Greetings, dear ones! Apparently, wintering in warm regions inspires more and more families, because the number of letters on this topic in the direct message of my Instagram @honeymama.ru has increased significantly. The most popular question, of course, is about money in Bali. And this is not surprising: the family budget needs and is important to plan.
Many travel bloggers wrote hype posts about how little money you need in Bali and you can easily survive on 20,000 rubles. Now, this is not true. More precisely, you can try it alone and on rice with water, of course, but then why go so far? This quest is quite accessible at home :) In this article I will try to cover the most important aspects of planning a monthly budget for wintering in Bali. I’ll warn you right away: I’m voicing Ubud prices. Depending on the area, they may differ, but in general you can get an idea. Get your calculators ready, we're starting!
How much money is there in Bali?
The national currency of Bali is called the Indonesian rupiah (Rp). The smallest money is a coin of 100 rupees, and the largest is a bill of 100,000. The ratio to the ruble is approximately 1 to 5, that is, 10,000 rupees = 50 rubles. The rate depends on the dollar, as usual.
On my first visit to Bali in 2014, when a dollar cost 30 rubles, I was pleasantly surprised by local prices: I spent less than 10 rubles on a freshly prepared smoothie from any fruit at the market! Clothes, food, souvenirs - everything cost a penny. That is, then, in 2014, really very little money was required in Bali for a comfortable life. Plus you can bargain - it’s absolutely paradise! But now, unfortunately, prices for Russians have changed a lot and continue to rise.
In Bali, you need to withdraw money from cards carefully. Skimming is very common, so I highly recommend going to ATMs at bank branches. Fraudsters are not so desperate as to install their gadgets under the gun of video cameras. Do you already know about the best bank card for travel?
If you travel with cash, take dollars; you cannot change rubles anywhere. And be careful with exchangers: some offer a very favorable rate - this is a signal to you that you should avoid this one. Exchange money at official points, which show that this is not an unauthorized stall “At Ketut”.
How much does housing cost in Bali?
I wrote in detail about how to find housing in Bali. Now let's talk about prices. If you go alone, then you can easily find a room in a shared villa for around 2.5-3 million rupees (12 - 15,000 rubles). You will have fun from the kaleidoscope of international neighbors, joint parties, etc. But if you are traveling as a family with a child, then this option is unlikely to suit you.
Our first house was located on the territory of the so-called homestay. The owner (the half-naked grandfather in the photo) built 10 houses of varying degrees of comfort in his yard and now rents them out. Our old Balinese-style house initially cost us 20,000 rubles (4 million rupees). This price included daily cleaning, internet and utilities. We bought drinking water and gas ourselves. Quite reasonable price. A month later, the owner completely dropped us to 17,000 (3.5 million rupees) just so that we would not move out. In general, negotiating a discount with the landlord, in a store, or in a laundry is a common thing. The main thing is not to be shy. They don’t take money for asking;) We really liked that old house, which, unfortunately, has already been destroyed.
We rented a one-room apartment in Perm with a view of the windows of a neighboring house for the same 17,000. And in Bali there was a huge veranda, a view of the jungle, fresh air, daily cleaning and delicious cheap fruit. It's called feel the difference.
So you can safely budget 20-25,000 rubles for adequate housing.
Lifehack 1
You can book a homestay for a couple of days on Booking. If everything suits you, then try to agree on accommodation for a month or more, I’m sure the owner will be happy.
During the third winter we were able to afford more comfortable housing, so we rented a new house with a swimming pool. Internet, cleaning, utilities and even drinking water are included. Such a house costs 8,500,000 rupees (approximately 39 thousand rubles).
Marriage to an Indonesian citizen
Wedding in Bali
Getting married to a national of the country is not so easy:
- obtain written permission from the Russian Embassy;
- renounce your previous marriage (divorce);
- receive a marriage certificate from a religious community, and it will be issued only after a ceremony in a Buddhist monastery, mosque, Christian church, etc.;
- Bring the documents in person to the Civil Department and receive an Indonesian marriage certificate from the employee.
If an Indonesian man and a Russian woman are married, she automatically receives citizenship. Men who marry local women should obtain a KITAS visa for 2 years, and then only apply for a KITAP, live in Indonesia for 5 years and then submit a full package of documents for citizenship.
KITAS visa is an analogue of a temporary residence permit, KITAP is a permanent residence permit. The papers are different, they are received at different times. To avoid such difficulties, citizens of the Russian Federation prefer to live in Bali on a long-term visa without obtaining Indonesian-style identity documents. Not everyone wants to renounce Russian citizenship in favor of an Asian country.
Many compatriots leave the island and the country due to delays in obtaining a KITAP visa and obtaining citizenship.
How much does it cost to rent a vehicle?
Bike
In Bali, the most popular mode of transport is the bike. You can easily see children driving past playfully. What about children: I once saw a woman whose bike was completely tied...with chickens. Alive. There’s so much you won’t see on Balinese roads;) A few years ago you needed little money in Bali, but now prices have risen, including for transport. In 2021, we filmed the most convenient and popular Yamaha n-max model among Russians for a million rupees. Now it costs approximately 1,500,000. In rubles, plus or minus 7,000 it turns out. Of course, you can search, bargain and that’s all, but initially you will be quoted 1,500,000 rupees.
Simpler bikes (scoopy, vario) will cost about half as much, depending on the renter, the age of the unit, the area and your talent for bargaining.
Car
Renting a car in Bali is much more affordable than in Thailand. But there is a huge disadvantage: Balinese roads are very narrow, there are few parking spaces. However, in the rain or in extreme heat, driving in a car is much more pleasant. Especially with a child. We rented a little Suzuki splash for 15,000 rubles at the beginning of 2021. This is 3 million rupees. Now the price has increased by 2,500 rubles (3.5 million). Our renters included insurance in the price, which is very convenient on narrow roads.
By the way, don’t be shy about renting a scratched vehicle: you’ll feel safer. The main thing is to record all scratches and dents in photos/videos and discuss them with the owner.
Transport
There is almost no public transport in Bali. There are only 15 buses that run on three routes. The fare costs 3500 IDR. We are, however, the only tourists who take advantage of this opportunity. And in general, there are usually three people on the bus.
The main way to get around in Bali is by bike. Those who go on excursions have cars. But in everyday life, people ride bikes, because gas mileage is lower, and an experienced Indonesian can fit his entire family or a week’s worth of groceries on a motorcycle. They transport literally everything: from pets to large building materials.
We decided for ourselves that we would be healthier by moving on foot and by taxi (it is inexpensive here, costs 20,000–40,000 IDR). If you have no experience riding a bike since childhood, it is difficult to keep up with the traffic on the busy streets of Indonesia. During the year of living here, we have never regretted our decision.
What we really like here is the go-jek and grab services. They are provided by motorcycle drivers, whom you can ask for anything. For example, you are lying on the sofa, you want ice cream, you order it in the application, and it is immediately delivered from anywhere. With the help of motorcyclists, you can deliver parcels to friends and make purchases. Once we even ordered 40 kg of soil and 20 pots for our garden, and all this was brought by a man on a bike! These services were developed here even before the pandemic, but we really appreciated them only during quarantine, when it became less safe to go grocery shopping.
How much does food cost in Bali?
Cafe
Nutrition depends on your preferences. Will you cook yourself or go to a cafe? We always combined: breakfast and lunch at home, and somewhere for dinner. Keep in mind that Balinese food is not healthy. They use a lot of oil, flavor enhancers, and hot spices. Yes, and if you are a neat eater, then it is better not to look into the kitchens of local eateries - warungs
