Bali villa running costs: utilities, pool, staff and upkeep

Split the bill in two. Utilities are metered and priced by the state: electricity, water and internet. Everything else is labor, set by the market and by what you agree with the people who look after the villa. The second half is almost always the bigger one.

The table shows an owner-run pool villa with two to three bedrooms. Industry estimates put the whole monthly budget, repairs included, at Rp 10.5–18.2 million. If a management company runs the villa as a rental, part of the staff cost moves inside its fee, and our management fees guide shows how that works.

Source: Bali Villa Hub, February 21, 2026; Solar Property Bali, June 3, 2026; PLN tariff for July–September 2026; Perumda Tirta Mangutama 2026 tariff; Biznet Home price sheet, April 23, 2026; Alpha Partner Bali, May 5, 2026

PLN, the state utility, prices power by the capacity of your connection in volt-amperes. Homes on 1,300 or 2,200 VA pay Rp 1,444.70 per kWh. From 3,500 VA up the rate is Rp 1,699.53, 18% more. The government left both rates unchanged for July–September 2026, and household tariffs haven't moved since 2022.

A villa with two or three air conditioners, a water heater and a pool pump needs 3,500–5,500 VA, so it lands on the higher rate. Raising a 2,200 VA connection to 5,500 VA costs about Rp 3.2 million once. A villa let commercially can sit in the business group B-2 (6,600 VA and up) at Rp 1,444.70, which is cheaper than the home rate.

Prepaid tokens and postpaid billing cost the same per kWh. The difference is elsewhere. A postpaid meter bills a minimum of 40 hours at full capacity, so an empty villa on 3,500 VA still pays Rp 237,934 a month, and a 5,500 VA account needs a one-off deposit of Rp 863,500. On top of the bill, the regency can add a local electricity tax (PBJT) of up to 10%. Denpasar charges the full 10%.

Source: PT PLN, tariff adjustment for July–September 2026, signed July 1, 2026; ANTARA and RRI, September 2026; PLN customer deposit rates; AstraPay and Kompas.com on connection upgrades, August 2026; PP 4/2023 and Denpasar Perda 5/2023 on PBJT

The Badung water utility, Perumda Tirta Mangutama, bills in blocks by customer group. A private house on a large connection pays Rp 4,749 per m³ for the first 10 m³, Rp 8,165 for the next 10 and Rp 8,743 beyond that, plus a fixed Rp 13,000 a month. Pay after the 25th and a Rp 25,000 late fee follows.

Once the house is rented out, it can move into a business group, and the top block for lodging, cafés and spas costs Rp 16,290 per m³. On the same 50 m³ that almost doubles the bill. Ask the seller which group the meter sits in.

Mains water in Indonesia is certified as clean water, not drinking water, so villas boil it, filter it or buy 19-liter bottles. A home reverse-osmosis unit lists from Rp 5.28 million. A private well needs a permit under the water resources law, renewed every five years. In Badung, non-household use of groundwater is taxed at 20% of the water's value, while household use is exempt.

Source: Perumda Air Minum Tirta Mangutama, 2026 tariff under Badung Regent Decree 1058/01/HK/2025, published January 2, 2026; Regent Decree 1060/01/HK/2022; Law 17/2019 and PP 30/2024; Badung Perda 1/2011 on groundwater tax; Permenkes 2/2023

Badung's minimum wage for 2026 is Rp 3,791,002 a month, the highest in Bali. Denpasar sits at Rp 3,499,879 and Tabanan at Rp 3,287,679. Gianyar, which covers Ubud, pays Rp 3,316,798. Market rates for villa work start around the minimum and climb with experience and English.

A full-time gardener or pool technician earns Rp 3–4 million, or Rp 1.5–2 million for three days a week. A night guard earns Rp 3.1–4 million, a housekeeper Rp 3.5–4.5 million and a villa manager Rp 8–12 million. Two more costs come with every employee. Each year you pay THR, a holiday bonus of one month's salary after twelve months of service. Registered employers also pay about 10–11.7% of wages into the BPJS health and employment insurance schemes.

Source: Governor of Bali Decree 1021/03-M/HK/2025; Kompas, January 1, 2026; Bali Villa Hub, February 21, 2026; Solar Property Bali, June 3, 2026; Absenia and IDN Times on BPJS rates, 2026

A pool contractor charges by visit frequency. Once a week costs Rp 1.5–2 million a month, twice a week Rp 2.5–3.5 million and three times Rp 4–6 million. If your own staff do the work, you pay only for chemicals, about Rp 300,000–600,000 a month.

The pump is easy to price. A 750 W pump running six hours a day uses 135 kWh a month, about Rp 229,500 at the villa rate. Two 12 W underwater lights on for twelve hours add Rp 14,700. For a 3 × 7 m pool that's roughly Rp 244,000 a month in power.

Source: Kontraktor Kolam Renang Bali, April 7, 2026; Raga Pool, June 15, 2026; our arithmetic at the PLN R-2 rate

Relative humidity in Denpasar averages 77–82% in every month of the year, and January brings about 350 mm of rain. Mold needs only 24–48 hours to start on a wet surface, and the US Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%. Ventilation, air conditioning or a dehumidifier has to close that gap.

A 12-liter-a-day dehumidifier costs about Rp 2.5 million. At 250 W around the clock it uses 6 kWh a day, roughly Rp 260,000 a month on a home tariff, which is cheaper than replacing a mattress. One Bali contractor publishes mold treatment at Rp 8,000 per m³ of room volume with an Rp 800,000 minimum. An alang-alang thatched roof costs about Rp 350,000 per m² to lay and needs replacing every 5–10 years.

Source: Climates to Travel, Denpasar airport normals 1991–2020; US EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, February 18, 2026; mybest Indonesia; Mr. Biocid price list; Pablo Luna Studio, July 5, 2024

The tropics wear a house faster than most spreadsheets assume. In years two and three, filter changes on the air conditioners turn into full servicing. By years three to five you're replacing split units, redoing waterproofing and resurfacing the pool, and those bills tend to land together.

Soft furnishings and mattresses wear out sooner than they would in a dry climate. Furnishing a two- to three-bedroom villa of 140 m² (≈ 1,510 sq ft) costs Rp 175–290 million, so keep a replacement fund. We model wear and replacement at 3% of value per year. Waterproofing failure is the most common cause of early damage that inspectors find, so check it before you buy.

Source: Paradyse Homes, villa maintenance calendar, 2026; Miraland furniture budget, August 7, 2025; VillaAudit, June 16, 2026; Rise Real Bali cost model

Land and building tax, PBB-P2, is capped at 0.5% of a taxable base that the regency sets at 20–100% of the official valuation (Law 1/2022). Badung reassessed values in 2025 for the first time since 2020, and the bills rose mostly on commercial land. Waste collection isn't a municipal bill in Badung anymore, because Perda 7/2023 dropped the regency levy. You pay the collector, the banjar or a local recycling point (TPS3R) directly.

Property insurance follows the financial regulator's tariff. For a house of up to three floors the base premium is 0.294–0.558 per mille of the sum insured, depending on the construction class. Earthquake cover is priced separately, so ask the insurer about Bali's zone.

Source: Law 1/2022 (HKPD); Badung Perda 7/2023; Bali Post citing Bapenda Badung, August 18, 2025; SE OJK 6/SEOJK.05/2017

In our rental model, upkeep, repairs and empty nights take 12% of revenue, management 18% and income tax 10% for a tax resident, so the owner keeps about 60%. Take a villa grossing Rp 548 million a year. The 12% line is about Rp 66 million, or Rp 5.5 million a month, for utilities, minor repairs and wear. Guest-facing staff sit inside the manager's fee.

If a seller's projection sets running costs at 5% of revenue, ask what's missing. The full picture, commissions included, is in our rental yield guide. To test a specific villa, use the yield calculator or pick one from the catalog, starting with areas such as Canggu and Ubud.

Source: Rise Real Bali yield model, median of the models in our catalog, September 2026

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