Cost of living in Bali in 2026: an honest monthly budget

Bali is cheap if you live like a local and expensive if you live like an expat. The spread between those two lives is roughly four to one, which is why online numbers vary so wildly. Here are three realistic budgets.

Budget 1: lean, around 700 to 1,000 dollars a month

• Room in a guesthouse or a simple studio, often without a private pool: from around 340 to 500 dollars.
• Warung food, mostly Indonesian, around 30,000 to 50,000 IDR a meal: roughly 150 to 200 dollars.
• Scooter from around 1,000,000 IDR a month plus fuel: about 70 to 80 dollars.
• Electricity, water and a SIM: roughly 50 to 80 dollars.
• This is a real life lived by plenty of surfers and long-term travellers. It involves cooking, riding and very few western restaurants.

Budget 2: comfortable, around 1,500 to 2,500 dollars a month

• One-bedroom villa with a private pool or a good apartment: roughly 800 to 1,400 dollars.
• A mix of warungs and western cafes, some delivery: 350 to 500 dollars.
• Scooter, fuel, occasional cars, a gym or yoga pass: 150 to 250 dollars.
• Utilities with the AC running nightly: 80 to 150 dollars.
• Coworking day passes or a part-time desk: 50 to 200 dollars.
• This is the standard digital-nomad budget and what most people mean by living well in Bali.

Budget 3: family or high comfort, 3,000 dollars and up

Two or three-bedroom villa, a car with a driver on call, international school fees if you have children, restaurants most nights, regular massage and a travel budget for Nusa Penida and the Gilis. There is no ceiling here.

The costs people forget

• Visa. The visa on arrival costs 500,000 IDR with one extension, and a long-stay visa through an agent costs considerably more. See the visa guide.
• Travel insurance. Non-negotiable if you ride a scooter, and the policy must actually cover motorbikes. See what to check.
• Electricity. The most underestimated line. Air conditioning in two bedrooms can double a bill: the numbers.
• Alcohol. Imported wine and spirits carry heavy duty. A bottle of imported wine often costs more than a night in a guesthouse.
• Flights home and visa runs. Budget for them from month one.
• The tourist levy of around 150,000 IDR per person, paid online or on arrival.

Where the money goes further

Rent is the lever. The same budget buys a noticeably bigger villa in Ubud, Sanur or Ungasan than in Berawa. Season is the second lever: a three-month stay starting in November costs much less than the same stay starting in July, as the November notes explain. Food is the third: cooking twice a day with market produce halves the food line, and warung versus restaurant prices breaks it down.

A sanity check before you commit

Budget your first month high and your later months low. Setting up costs more: deposits, a scooter, a SIM, kitchen basics, a few mistakes. From month two the numbers settle. Read the three-month winter plan if you are coming for a season.

Rent direct, bank the difference

Rent is your biggest expense, and platforms add 15 to 25 percent to it. Renting direct from the owner with a written agreement is the single easiest saving available: on a 1,200 dollar villa it funds your scooter, your SIM and most of your food. Compare monthly rates in the rentals catalogue.