Cost of living in Bali: a monthly budget for a single person, a couple and a family

The single person rents a scooter and eats at warungs. The couple cooks at home and eats out a few times a week, with a part-time cleaner. The family adds a housekeeper, a second helmet and school fees, and tuition outweighs everything else.

A couple spends about twice what one person does, not three times. A family with a child in school spends six times as much, and more than half of that is tuition. Add housing from the next section, then check it against a real week on the island.

Source: Rise Real Bali calculation from PLN, Badung water and Pertamina tariffs, school fee sheets, BPJS rates and market prices, September 2026

Bali has no official statistics on long-term rent, so we collected 480 listings in September 2026. A small apartment in Denpasar asks a median Rp 6.8 million a month, while a two-bedroom villa in Canggu asks Rp 36 million. Uluwatu runs far higher. Two villas on the same street can differ more than two areas do.

Two habits cut the bill. Signing for a year saved 22% against month-to-month pricing in the same sample, and landlords with an empty January negotiate more readily than they do in July. Expect to pay the term up front plus a deposit of one or two months. Our rent or buy guide lists median rents area by area.

Source: Rise Real Bali long-term rental sample, 480 listings, September 7, 2026

Nasi goreng at a warung costs Rp 20,000–40,000, and a full lunch with a drink rarely passes Rp 60,000. A main course at a Western-style café runs Rp 60,000–120,000, and a flat white Rp 45,000–65,000. In a Canggu or Seminyak restaurant, mains start around Rp 150,000 and go well past Rp 300,000.

Read the menu with the bill in mind. Restaurants add a 10% local tax on food and drink, called PBJT, and many add a 5–10% service charge. At a "plus-plus" place that's 15–20% on top of the listed price.

Source: unfoldbali.com, June 17, 2026; tamandukuh.com, September 5, 2026; Law 1/2022 and Badung Regional Regulation 7/2023 on PBJT; Bintang Supermarket, September 12, 2026

Bank Indonesia publishes daily prices for traditional markets and modern stores side by side, which lets you compare like for like. We built one weekly basket for two and priced it both ways on September 22, 2026. The market came to Rp 330,740 and the supermarket to Rp 410,165, a gap of 24%.

The gap isn't even. Chicken and beef cost 30% more in a store, shallots 69% more and garlic 51% more. Rice differs by only 3%, since state intervention holds its price. Packaged sugar and cooking oil are slightly cheaper in the supermarket, and imported goods almost always are.

Source: PIHPS, Bank Indonesia, Bali province, September 22, 2026; gap and basket are our calculation; Danone-AQUA gallon price, September 2026

Utilities are regulated and priced from published tariffs. Electricity is the one that surprises people. A villa with a pool and air conditioning sits on a 3,500 VA connection or higher, billed at Rp 1,699.53 per kWh by the state utility PLN. At 1,000 kWh a month that's about Rp 1.7 million, and bills of Rp 2–4 million are common.

Water is cheap. Badung's household tariff starts at Rp 4,749 per cubic meter plus a Rp 13,000 monthly charge. Rubbish goes to the banjar, the village council, for Rp 30,000–50,000 a month. An apartment on a 1,300 VA connection pays Rp 1,444.70 per kWh and spends far less in total.

Source: PLN tariff schedule, third quarter of 2026; Perumda Tirta Mangutama 2026 water tariff; banjar fees from local sources, 2026

A scooter covers most daily life. Monthly rental starts around Rp 650,000–800,000 for a Honda Beat or Scoopy and reaches Rp 1.7 million for a newer Vario or Fazzio. A new Vario 125 costs about Rp 21.2 million at a Denpasar dealer, so if you're staying past a year, buying beats renting. Pertalite fuel costs Rp 10,000 a liter, and 15 liters a month covers most local riding.

Budget for the license too. Visitors may ride with an International Driving Permit endorsed for motorcycles. A resident needs an Indonesian SIM C, issued against a KITAS, and riding unlicensed can void your insurance after a crash. Families usually add a car with a driver for school runs and rainy days.

Source: Oto.com dealer prices, Denpasar, September 2026; Bali Bike House rental prices; Pertamina, September 1, 2026; Law 22/2009 on road traffic

The state insurer, BPJS Kesehatan, charges Rp 150,000 a month for first class in 2026. Foreigners who work here for six months or more must join, and other KITAS holders should check whether they can. It covers treatment inside the Indonesian system. It doesn't cover evacuation, care abroad or most private clinics, which is where many foreigners go.

Private care is priced visit by visit. A consultation runs about Rp 600,000–1.5 million, a doctor's house call about Rp 550,000, and a birth Rp 15–30 million at a mid-range clinic. International health insurers quote from your age and history, so get a quote before you move rather than after.

Source: Perpres 59/2024 on BPJS contributions; private clinic price lists in Bali, 2025–2026

For families, school fees decide the budget more than food or transport do. They're also the most predictable line, because schools publish them a year ahead. At Green School the last two grades cost Rp 319 million a year in 2025–26, plus a Rp 40 million admission fee.

Source: Green School Bali official fee sheet, school year 2025–26; Canggu Community School 2026–27 fees as published by school-fee aggregators

A full-time housekeeper earns Rp 3.5–4.5 million a month. The legal minimum wage in Badung, where most villas sit, is Rp 3,791,003 for 2026. On top of wages you owe a THR holiday bonus of one month's pay once a year and, if you register the worker, 10–12% in social security contributions.

So a housekeeper on Rp 4 million costs about Rp 57.3 million a year, not Rp 48 million. For a small home, hourly cleaning at Rp 85,000–150,000 per person often works out cheaper. Our villa running costs guide prices a full villa staff.

Source: Governor of Bali decree 1021/03-M/HK/2025 on regency minimum wages; Permenaker 6/2016 on THR; BPJS Ketenagakerjaan rates; Bali Villa Hub and Solar Property Bali, 2026

A winter away from home is the most common first trial. A visa on arrival tops out at 60 days, so a 90-day stay needs the multiple-entry D1 visa at Rp 3,000,000 a year per person. In Canggu or Seminyak, a two-bedroom villa with a pool goes for Rp 20–35 million on a monthly contract.

Our estimate for two people over three months comes to about Rp 129 million without flights: Rp 75 million of rent, Rp 31.9 million of food, Rp 6 million of visas, Rp 5.7 million of utilities, Rp 5.3 million of insurance and Rp 5.1 million for two scooters and fuel. Keep the deposit of Rp 25–50 million outside that figure. You get it back when you leave.

Source: PP 45/2024 on visa fees; WonderfulBaliVillas monthly rates, September 2026; our calculation

Bali's annual inflation was 3.45% in August 2026, and food led it with 3.70%, Statistics Indonesia's Bali office reported. Cooking oil rose 9.10% and chicken 7.42% over the year. A budget written a year ago is already low.

If you're buying rather than renting, running costs matter as much as the price. Send us the area and the way you'll live, and we'll add the ownership costs for homes from the catalog alongside this budget.

Source: BPS Bali, August 2026 inflation release, September 2, 2026

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