Bali Cost of Living for Tourists: Going on a trip to Bali is never boring because Bali has a lot of tourist attractions to offer. A day or two is definitely is not enough to enjoy the beauty of the Island of the Gods.
Is it possible to have a vacation in Bali on a tight budget? The answer is yes, of course, if you know the tricks. There are some tips for you who need some insight on how to save money while having a vacation in Bali. For those who need some rough calculation concerning the cost of a vacation in Bali is provided here.
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Bali Cost of Living
Itinerary Planning
The itinerary is an important thing that will give a huge influence on the traveling costs that you will need to spend. Indeed, you can’t explore Bali in only one day visit, so don’t cram your time to visit too many destinations in a day. When making an itinerary, it is better if it is divided based on geographical area and easiness of access. When planning an itinerary, Google map will be a great help for you.
South part of Bali has the most tourist destinations and each location is in close proximity. In that part of Bali, you can divide the tourist destinations by regional segments; for example, for the first until the third day you can explore the Sanur area and its surroundings, then continue the journey to Kuta and end the trip at Uluwatu.
Pick Low Season
During high season, Bali is crowded with people. To avoid any inconvenient while visiting a tourist attraction due to a large crowd, you should visit Bali during low season, when there are fewer visitors. For instance, approaching the New Year, the visitor will flood the Kuta area. In that case, you can plan to shift your destination to another city like Ubud, which tends to be quieter during that month.
The perfect time to visit Bali is in April, May, June, and September. These exact months are just right before school holiday and after Christmas and New Year’s holiday season. October is also a good month for visiting Bali because the rainy season has not started just yet.
Book in Advance
Bali has a reliable infrastructure to support the tourist and is very well connected to the internet. Therefore, you can book online in advance before you arrive in Bali to get a much cheaper price. There are many local entrepreneurs who are familiar with the Internet to promote and facilitate tourism.
You can save money for various activities, ranging from day trips to lodging, tours and cooking classes, by booking online dealings whenever you find them instead of waiting till you get there and trying to bargain. You might just miss out on the best deals if you wait too long. Use your talent in searching for best deals a few months before your trip to find accommodation.
Look for Affordable Lodging
For those of you who plan to have a vacation in Bali less than a week, you should look for accommodation according to your itinerary. There are various types of accommodation suitable for low budget travelers available in Bali, ranging from hostels, bunk bed dormitory, and cheap guest houses to capsule hotels. If you plan to stay in the Kuta, you can explore the Legian area so as to find super cheap lodging.
The area around Poppy Lane and Legian streets is famous for a collection of inns offering low prices per night. Room rental rates range from IDR 100,000 to IDR 350,000 per day, and can be much cheaper if you rent the room for three consecutive days. The facilities provided are also adequate, such as single beds, fans, and private bathrooms. Before you book, make sure you check the information and reputation of each lodge through the internet to avoid any inconvenient.
You can also find cheap accommodations on Booking, Agod, Tripadvisor, KAYAK, HotelCombined or Expedia that suits your budget and needs.
Eat Like the Locals
To save your money, try to eat like a local. There are a lot of local restaurants called warung that serve local food at an affordable price. Bali has various tasty local foods that are ready from early morning till night. You can find local food stalls around the beach where the backpackers usually hang out and sell food and drinks at low prices.
Read also: Bali money exchange tips
If you want western food, you can find abundant of westernized restaurants to accommodate tourists. In places like Canggu and Ubud, those kinds of restaurants are not hard to find since literally, they are everywhere.
You can also install the zomato application or the google local guide to help you save some money on food. Read reviews of people who have visited the restaurant. Thus, you can avoid being “robbed” or “tricked.”
Free of Charge Tourist Destination
All beaches in Bali, like Kuta Bali beach, Canggu Berawa Beach, Echo beach Canggu beach Nusa Dua beach, Petitenget beach, Jimbaran beach, Seminyak and several tourist attractions in Ubud, are free of charge. So you can enjoy the beauty of the beaches in Bali without having to spend a lot of money. Even though there is no charge for the entrance ticket, you still have to pay for the parking.
- Motorcycle, IDR. 2,000.
- Four-wheeled car, IDR. 4,000.
- Bus, IDR 10,000.
Moreover, you can still hang out luxurious places like Ayana and Rimba. You don’t have to order food if you just want to take some pictures.
Use Cheap Transportation
To save some money on transportation, choose a motorcycle. You can find a really cheap motorbike rental place. In Bali, there are many cheap motorbike rental places if you know how to find one. You can ask the local residents for some reference.
You can also use a bicycle to get around some tourist destinations. The average cost of renting a bicycle for a whole day is around IDR 30,000 – 40,000. As for motorbike rental, the cost to pay per day is IDR 70,000. This fee does not include gasoline.
Tips when renting a motorcycle: Choose a manual rather than automatic one the manual saves more fuel than the automatic. For one day tour around Bali requires around 5 liters of gasoline or more or less IDR. 50,000.
Bring Drinking Bottle
This may sound like a meaningless tip, but it actually helps in reducing your expenses. By bringing your own drinking bottle, you can save money on buying bottled water. The hot weather and the fatigue will make you easy to feel thirsty. Instead of buying some bottled water to quench your thirst, why don’t you bring your own drinking water? Free water is usually available in your guest house or hostel. Just fill in your drinking bottle before you leave.
Bali Cost of Living for Tourist
It is the information concerning the budget of living in Bali gathered from Rental Mobil Bali and Catperku.
Accommodation
- The average price of cheap accommodation in Bali is ranging from IDR 100,000 – IDR 300,000/night.
- You can stay in villas and 4-star hotels with IDR 400,000 – IDR 800,000/night.
- If your budget is above IDR 1,000,000, you can have several choices.
Transportation
- Motorcycle rental price rancing from IDR 75,000 – IDR. 300,000/24 hours.
- The available cars for rent are Toyota Kijang Innova, Toyota Avanza, Toyota Alphard. There are two types of car rental in Bali, with or without a driver. For example, the price of renting Avanza without a driver is IDR 225,000/24 hours and with the driver is around is IDR 325,000/12 hours.
Meal
The average price of food in food stalls or warung around tourist attractions is around IDR. 25,000 – 50,000/portion. If you eat in a local food stall outside the tourist area, the price is around IDR 15,000 – 25,000/portion.
Parking Fee
- Motorcycle IDR 2,000
- Car, IDR 4,000
- Bust, IDR 10,000
This is the rough budget calculation in Bali for one day:
- Hostel/guest house IDR 300,000, motorcycle rent for 24 hours IDR 300,000, parking fee IDR 10,000, and meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) IDR 75,000 and the total sum is IDR 677,000 or around USD 49.00.
- Villa/4 star hotel IDR 800,000, motorcycle rent for 24 hours IDR 300,000, parking fee IDR 10,000, and meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) IDR 75,000 and the total sum is IDR 1,185,000 or around USD 85.00.
Enjoy!