Cost of living
Cost of living in Bali for digital nomads
What a solo remote worker actually spends per month in Canggu, Ubud and Denpasar, and where the money really goes.
Key takeaways
- Rent drives everything in Bali. A Canggu one-bed villa with a pool asks Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) a month, and a budget room in a co-living runs from about Rp 7,000,000 ($393).
- Ubud is the cheaper hub for a private place: about Rp 9,750,000 ($548) central, Rp 7,285,000 ($409) on the edges.
- Denpasar, the city next door, is cheaper still and less nomad-shaped. A plate at a local warung there runs about Rp 32,500 ($1.80).
- Food and data stay cheap everywhere. A meal out in Ubud is around Rp 50,000 ($2.80); a 10GB-plus mobile plan runs Rp 74,000–90,000 ($4–$5).
Monthly budget
| Item | USD | Local |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedUbud outside-centre to a Canggu villa with pool | $409–$1,011 | Rp 7,285,000–18,000,000 |
| Utilitiesbasic flat, one person, Denpasar to Ubud | $38–$82 | Rp 670,000–1,460,000 |
| Foodlocal warung plate, Denpasar to Ubud | $1.80–$2.80 a meal | Rp 32,500–50,000 |
| Mobile data10GB-plus plan | $4–$5 | Rp 74,000–90,000 |
| Local transportno monthly transit pass; most rent a scooter | scooter or ride-hail | |
| Coworking deskwidely available, well below rent | optional monthly hot desk | |
| Co-living optionbudget room in a co-living, Canggu, instead of a private villa | $393 | Rp 7,000,000 |
What different budgets get you
Lean, solo
An outside-centre Ubud place or a budget Canggu co-living room near Rp 7,000,000–7,285,000 ($393–$409), mostly local food, a scooter, no paid desk.
Comfortable, solo
A central Ubud one-bed around Rp 9,750,000 ($548) or a Canggu villa from Rp 12,000,000 ($674), eating out often, plus a desk.
Splurge, solo
A near-beach Canggu villa toward Rp 18,000,000 ($1,011), scooter and ride-hail, a desk and constant cafés.
Rent
Rent is the line that decides your month here, and the spread between hubs is large. In Canggu, the busiest of them, a one-bed villa with a pool asks Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) a month, up about a fifth on a year earlier as more people pile in. A room in one of the co-living places comes in lower, from around Rp 7,000,000 ($393). Ubud is gentler on a private place: roughly Rp 9,750,000 ($548) central and Rp 7,285,000 ($409) further out. Denpasar, the city a short ride south, is cheaper again at about Rp 6,783,000 ($381) central and Rp 2,847,500 ($160) outside, though it is a working city rather than a beach-and-rice-field scene. Sign for six to twelve months or deal direct with the owner and the asking price usually softens.
Food
Eating out is the easy part of the budget. A plate at a local warung runs about Rp 32,500 ($1.80) in Denpasar and Rp 50,000 ($2.80) in Ubud, with Canggu's café strip at the higher end. Most people mix cheap local meals with the odd Western place, and even then food barely registers next to rent.
Coworking
Canggu and Ubud are thick with coworking spaces: aircon, fast wifi, a room full of other remote workers. A lot of people skip the membership and just work from cafés, so a desk is optional rather than a fixed cost. Either way it sits well below rent on the list.
Transport
Almost everyone rents a scooter by the month, which is how you get around Canggu's back lanes and out to Ubud. There is no real public transit to lean on, so it comes down to a scooter or a ride-hail app like Gojek or Grab. Both are cheap by Western standards, and a scooter earns its keep on any stay past a few weeks.
Connectivity
Data is cheap and quick enough for a day of calls. A mobile plan with 10GB or more runs about Rp 74,000 ($4) in Denpasar and Rp 90,000 ($5) in Ubud. Put villa or apartment fibre on top and the SIM becomes your backup for travel days and dead spots. For most work the plan plus fibre is plenty.
Canggu vs Ubud
Canggu is the beach-and-café hub and the priciest of the three, almost all of it on rent: a villa with a pool asks Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) against Ubud's Rp 9,750,000 ($548) central. Ubud trades the surf and the nightlife for rice terraces, a calmer pace and a yoga crowd, and the money goes further on rent and on a meal out, around Rp 50,000 ($2.80) a plate. Denpasar undercuts both but feels like a working Indonesian city, not a nomad base. Food, transport and data land about the same across all three, so the real choice is rent and what kind of day you want.
Rent by neighbourhood
Canggu
| Pererenan | $674–$1,011 | Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Batu Bolong / Echo Beach | $1,123–$1,707 | Rp 20,000,000–30,400,000 |
| Berawa (Echo Beach side) | $988–$2,758 | Rp 17,600,000–49,100,000 |
| Residential side (Babakan / Buduk / North Canggu) | $1,000–$2,466 | Rp 17,800,000–43,900,000 |
Ubud
| Outside the centre | $409 | Rp 7,285,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Central | $548 | Rp 9,750,000 |
Denpasar
| Outside the centre | $160 | Rp 2,847,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Central | $381 | Rp 6,783,000 |
How it compares
| Hub | 1-bed, centre |
|---|---|
| Bali (Denpasar) | $380 |
| Chiang Mai | $500 |
| Bangkok | $665 |
| Lisbon | $1,625 |
Central one-bed monthly rent, US$. Bali here is Denpasar; Canggu and Ubud cost more.
FAQ
Rent decides it. In Canggu a one-bed villa with a pool asks Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) a month, or from about Rp 7,000,000 ($393) for a co-living room. Ubud runs Rp 7,285,000–9,750,000 ($409–$548) for a private place. On top of that, food is roughly Rp 32,500–50,000 ($1.80–$2.80) a meal, a mobile plan Rp 74,000–90,000 ($4–$5), plus a scooter and an optional desk. That leaves out flights, visa costs and insurance.
Ubud, and the gap is almost all rent. A central one-bed is about Rp 9,750,000 ($548) in Ubud against Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) for a Canggu villa with a pool. Food, transport and data cost about the same; Canggu mainly stings on rent and café meals.
In Ubud or Denpasar, comfortably; in Canggu it gets tight once villa rent is in, since the cheapest pool villas already ask around $674. A co-living room near $393 leaves room for food, a scooter and data. A thousand dollars does not stretch to insurance, visa costs or flights.
In Canggu, Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) a month for a one-bed villa with a pool, or from about Rp 7,000,000 ($393) for a co-living room. Ubud is Rp 7,285,000 ($409) outside the centre to Rp 9,750,000 ($548) central, and Denpasar cheaper still at Rp 2,847,500–6,783,000 ($160–$381). A six-to-twelve-month lease or a direct deal beats the asking price.
Pererenan sits at the calmer, lower end of the range, around Rp 12,000,000–18,000,000 ($674–$1,011) for a one-bed with a pool. Batu Bolong and Echo Beach run Rp 20,000,000–30,400,000 ($1,123–$1,707), while Berawa and the residential rice-field side stretch widest, from roughly Rp 17,600,000 up to Rp 49,100,000 ($988–$2,758) for the near-beach builds. Longer leases come in below these.
No. This is living costs only. International health insurance and visa costs are separate and add up fast. Our Bali insurance and visa guide covers what those actually run.
Cheap, and fast enough. A mobile plan with 10GB or more is about Rp 74,000–90,000 ($4–$5) a month, and villa or apartment fibre is common. For most work the plan plus fibre handles video calls all day.
Related reading
- Bali insurance & visa guide for nomads
the visa classes, healthcare system and what insurance you actually need for a long stay