OK, you’ve decided to plan a Bali trip, and you’re starting to wonder how much it’s going to cost? Is Bali expensive? Or will you save money compared to other destinations?
Will foreign transaction fees eat up your savings on cheap hotels? And just how much money should you bring with you?
Well, our guide to Bali prices and costs in this popular tourist destination should make it easy to decide what you can afford when visiting Bali and how much money you should bring with you.
We’ve broken down all the major costs on this Indonesian island, and we can assure you it’s just as affordable for young backpackers as it always was. Those coming from Western countries seeking a luxurious life won’t be disappointed with the value for their money, either.
How Much Will It Be To Visit Bali?
It’s better to think in terms of setting a travel budget rather than trying to work out how much it costs to be in Bali.
Is Bali expensive? Not really. In fact, it’s often significantly cheaper than other destinations, and certainly, it’s cheaper than the average costs of living back home.
But whether you find Bali cheap or expensive depends on you – will you eat street food, local food or Western food? What sort of hotel rooms will you book? How many tourist attractions do you intend to visit? Will you stay in South Bali, Central Bali, East Bali, etc.. Prices vary all over the island.
What’s The Average Price Of Visiting Bali?
According to the local tourist board’s data, most Westerners in this popular destination spend about $3,000 (USD, not AUD) during their visit to this part of Southeast Asia for a fortnight.
This number does not include the cost of flights but does include all the other costs that people incur, from beach clubs, to travel costs, to eating in local restaurants, swimming in infinity pools, etc.
However, it’s easy to spend two weeks in Bali for half the price and still have a great time. So, please don’t get too hung up on an average price, it’s not a particularly useful piece of data.
How Much Will Flights To Bali Be?
The cheapest flights to Bali tend to be from other parts of Southeast Asia and from Australia. This shouldn’t come as any particular surprise given that they are the closest places to fly to Indonesia from.
A round trip from Sydney can be as little as AUD 400, and it’s a bit cheaper to fly from Melbourne.
Whereas if you’re flying from London, a round trip is going to cost about 800 GBP.
And from Los Angeles or another American destination, getting to this part of Southeast Asia is going to cost $1,500 or so, round trip.
Because of this huge variance in flight costs, we tend to leave flights as a separate item outside of the overall cost of the holiday.
After all, hotel costs, food costs, etc., don’t vary much at all in Bali – the prices you pay are the same prices that other people will pay.
How Much Are Other Transportation Costs?
This really depends on you, some hotels, for example, will provide a private transfer from the international airport to your hotel room for free. Whereas others will charge $20 (or more for this service).
Renting a scooter will cost you $5 a day, but is risking your life on Bali’s roads really cost-effective? We’re not so sure.
Renting a car with a driver will come in at around $50 a day, and you can use local ride-share apps like Grab and Gojek to pay for taxis on a per-ride basis.
There are also public transport options in some cities, and public transportation costs are very low. You won’t spend a fortune on a bus fare, for example.
However, if you want local transportation to some of the other islands, you will need to pay for that, and the costs will vary depending on your final destination and the quality of your transport options. We’ve not included this expense because it can be next to nothing, or it could be quite substantial.
That means you can spend as little as $0 a day (assuming you stay within walking distance of your resort and didn’t pay for the hotel transfer service) to $50 a day.
How Much Will Accommodation Costs Be?
Much depends on your travel style as to how much you’re going to spend on accommodation in Bali.
Dorm Vs Private Room
The first choice you’re going to face is if you’re looking for the cheapest of options. Are you willing to stay in a dorm, or do you need at least a double room all to yourself?
You can find a dorm for $10 a night and a cheap-ish room for $20+ a night.
That means you could spend as little as $10 a night for two weeks on accommodation.
Budget Vs Mid-Range Vs Luxury Vs Ultra-Luxury
However, there is really no maximum spend on accommodation either. If you take a look at the hotel transfers at Denpasar Airport, you will quickly see just how many hotels are based in Bali.
All the world’s biggest name brands are represented on the island, and while a dorm might be $10 a night, a budget room $20 a night, a mid-range can quickly hit $50-$60, a luxury resort might be $300+ a night, and the ultra-luxury resorts (such as Mandapa by The Ritz-Carlton) can cost more than $1,000 a night!
We’re going to assume, however, that if you’re budgeting for your Bali holiday, you probably aren’t going to be spending \$1,000 or more a night on your hotel room.
Most people will have private rooms, of course, but most won’t spend a fortune on them.
We’ll keep things reasonable to give you a good estimate of how much you need at the end.
$50 a night would be good for a mid-range budget and $20 for a tighter budget. If you want better prices when you find accommodation in Bali, try to book during the off-season. Most places offer lower prices at this time of year.
How Much Will Food Be?
Street food in Bali is ridiculously cheap. It’s not hard to find a meal here on most of the island for $1 from a street vendor, though in major cities, it might be a little more.
But as with hotel rooms, there are many different prices of food in Bali depending on how much you want to spend.
Warungs Vs Fine Dining
If you love the idea of eating Balinese food throughout your trip, then the local warungs (restaurants) are awesome.
You can easily find dishes for as little as $2, and they tend to be wholesome and use local ingredients.
If you want something a bit more like home, then you can find that too, and there are plenty of cafes and mid-range restaurants offering everything from vegan fare to pizzas and burgers.
You can spend as much as you like in places like this, but $10-$20 per person is probably about right for most people.
Then, there’s fine dining, and the prices in Bali for fine dining are a bargain, but they are still pretty stiff, too.
You can easily spend $300+ on a fine dining meal and much, much more if you start throwing in top-notch international wines over and over above the meal.
However, we’d say that \$15-\$20 a day is probably enough for food but leave some room for a splurge day or two, like when you visit FINNS Beach Club and enjoy different dishes from all seven of their kitchens!
How Much Is A Beer In Bali?
The local beer, Bintang, comes in small and large bottles. The small one usually sells for about 30,000 IDR ($2), and the bigger one for 55,000 IDR ($3.50).
That means drinking beer is pretty cheap compared to the West, and it’s a good thing because cold beer is something many of us need in Bali’s heat.
Cocktails Cost More
However, cocktails are more expensive than beer. Substantially so, in fact.
If you want to keep your cocktail spending in check – look out for the happy hours in bars throughout Bali, then you will get two for one on select cocktails, which makes them much better value.
A cocktail will normally cost around 150,000-200,000 IDR (roughly $8-$12).
We won’t add alcohol to the budget because it’s not a necessity, but if you want to add alcohol, now you have an idea of how much to allocate for it.
Soft drinks are very cheap, however, and generally speaking, you won’t need to pay more than $1 for one at a stall or market. The fair amount for these things in cafes and bars tends to be higher because you’re paying for the setting, too.
How Much Will I Need To Tip In Bali?
Balinese culture is not a tipping culture, and you are not expected to tip anywhere.
Before you leave a tip, you should carefully examine the bill for a service charge (this is super common in the more heavily touristed areas) and if you see one, don’t tip. (Unless you want to tip twice, that is).
If, however, you feel that the service you have received anywhere is outstanding and you want to be generous, then a tip of 10-15% will always be welcomed.
If you go somewhere that tourists rarely if ever venture, however, you may find that a server tries to return the tip because they don’t know what tipping is.
What Should I Budget For A Fortnight In Bali?
This entirely depends on you, but we’d recommend that you bring about $1,500 – $2,000 for a good time, and this is how we came by that figure (and please remember that number does not include flight costs).
A Full Breakdown Of Costs For Budgeting In Bali
We’re going to assume that you’ve come to Bali for some fun and that you don’t want the most basic lifestyle possible and nor are you wealthy enough to spend every night sleeping on special pillows watched over by your personal butler at the Four Seasons (though if you are doing the latter, that’s awesome).
Accommodation Prices
As we said before, you can spend as little as $10 a night, but we’d recommend spending $50 and picking a nice mid-range hotel.
There’s something nice about sleeping in a comfy bed and having a free breakfast and a pool to use. Some mid-range hotels also have gyms and other cool facilities to use.
Food Prices
We think most people are going to mix this up a lot. Everyone should try some street food, warung food is awesome, but grabbing some nice meals in mid-range international restaurants is also a nice part of a holiday.
And you could always push the boat right out and go for somewhere super fancy once or twice in your time in Bali.
Say $20/day per person, and you should be able to have a great time.
Transport Costs
This is going to depend on how much of Bali you want to see, but some days will probably cost nothing as you drift to the beach from your hotel room on foot and enjoy a day in the sun.
On other days, you might spend $100 as you head off to remote parts of the island.
$20 a day is probably a reasonable budget, but $50 might be wiser if you want to travel a lot.
Activity Outlays
Some trips and activities cost next to nothing, others are pretty expensive. $20-$30 per person per day is a good number, which means you can have plenty of fun in Bali.
Miscellaneous
This might include alcohol or souvenir shopping, etc., and only you can work out how much you want to take for this final column on the expense sheet. It will vary dramatically from person to person.
Note: To avoid excessive transaction fees in Bali, never allow the local vendor to translate your payment into your home currency. Always select the option on the card machine to pay in IDR.
How Much Will A Trip To Bali Cost?
It really all depends on you, but a good budget for a two-week holiday in Bali is probably around $1,500-$2,000 plus flight costs.
This won’t cover a private driver for every day or your stay, but it will cover entry fees to most attractions, trips to the rice terraces, transport costs from the international airport and around the island, etc. and a room with air conditioning.
How Much Is A 7-Day Trip To Bali? How Much Does It Cost To Go To Bali For A Week?
Again, this is down to you, and we can’t speak to the flight costs, but you can have a good time in Bali for a week from as little as $500, though we’d try to bring $1,000-$1,500 and push the boat out a little.
You could have at least a couple of great days out with that budget and do something like scuba diving with sea turtles as well as visiting FINNS.
Is $1,000 (AUD) Enough For A Week In Bali?
Yes, in fact, many digital nomads live in Bali for less than that amount each month! It all depends on how you spend your money as to how much of a good time you have on that amount.
How Much Spending Money Is Enough For A Week In Bali?
$500 is probably the minimum you’d want to have a good time in Bali, but you can get by with less. If you want an amazing holiday, we’d recommend about $1,000-$1,500 for a week.
How Much Money Do You Need Per Day In Bali? Is $100 A Day Enough For Bali?
You can get by with very little, $20-$30 a day, but we’d recommend at least $100 a day for a good holiday and more if you can afford it.
How Expensive Is Bali For Tourists?
You can expect to pay less in Bali for nearly everything than you would at home, assuming you’re coming from the West or Australia. However, if you want the ultra-luxurious lifestyle, you can still expect to pay a fairly substantial amount for it.
How Much Would A Meal Cost In Bali?
Anything from $1 at a street vendor to $3 in a warung in the rice terraces to $300+ in a fancy dining place in a top-end hotel.
How Do I Book The Best Value Bali Holiday?
The folks at Bali Res Centre have your back on this. They can help you find everything that you need at a sensible price.
Their local connections mean that they can always help you get rooms, flights, etc., that are great value for money, and their staff can steer you around any minor issues that have cropped up in Bali that aren’t on the official websites of hotels, etc.
Final Thoughts On The Cost Of Time In Bali
You can get great deals for a good time in Bali on any budget, and many people have an amazing holiday on the island without spending very much money at all.
However, if you want an ultra-luxury lifestyle and endless fancy dining, that’s here too. It’s just going to cost a bit more.
