COST OF LIVING IN BALI

RENT:

The biggest expense when coming to Bali is going to be your accommodation. There is no denying my villa is not the cheapest you can rent in Bali (check out my villa here). With daily housekeeping and weekly pool keeping, many of the day to day chores are covered which is an incredible luxury to have and as a digital nomad, it means you can fully focus on your work. Two of the three rooms are currently being rented out to friends, so that's a great way to help keep the cost on my end much more reasonable. 

Having this beautiful Bali villa to film, work and live, is pretty much the best $33 USD I could spend per day. 

$1000 USD / Month = $33.33 USD / Day 

FOOD:

On average, I spend around $18 USD on food per day in Bali. A meal at a local warung could cost just a few dollars, but a meal in a more international style restaurant can get a little more expensive. Albeit, still very affordable, especially because that $18 usually covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner out (or delivered to the villa by GoJek). 

$545.31 USD / Month = $18.18 USD / Day

EXTRAS:

Extras include anything from taking a taxi, phone data, buying toothpaste, topping up electricity to power the villa, or scooter rental. I own my own bike, so don’t have any scooter rental monthly outgoings, although I’ve added the average cost of scooter hire to the expenses, as this is how most people get around. Also, I’ve attached a rough guide to visa expenses, whether you decide to extend your visa after 30 days (a little bit of an expensive process, around $75 USD) or to do a visa run, where you basically buy a round-trip flight to a destination like Kuala Lumpur (the cheapest place you can fly out of Bali, besides within Indonesia). If you’re lucky or flexible with dates, this could also cost around $75 USD.  

$265.63 USD / Month = $8.85 USD / Day

LUXURIES:

Luxuries include items such as my gym membership, high-speed internet, hotel stays, and massages. They are things that I want to spend my money on while in Bali; they matter to me, but they may not matter to other people. For example, I have a very expensive gym membership, but for me, it’s worth every single penny because of how much I use it, how great it makes me feel and it’s foundational to my Bali daily routine; getting to the gym at 8.30 am, having a great 1-hour workout with friends, then straight to work. 

Bali has its cheap experiences, but it also has its luxury experiences. During the month, we stayed at the beautiful Samanvaya Resort, Sidemen (costing roughly $180 USD per night including food and activities). I have included this within the budget although we were hosted, to give an example, if you’re someone who wants to have a special weekend or experience another side to Bali. Typically I like to travel this way, experiencing both the cheap side to a country and luxury, in boutique places run by locals, providing so much care and attention. 

$677.55 USD / Month = $22.59 USD / Day 

TOTAL COST OF LIVING IN BALI

The total amount that I spent in 30 days in Bali was 35 million Indonesian Rupiah ~ $2,487 USD = $82.93 USD per day. I know that number might frighten some people, but you can definitely do it cheaper. Indonesia is extremely affordable, Bali is a little inflated because of tourism, and therefore other parts of Southeast Asia can be a lot cheaper, but overall you can visit or live affordably. 

*The full breakdown of my month’s expenditure is at the bottom of this blog. 

Budget-Friendly Example

For a much more budget-friendly option, we’ve brought the daily cost down to $37 USD per day ($1,117 USD per month). This cost of living in Bali can be even cheaper, by finding cheaper accommodation, sharing a room as a couple or only eating at local warungs. 

Bali doesn’t have to be expensive, there are plenty of free things to do simply by exploring the island. One of the best things about Bali for digital nomads is that you can finish up work, make your way down to the beach and relax with a beautiful sunset. My closest beach is Brava Beach, just a 5-minute walk from my villa, and it’s a great way to take a break from being on the computer all day. 

Bali is the perfect place to live if you’ve ever dreamed of being a digital nomad or you already are a digital nomad. Hopefully, I have provided some insight into the cost of living in Bali with both my detailed breakdown of expenses and the rough guide to a more budget approach to living in Bali.

*I’ve added 1 extra day to show you the cost of getting to my villa from the airport in the evening before the full breakdown began.

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