How Much Things Cost in Bali
Who doesn't love the idea of escaping to Bali. As one of Australia's favourite destinations, we travel there a lot. But planning for your trip becomes easier if you know how much things cost in Bali.
To give you an idea of how much everything is going to cost, we've listed some information about things you'll need on your holiday like accomodation, transport, food and more.
All the prices we've quoted in this article are in Australian dollars but you can visit our currency converter to find out what the exchange rate is between the AUD and IDR right now!
Before you head to Bali, learn about:
- Is it expensive to visit Bali?
- How much you need to bring to Bali
- How much it costs to fly from Australia
- The cost of food
- Buses and trains
- Tours in Bali
- Hiring a Car
- Accomodation
Is it Expensive to Visit Bali?
When it comes to travelling in Bali, there is a big difference between there and Australia. Let's have a look at the cost difference between some food and activities in Bali and Australia:
Australia vs Bali
In this table, we have a comparison of some things you might do in Bali. The prices are approximate, and can change between different cities in Indonesia.
Expense | Cost in Australia | Cost in Bali |
Breakfast with Coffee | $25AUD | $10AUD |
1 full week of public transport (MyKi) | $43AUD for a MyKi Pass | $20AUD |
Full priced Movie ticket | $23AUD | $10AUD |
Museum Entry | $28AUD | Free |
A pint of beer | $9AUD | $4AUD |
To find the best place to buy IDR, you can read our guide here.
How much money do I need to bring?
The answer to this question really depends on the type of holiday you're planning. Will you be backpacking and staying in hostels? Will you be living it up at a fancy hotel? If you want to do it on a budget, you easily can or you can splurge and go on a luxury holiday.
Either way, you would have noticed that the cost of living in Bali is much lower than in Australia, which probably explains why it is such a popular destination. It all depends on what you're doing, where you're staying, and how long you're planning to travel.
Here we have listed an estimate of what you'd need, per person, per day depending on your holiday.
Budget holiday: Up to $70AUD
Middle of the range holiday: Up to $100 to $200AUD
Luxury holiday: At least $300AUD
How much does food cost in Bali?
Food is a pretty important part of a holiday, and a great way to get to know a country. Especially somewhere like Bali where there are an increasing amount different cuisines you can try. In Bali, you can really decide how much you want to spend on food everyday. You could get by on as little as $15AUD or if you're fine dining you could spend a lot more! Below we've listed some general prices for eating and drinking out, and the cost of some other bits and bobs.
Eating out:
- Breakfast: $5 - $15 AUD
- Lunch: $5 - $20 AUD
- Dinner: $5 - $40AUD
Drinks:
- Coffee: $2.50AUD
- Beer: $2 - $10AUD
- Glass of wine: $2 - $15AUD
Some other examples:
- Big Mac meal: $5.50AUD
- Bottle of Wine: $10 - $30AUD
- Bottled water: $1AUD
- Cocktails: $2AUD+
- Food tour: $50 to $150AUD
How much does it cost to fly from Australia to Bali?
Like flying anywhere in the world, flights between Australia and Bali can change depending the time of year. Having said this, there are often sales that can get you there relatively cheaply if you keep your eye out for them.
The flight prices also depend on where in Australia you're flying from but from most capital cities you can easily get a direct flight.
Generally the average cost of a return flight to Denpasar Airport from Melbourne or Sydney will cost you about $500 to $700AUD. But the fight prices can go up to $2,000AUD depending who you fly with.
Buses and Trains
There is not a huge amount of public transport available in Bali. Taxis are very common in the south part of the island, especially from popular hotels and accomodation, and in a lot of cases you can hire a driver for the day for a pretty reasonable price.
There are no official buses, and no train lines. However, there is a shuttle service available across the island called Bemo. These rides can start at as little as 50cAUD but they are notorious for charging tourists more (but we still think this is very cheap!).
Taxis and Ride Sharing
- Taxis are more readily available in the southern part of the island. Areas such as Kuta and Ubud are easy to get taxis in.
- It will generally cost you about 50cAUD to get the taxi, and about $1.50AUD for every additional kilometre.
- Uber is available in Bali, but is still a relatively new service there. They can be a bit harder to order, but will probably be cheaper than a taxi.
Tours
Utilising tours is a great way to meet other travellers and learn about the area you're in. If you're looking to have a completely guided tour, you could consider looking into companies like Intrepid, or Topdeck. But even on a smaller scale, you can often find guided tours to different parts of the island which can usually be organised through your hotel or hostel.
The great news is that many of Bali's sights are free or relatively cheap to enter!
Here are some examples of other popular tours you might consider in Bali. They will all have different prices, depending on the tour inclusions and length.
- A full tour of regional Bali from $65AUD
- Beach horse riding $100AUD
- Rafting $50AUD
- Tour of temple at Uluwatu $20AUD
- Sunset dinner cruise $100AUD
Viator is a great website to get information about tours you can do throughout Bali!
Hiring a Car
You can hire a car in Bali - if you're game.
The traffic can be a little chaotic and the roads are undeveloped in some parts of the island. In order to drive there you will need to obtain an International Drivers Permit (IDP) which you can do in Australia, or from the Police Station when you get to Bali. Remember that if you're hiring a car and you're under 25, it is usually more expensive than it is for older drivers.
Price of a Rental Car in Bali, per Week:
- Budget: $140AUD per week for a budget car that will comfortably fit two people and luggage
- Mid-range: $200- $300AUD for a mid-range car that will easily fit four people and luggage
- High-end: $400AUD - $500AUD+ for a high end car such as a convertible, large SUV or luxury vehicle
Rental Car Companies
Accomodation
You can really be flexible about how much you spend on accomodation when you get to Bali. If you're keeping it low key and don't want to spend much, there are hostels, or you could live it up! Because you'll saving on a lot of other aspects of your holiday you might find that you want to splurge on accomodation. And if you're travelling in a group, there are some excellent options for staying in villas. Below are some rough guides to how much you can expect to pay.
Accomodation on a budget, like hostels cost about $10 to $70AUD a night.
Mid-range accomodation like a double room in a 3 star hotel will probably cost between $100 and $400AUD a night.
A double luxury hotel room will cost between $400AUD to as much as you're willing to spend per night.
4 person villa $300AUD+ per night.
Using the following sites will give you an even better idea of how much the accomodation you're after will cost you.
Tipping
Tipping is not compulsory in Bali. However, you may find that you want to tip and at some places you might find there is a service charge added to your invoice. Below we've listed some things you should keep in mind about tipping in Bali:
- Wages are quite low in Bali, and throughout Indonesia. If you have the means to, it is greatly appreciated by people in the service industry.
- 5-10% of your bill is an acceptable amount to tip.
- You can also consider leaving a tip at the reception of your accomodation, so that all staff can share in your generosity.
In all instances this is optional, and up to you and your resources to decide how much you spend on tipping.