Side by side
One person, a one bedroom home, a normal social life. Bali on the left is a villa with a pool in the south, the way most foreigners live. The US on the right is a one bedroom apartment in a mid-size city, with a car. The rent lines are medians from real listings. The other lines are our estimates for 2026, in dollars at Rp 17,900 to the dollar, so read them as orders of magnitude.
| Per month | Bali | US |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $1,030 | $1,650 |
| Food and drinks | $450 | $750 |
| Transport | $80, scooter and fuel | $850, car, insurance and fuel |
| Utilities, internet, phone | $110 | $300 |
| Gym, coworking, going out | $220 | $250 |
| Health insurance and visa | $170 | $650 |
| Total | $2,070 | $4,450 |
The saving is about 54 percent. It depends on the lifestyle you compare. A frugal life in a room with warung food costs far less than the Bali figure. A life with a gym, a coworking space and imported cheese costs more.
For the full Bali budget with three versions, see the cost of living in Bali.
Housing
Housing is the line that people ask about first, and the one where the answer is least obvious. The famous “Bali is cheap” depends on what you rent and for how long.
What the rent buys
The data below comes from the 1198 rentals currently on this site, posted in the Bali rental groups on Facebook. Most are villas with a private pool, which is what foreigners rent. The US figures are national medians for early 2026 from Zillow and Apartment List, about $1,700 for a rental of any size and about $1,850 for two bedrooms. Big coastal cities are well above that, and small cities well below.
- Room or studio
- 8M
- 1 bedroom
- 16M
- 2 bedrooms
- 30M
- 3 bedrooms
- 45M
| Home | Bali, by the month | Bali, by the year | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room or studio | Rp 8M ($450) | not usually offered | not compared |
| 1 bedroom villa | Rp 18.5M ($1,030) | not usually offered | not compared |
| 2 bedroom villa | Rp 30M ($1,680) | Rp 20.8M a month ($1,160) | about $1,850 |
| 3 bedroom villa | Rp 45M ($2,510) | Rp 27.1M a month ($1,510) | often $2,500 to $3,500, house |
What this shows:
- Monthly rent in Bali is not cheap by US standards. Rented by the month, a two bedroom villa costs about what a US two bedroom costs. The difference is what you get: a private pool, a garden, a cleaner two or three times a week, and wifi are usually included.
- A yearly lease is where Bali is cheap. The same two bedroom villa on a yearly contract is $1,160 a month, and a three bedroom is $1,510. A three bedroom house with a pool in the US costs far more than that.
- Against expensive US cities, Bali is cheap at any length. In San Francisco, New York or Boston, a two bedroom rents for $3,000 and up, and nothing in it has a pool.
The only fair comparison is the one that matches how you would live. A couple who rent a villa for a month on arrival pay US prices. A couple who sign a yearly lease pay about 60 percent of the US price and get more space.
Rent by area
The area moves the price more than the number of bedrooms. A two bedroom villa in Canggu or Pererenan costs twice as much as one in Tabanan.
Rp 32.5M
Median rent per month for 2 bedrooms in Canggu
Rp 23M
Median rent per month for 2 bedrooms in Ubud
Canggu, Berawa, Pererenan and Umalas are the expensive end, where the cafes and coworking spaces are. Ubud, Sanur and Tabanan are cheaper. The rent prices index has one page per area, and the guide on where expats live in Bali shows who lives in each.
Monthly or yearly
This is the big lever on Bali’s cost of living, and it has no US equivalent. In the US you sign a lease and pay each month. In Bali, a yearly rental is paid in advance, often in one transfer, in return for a lower price.
On villas where the owner quotes both prices, the yearly price comes out about 17 percent lower per month at the median. The gap between the medians is larger, around a third, because the villas offered by the year tend to be older or further out. Stay less than 10 months and the monthly rental is the cheaper way. Stay longer and the yearly contract wins.
The cost to know before you sign is the cash on day one. A median two bedroom villa for a year needs Rp 250M, about $13,970, transferred in advance. There is no US equivalent of paying 12 months of rent up front, and it is the reason a trial month comes first. The guide on how much to rent a villa in Bali for a year has the full cost.
What the rent does not include
US rent usually includes the building and nothing else. Bali’s is more varied.
| Monthly rental in Bali | Yearly rental in Bali | US rent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furniture | Included | Often included | Not included |
| Wifi | Usually included | Rp 350,000 to Rp 700,000 | $50 to $80 |
| Pool and garden | Included | Rp 1M to Rp 2M | not applicable |
| Cleaning | Often included | Rp 1.5M to Rp 3M | $120 or more per visit |
| Electricity | Rp 1M to Rp 4M | Rp 1M to Rp 4M | $100 to $150 |
| Water | Included | Often included | $30 to $70 |
Electricity is the line that surprises Americans. The price per kilowatt hour is lower than in most of the US, but air conditioning on all night in a villa with a pool pump uses a lot. Ask the owner for last month’s bill.
Buying instead of renting
Foreigners cannot own land in Bali. They hold a leasehold of 20 to 30 years, or use a company structure. Most expats rent for the first years and consider a lease later. Read leasehold vs freehold before putting money in, and see the leasehold listings for the prices.
Food
Food costs depend on whether you eat in a warung or a cafe.
A plate of nasi goreng in a warung is $1.50 to $3. A meal in a cafe in Canggu or Ubud is $5 to $9 before 15 to 21 percent of tax and service. A US restaurant meal is often $15 to $25 with tip. Fruit, vegetables and eggs from local markets cost little. Imported food costs as much as at home or more, especially cheese, wine and breakfast cereal.
Most people who live in Bali land between $350 and $550 a month on food, mixing warungs, cafes and cooking at home.
Transport
In the US, transport is a car: payment or depreciation, insurance, fuel and repairs, $700 to $1,000 a month. In Bali it is a scooter at Rp 1M to Rp 1.5M a month rented, about $60 to $85, plus fuel of $10 to $20.
The saving is real, and so is the risk. Scooter accidents are common among foreigners on the island. You need a motorcycle licence and an international driving permit to ride legally, and your insurance will ask for both.
A car with a driver for the day is Rp 600,000 to Rp 900,000. Gojek and Grab cover most of the south.
Healthcare and insurance
This is the line where Bali looks cheaper than it is. Doctors cost little: a visit in an international clinic is $30 to $60. Insurance for serious cases costs more than people expect, because the realistic plan for a long stay is an international policy with evacuation cover, $100 to $300 a month depending on age.
Americans without an employer plan pay about $600 to $700 a month for an unsubsidised marketplace plan in 2026. An international plan is far cheaper than that, but it will not cover you in the US, and Medicare does not cover care in Bali. The guide for Americans goes through it.
What costs more in Bali
Not everything is cheaper.
- International school. $5,000 to more than $20,000 a year, plus enrolment fees. A US public school is free.
- Cars and electronics. Cars are heavily taxed on import and cost more than in the US, and electronics are not cheaper.
- Imported food and alcohol. Heavily taxed.
- Flights home. There is no direct flight from the US, and the trip takes 22 to 30 hours.
- Visas. A 180 day stay on visit visas costs about Rp 1.5M to Rp 2M a month once the agent is paid. Americans do not pay this at home. The long stay visas guide has the numbers.
A family of four
For a couple with two children in international school, the picture changes. Count Rp 45M for a three bedroom villa by the month, or Rp 27.1M a month on a yearly lease. Add school fees, which can reach $2,000 to $3,500 a month for two children, and a family budget lands at $5,000 to $7,000 a month. School decides the comparison: against a US family in public school, Bali is not cheaper. Against a US family in private school, it is.
If the children go to a local school or are home educated, a family can live in Bali on $3,000 to $4,000 a month.
Income, taxes and what the dollar buys
Cost of living is half the question. The other half is where the income comes from.
- Dollar income goes further. Americans who earn in dollars gain most. Rupiah income does not.
- US taxes continue. US citizens file a federal return wherever they live. The foreign earned income exclusion helps.
- Indonesian tax can apply. You become a tax resident after 183 days.
- The rupiah moves. The rate is Rp 17,900 to the dollar today. A weaker rupiah makes Bali cheaper for dollar earners, and a stronger one erodes the gap.
So, is it cheaper?
Yes, by roughly half for a single person, and more for someone leaving a big coastal city. No, if you rent by the month in Canggu, eat imported food and send children to an international school.
The honest answer is that Bali is cheaper if you live like a long-term resident: a yearly lease, a scooter, local food and a house a few lanes back from the beach.
To compare with your own numbers, start with the cost of living in Bali, browse the villas for rent in Bali and the cheap monthly rentals, then read moving to Bali and renting in Bali for 1 to 6 months for the first steps.