Tipping in Bali: Who to Tip and How Much

Is tipping expected in Bali?

No: tips are welcomed but not required. It is still customary to leave a small cash tip for service staff, so keep small rupiah notes in your pocket.^{[1, 2]}

Service charge and tax on the bill: is it the tip?

A service charge is not your tip: it is added on top of the listed price, and in a hotel or a restaurant inside one, 95 percent of it is shared among the workers. That rule applies to hotels and restaurants in hotels only.^[3]

The tax on restaurant food and drink is a separate local tax of at most 10 percent, and it is not VAT.^{[4, 5]}

A bill can therefore carry a service charge and a tax, and the tax is not a tip either. Tip on top only where the amounts below say so.^{[1, 6]}

How much to tip in Bali restaurants

Where no service charge is included, 5 to 10 percent is appreciated. On a IDR 200,000 meal that is IDR 10,000 to 20,000 (about AUD 0.8), our estimate. For an exceptional night out, IDR 50,000 to 100,000 is considered generous.^{[1, 6]}

Some larger restaurants and hotels let you add a tip to a card payment, but it is not common, so keep cash for tips.^{[2, 6]}

How much to tip hotel and villa staff in Bali

Housekeeping is IDR 20,000 to 50,000, bellboys and porters IDR 10,000 to 20,000, and the concierge IDR 50,000 or more. Tipping housekeeping each day of a seven-night stay comes to IDR 140,000 to 350,000 (about AUD 11), our estimate.^[1]

At a villa, leave one envelope of cash at the end of your stay for all the staff to share.^[6]

How much to tip a Bali taxi, Grab or private driver

For a private driver, the tip runs from IDR 50,000 to 200,000 (about AUD 4) a day: IDR 50,000 to 100,000 depending on the hours, up to IDR 100,000 to 200,000. For a ride or a food delivery, an extra IDR 5,000 or 10,000 is acceptable.^{[1, 7, 8]}

A tip can be added in the Grab or Gojek app, and a good private driver can get about 10 percent on top of the agreed price.^{[6, 9]}

How much to tip for a massage or spa in Bali

Where the price includes no service charge, an extra IDR 20,000 to 50,000 for a good massage is standard.^[1]

How much to tip a tour guide in Bali

For a half-day tour, tip around IDR 50,000 to 100,000 per person. For a good full day with a guide, around IDR 150,000 to 250,000.^{[2, 8]}

A private dive guide can be tipped about IDR 100,000 for a day of three dives, a 2016 figure.^[9]

What does a week of tips cost?

A couple on seven nights who tip as set out above spend about IDR 440,000 to 1,190,000 (about AUD 35), which is about IDR 63,000 to 170,000 a day, our estimate. Restaurants are left out, because the tip depends on the bill and on the service charge.^{[1, 2, 7]}