What does it cost to visit Bali in 2023? (February Update)
7 Minute Read | Written by The Way To Wherever
Asia’s favourite budget travel destination is open once again, and we’re going to give you all a bit of a rundown on exactly what it costs to visit and travel around the Island of the Gods. Coming out of the other side of the pandemic, Bali has quickly headed straight back to the pre-2020 visitation levels and we’re here to help you plan the perfect holiday.
We lived in Bali from January to May 2022, and visited again in August, so we’ve built up a fair knowledge of what things cost on the island to give any potential tropical holidaymakers an idea of what to expect. Certain areas of the budget, specifically accommodation and food can vary massively depending on what you’re looking for during your time in Bali. While it is a budget destination, there are plenty of luxury villa and decadent dining options to suit any budget.
So we’re going to break down the basic expenses of visiting Bali in 2023.
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Visas
As of February 2023, there is at least 75 countries who can enter Indonesia on a Visa on Arrival (VOA) which is perfect for most short term visitors and holiday goers. Passport holders from some of these countries are also eligible for an e-VOA which can be pre-arranged online prior to arriving in Bali.
They offer a 30-day stay (with a 30-day extension for 60-days max) in Indonesia. Staying on a VOA means you must depart Indonesia before your VOA expires, otherwise you may be at risk of overstaying. There is no pre-application for the VOA, they are purchased at the airport for A$50 which can be paid in Indonesian Rupiah or on credit/debit card. At the airport, you must present a passport with 6 month validity, proof of a departure flight, proof of Covid-19 vaccination (minimum 2 shots) as well as demonstrating that you have downloaded the PeduliLindungi app.
Other visa’s are available for a range of circumstances from retirees to people starting businesses registered in Indonesia. Do your research and speak with a visa agency for the most up-to-date and relevant info.
Travel & Transport
Once you’re actually on the island, transport is super affordable. We spoke about scooters in Bali in a recent blog post, you can check that out here for a bit more detail about scooters in particular. But we wanted to mention again that perfectly safe scooter and car taxis are easily accessible through Gojek/Grab in most parts of the island.
To give you an idea of the Gojek/Grab prices, fares are rarely over RP30,000 (A$3) for local trips with scooter taxis, and RP60,000 (A$6) for cars. Even for longer distance journeys the fares are extremely fair, we recently paid RP180,000 (A$18) for a car trip from Uluwatu to Canggu! From Canggu to the airport, you can expect to pay around RP150,000 (A$15) with Grab/Gojek.
There are also Bluebird taxi’s available in Bali, which we’ve found to be slightly more expensive than the ride-sharing apps.
You might look at hiring your own scooter during your time on the island. Scooter rental prices are rising with the increased demand from Bali’s rapid tourism recovery, but you can expect to pay anywhere between RP650,000 - RP 1,500,000 (A$65 to A$150) for a months rental of a smaller bike (Vario, Scoopy, Beat, Mio) and anywhere up to RP3,000,000 (A$300) for the larger options (NMAX, XMAX, Lexi, PCX). These rates are heavily dependent on negotiation.
Petrol is readily available across the island, from large stations to corner store pumps. At the official petrol stations, expect to pay RP10,000 to RP15,000 per litre (A$1 to A$1.5) and a typical small bike tank will take around 3-5 litres. At local pumps, the price may be slightly higher, but you can usually negotiate this down.
If time is super short during your trip, drivers are available for full-day booking for around RP600,000 (A$60). They can pick you up and take you on full tours of the island, visiting quite a few spots and providing some great local knowledge.
Accomodation
As we said above, accommodation probably has the biggest range on what you’ll spend. Beyond hostels, ‘budget’ accomodation and studio room villas can cost between RP150,000 and RP600,000 (A$10 to A$60) per night, depending on where you are staying. Popular areas such as Canggu, Kuta and Ubud are likely to be priced a little higher, however you can still find some bargain prices amongst the overflow of options on sites such as booking.com.
Most villas offer discounts the longer you stay, with monthly deals that can save you up to 50%, useful if you’re planning to stick to one spot for most of your stay. For example we paid RP3,000,000 (A$300) and RP3,500,000 (A$350) for month long stays at two different villas during our first stint in Bali, this would be the nightly rate at similar accomodation options back in Australia.
For accomodation options that are more comfortable or luxury, check booking platforms for what you’re looking for as it can vary up to the thousands-per-night range.
You should always try to find the Whatsapp+ number of the accommodation you are trying to book, as booking direct will often give you the best price.
Food
First things first, the food in Bali is unbelievable. The quality vs price is unmatched, certainly when compared to anywhere else we’ve ever been. So if you’re looking for a travel destination to treat yourself on a budget, this is it. Keeping it focused on the budget, food is another aspect that will vary, we’ll give you a rundown of our own expenses on eating.
It’s worth mentioning that we cooked once in our five-month long stay in Bali. It’s not recommended to eat a lot of the local produce from markets and the more western-targeted supermarket chains can work out to be more expensive than just eating between cafes and local warungs.
We can’t get too adventurous with eating local food together due to Erin’s allergies, so we mostly ate at (the cheaper) western cafes and restaurants on the island. On average in a day, we’d get breakfast with coffee, lunch and dinner with drinks and spend around RP400,000 (A$40) between us per day.
You might be thinking A$20 per person for three restaurant meals + drinks a day is a bargain, or you might not think its budget at all, but don’t fear. As long as you’re free of dietary requirements and have an iron stomach, you could easily get by on as little as RP50,000 (A$5) a day by eating like the locals at warungs and the bike-mounted vendors that line most of Bali’s streets. Prepare yourself with a comfortable accommodation the night after you try your first road side vendors, as not all foreigners can handle the aftermath.
Sight-seeing
Something that’ll you begin to notice quickly in Bali, almost any tourist attraction will charge an entry fee. From Uluwatu’s beaches to almost every single waterfall on the island, you’ll often find an attendant at the parking lot who will give you a ticket. In most cases these go directly the owners of the land where these things are located. These range from RP2,000 (A$0.20) to RP50,000 (A$5) per person, so they won’t make much difference in the grand scheme, but they’re something to keep in mind when planning to visit these places and making sure you have the cash on hand.
If you’re driving a scooter, you’ll also be expected to pay a parking fee sometimes on top of your entry fees, again this will be around the RP2,000 (A$0.20) mark.
That’s It!
If you’ve made it down here, thank you so much for reading!
Bali is a budget travel destination, but it can also be as expensive and luxurious as you’d like. With some of the best quality-to-price food and accomodation options we’ve seen anywhere in the world, it’s the perfect tropical destination for the backpacker, budget traveller or comfort-seeker alike!
If you’ve got any questions, ask them below!
