How Much Does it Cost to Live in Bali?

How Much Does it Cost to Live in Bali?
Photo by Tom Bixler on Unsplash.

One of the most common questions I get asked by newly arrived expat residents to Bali is how much is the cost of living in Bali on a month-to-month basis?

Now of course, like anywhere else, you can live it up like a king or queen and spend the same amount of money as you would in London or Tokyo or you can go to the other extreme and live in a cheap homestay and eat fried rice twice a day and get around on a bicycle.

Both of these options are right on your doorstep in Bali. However, for the many families that do decide to come to Bali there are some pretty average fixed expenditures that you’ll have on a month to month basis.

Cost of Living in Bali Breakdown

For the purpose of this article we will take the example of a young expat family with one child living in a 3-bedroom villa.

Housekeeper

Nearly every household in Bali will have a housekeeper. For a good housekeeper that can speak a reasonable level of English with experience of handling young children and who comes to work for you 6 days a week you’ll be looking at paying IDR 2 million a month for part time and up to IDR 3.5 million for full time.

The scope of work usually includes cleaning the whole house and doing the laundry, running small errands and periodically baby sitting. Some housekeepers will also do some cooking for you, but it’s best to have this clarified beforehand so as to avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness.

Pool/Gardener

It is very likely that the villa you’ll be living in will either have a pool or a garden or both. For this you can get one person to do the work of keeping the pool or garden in good shape. Most people have staff to cover this 3 times a week and pay them on average IDR 800,000 per month.

Internet

In this day and age and especially in Bali most all villas will have an internet connection. At the time of writing expect to be paying IDR 1 million per month for a good fiber optic 10 MB connection.

Electricity

Electricity charges of course depend on how you live. For example, if you were to be running all the air-conditioning units in your 3 bedroom villa full time and have a pool then expect to be paying between IDR 2.5 – 3 million a month.

But if you don’t have a pool and use your air-conditioning units just at night and use fans during the day then you can very easily bring that bill down to IDR 1.5 million a month.

Mobile Phones

Most people in Bali are on a prepaid package of around IDR 150,000 a month. These packages include a certain amount of free calling minutes, text messages and data for surfing the internet or using messaging apps like WhatsApp.

Transport

Many families here with a young child will usually rent one scooter and one car. The scooter on average should cost around IDR 700,000 a month and for a small car around IDR 3.5 million a month.

Cost of Living at a Glance

So if we put it all together here are the average fixed outgoings for a young family with a child on a monthly basis:

  • Housekeeper (Full time): IDR 3.5 million
  • Gardener (3x a week): IDR 800,000
  • Internet: IDR 1 million
  • Electricity: IDR 2.5 million
  • Two Mobile Phones: IDR 300,000
  • 1x Scooter: IDR 700,000
  • 1x Car: IDR 3.5 million
  • Total: IDR 13.3 million

Total Cost of Living in Bali

All these expenses roughly come out to around USD 1,000 per month.

There are, of course, variations with these figures depending on what areas you are living in but through the experience that we have at Seven Stones we feel very comfortable informing new arrivals that these expenditures are a realistic estimate for how much it costs to live in Bali.

If you’d like more information about moving to and living in Bali send an email to hello@sevenstonesindonesia.com

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Andrzej Barski

Director of Seven Stones Indonesia

Andrzej is Co-owner/ Founder and Director of Seven Stones Indonesia. He was born in the UK to Polish parents and has been living in Indonesia for more than 33-years. He is a skilled writer, trainer and marketer with a deep understanding of Indonesia and its many cultures after spending many years travelling across the archipelago from North Sumatra to Irian Jaya.

His experience covers Marketing, Branding, Advertising, Publishing, Real Estate and Training for 5-Star Hotels and Resorts in Bali and Jakarta, which has given him a passion for the customer experience. He’s a published author and a regular contributor to local and regional publications. His interests include conservation, eco-conscious initiatives, spirituality and motorcycles. Andrzej speaks English and Indonesian.

Terje H. Nilsen

Director of Seven Stones Indonesia

Terje is from Norway and has been living in Indonesia for over 20-years. He first came to Indonesia as a child and after earning his degree in Business Administration from the University of Agder in Norway, he moved to Indonesia in 1993, where he has worked in leading positions in education and the fitness/ wellness industries all over Indonesia including Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Medan and Bali.

He was Co-owner and CEO of the Paradise Property Group for 10-years and led the company to great success. He is now Co-owner/ Founder and Director of Seven Stones Indonesia offering market entry services for foreign investors, legal advice, sourcing of investments and in particular real estate investments. He has a soft spot for eco-friendly and socially sustainable projects and investments, while his personal business strengths are in property law, tourism trends, macroeconomics, Indonesian government and regulations. His personal interests are in sport, adventure, history and spiritual experiences.

Terje’s leadership, drive and knowledge are recognised across many industries and his unrivalled network of high level contacts in government and business spans the globe. He believes you do good and do well but always in that order. Terje speaks English, Indonesian and Norwegian.

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Ridwan Jasin Zachrie

CFO of Seven Stones Indonesia, Jakarta

Ridwan is one of Indonesia’s top executives with a long and illustrious career in the financial world. He holds several professional certifications including being a Certified Business Valuer (CBV) issued by the Australian Academy of Finance and Management; Broker-Dealer Representative (WPPE); and The Directorship Certification for Directors and Commissioners, issued by the Indonesian Institute of Commissioners and Directors.

His experience includes being the Managing Director at one of the top investment banking groups in the region, the Recapital Group, the CFO at State-owned enterprises in fishery industry and the CEO at Tanri Abeng & Son Holding. He’s also been an Independent Commissioner in several Financial Service companies and on the Audit and Risk Committee at Bank BTPN Tbk, Berau Coal Energy Tbk, Aetra Air Jakarta as well as working for Citibank, Bank Mandiri and HSBC. His last position was as CFO at PT Citra Putra Mandiri – OSO Group.

Ridwan has won a number of prestigious awards including the Best CFO Awards 2019 (Institute of Certified Management Accountant Australia-Indonesia); Asia Pacific Young Business Leader awarded by Asia 21 Network New York USA (Tokyo 2008); UK Alumni Business Awards 2008 awarded by the British Council; and The Most Inspiring Human Resources Practitioners’ version of Human Capital Magazine 2010.

He’s a member of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Law, Trisakti University, Co-Founder of the Paramadina Public Policy Institute and actively writes books, publications and articles in the mass media. He co-authored “Korupsi Mengorupsi Indonesia” in 2009, which helps those with an interest in understanding governance in Indonesia and the critical issue of corruption. Ridwan speaks Indonesian and English.

Per Fredrik Ecker

Managing Director of Seven Stones Indonesia, Jakarta

Per is the Managing Director of the Seven Stones Indonesia (SSI) Jakarta office and has more than 25-years’ experience in Indonesia, China, and Western Europe. He previously worked in senior management positions with Q-Free ASA, Siemens AG, and other companies in the telecom sector. Over the last six years, he has been the Chairman of the Indonesia-Norway Business Council (INBC) and recently become elected to be on the board of EuroCham Indonesia.

His most recent experience is within Intelligent Transport Solutions (ITS), Telecom, and other sectors within the Indonesian market. He is today through his position in SSI and by representing Norway Connect, promoting Nordic and European companies that would like to explore business opportunities in the Indonesian market. He’s also playing an active role to help create the Nordic House concept in Jakarta that will provide an excellent platform for Nordic companies entering Indonesia, where they’ll find a community that can offer support with trusted information and affordable services to enter this market.