels like a holiday and if you want to, you can go out every night meeting old and new friends and spending on drinks. But, this can drastically add to the budget.
in IDR (1USd
= +/-14,200)
| Sample Items | on a budget | Comfort 3 | Premium | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe Latte | 3,000 | 15,000 | 35,000 | 45,000+ |
| Breakfast | 15,000 | 50,000 | 80,000 | 200,000+ |
| Lunch/Dinner | 20,000 | 60,000 | 120,000 | 300,000+ |
| Bottle of Wine 8 in shops) | — | 200,000 | 350,000 | 700,000+ |
| Cocktail/Longdrink | — | — | 90,000 | 150,000+ |
| Water Bottle 1.5L | 4,500 | 6,000 | 9,000 | – |
Cost of Groceries in Bali
Diary products are rather expensive in Bali, particularly good and affordable cheese is hard to find. Many imported food products are more expensive than “at home”. So if you fancy regularly your imported butter, yoghurt, cheese, milk, imported pasta, sauces, etc…then life will get expensive.
The slightly more expensive supermarkets that carry imported goods are often found in areas with a large expat population – so if you’re looking to stick to a certain budget when it comes to food, look for a more local store or the nearest traditional market called a pasar. Local produce is normally inexpensive.
Eating out
Budget (Average USD 1.5-2.5 per meal)
You can eat in local warungs (small restaurants) and street food stalls all over Bali. The local delicacies are scrumptious, and also fresh because they often cook the meals right in front of you. If you worry about the cleanliness of eating street food, kitchen hygiene has improved drastically over the years. However, remain wary about the places you do choose to eat at, although most warungs are proper eateries with seating for you to enjoy Indonesian cuisine.
Mid-Range (Average USD 3-7 per meal)
Hundreds of restaurants if not thousands will serve great and tasty food in this segment all over Bali. That’s where most travellers eat out at good cafes and restaurants, and these are the places where most local foodies head to. This segment is highly competitive for the restaurant owners, therefore prices are low, quality high, and very progressive when it comes to health and creativity. What is so special that you will find in Bali is that many of these places are simply beautiful – nicely decorated, unique in style and atmosphere, often with open-air terraces and cosy lounges. In the very touristic areas, the mid-range restaurants can be slightly more expensive.
Fine dining (Average USD 15–50 per meal)
Many restaurants that are considered upscale and fancy are mostly located in the five-star resorts and hotels, in the main streets of Seminyak, and a growing number of restaurants are opening in Canggu. Some of Asia’s best chefs work and live in Bali and gained their fame and reputation in this highly competitive market.
Cost of Drinks in Bali
Bear in mind, you cannot drink the tap water in Bali. You will often find that your villa may have a water dispenser that will be regularly refilled, and other times you will most likely be purchasing a gallon or 1.5L water bottles from the convenience store. Soft drinks are cheap, and juices and beer are reasonable. Imported wine and spirits can are expensive (due to taxes), as well as imported spirits.
Smoothies and green juices are not cheap (USD 3-4) but fresh and tasty, so are the fresh fruit juices, but usually less expensive, particularly when fruits are in season.
Imported beers such as San Miguel, Corona, cost on an average USD 3.5-6USD, while the famous Indonesian beer brand Bintang is slightly less expensive.
A general rule of thumb: Remember that Imported items are always significantly more expensive compared to local products.
Don’t forget: Health Insurance!!
Investing in insurance is a wise decision for anybody spending longer period on Bali, than the standard travel insurance covers. And if anything happens that would require you to go to hospital without you having an insurance, the potential financial ripple effects can be disastrous.
