Budget in Bali

Part of the Bali travel guide — see every topic in All Bali Guides.

Bali is unusual in how flat its price curve is at the bottom and how steep it gets at the top. A backpacker can live comfortably on 400,000–600,000 rupiah a day; a very comfortable trip with a private-pool villa, a driver and good restaurants runs 1.5–3 million; and the top end is genuinely unlimited. The things that move the number most are accommodation, whether you drink alcohol, and whether you hire a driver or ride a scooter. Food is cheap at every level if you eat any of it in warungs.

Accommodation

A hostel dorm is 100,000–200,000 rupiah. A clean guesthouse room with air conditioning and a pool — a genuinely good standard on Bali — is 300,000–600,000. A four-star hotel is 900,000–1,800,000. A private-pool one-bedroom villa is 1.2–3 million, and this is where Bali is exceptional value compared with anywhere else in Asia. The cliff and gorge resorts start around 5 million and go far beyond. Monthly rentals cut the nightly rate by half or more: a one-bedroom villa is 8–20 million a month in Canggu and thirty to forty per cent less in Sanur or Ubud.

Food and drink

A warung plate of nasi campur is 25,000–45,000 rupiah. A cafe breakfast in Canggu is 70,000–140,000. A good restaurant main in Seminyak is 150,000–300,000, and a tasting menu at the top kitchens is 1.2–2.5 million. Local beer is 30,000–50,000 in a warung and 60,000–90,000 in a bar; a cocktail is 120,000–250,000. Imported wine and spirits carry heavy excise and are the fastest way to double a bill. Water refills at a station cost almost nothing and save a fortune against buying bottles.

Getting around

A scooter is 70,000–150,000 a day, and fuel to fill it is about 20,000. Ride-hail car journeys of twenty minutes are 40,000–80,000. A car with driver for a full day is 600,000–800,000, which between four people is cheaper per head than three separate ride-hail trips and vastly better. The airport transfer is 250,000–450,000. A fast boat to the Nusa islands is 200,000–400,000 each way. The single biggest saving available to most visitors is not renting a car with driver every day when a scooter would do.

The things that catch people out

The "++" on restaurant menus — service charge plus tax, typically fifteen to twenty-one per cent on top of the listed price. Beach-club minimum spends, which are per lounger. ATM fees, which run 25,000–50,000 per withdrawal on top of your bank's charge, so withdraw the maximum. The 500,000-rupiah tourist levy introduced in 2024, payable per person on arrival. Entrance fees at every viewpoint, which are small individually and add up across a day-trip. And the exchange-rate trick at unlicensed money changers — use a bank ATM or a licensed changer with a proper counter.

Budget at a glance

More in Bali

All 72 Bali guides·Where to stay in Bali·Indonesia tourist maps

Featured Videos