Living in Bali: where to live, costs and the rules

Where should you live in Bali?

Live where the rent fits first.

Much cheaper deals exist if you wait, stay in a kos (a rented room in a shared building) or homestay with shared amenities, or rent by the year.^[32]

A kos costs far less: for a foreigner a room typically runs from IDR 4 to 5 million a month in Canggu, and cheaper deals usually sit 15 to 20 minutes' drive from the centres.^[32] After rent, the choice turns on the beach, schools, noise and the drive to the airport.

Where to live in Bali sets five areas side by side, the long-term rentals guide has the rent table with leases and deposits, and the cost of living in Bali a full monthly budget.

Do you have to pay in rupiah?

Yes: every payment in Indonesia, cash or card, must be in rupiah.^[1]

Ask for the rupiah price whenever you are quoted in another currency: a rupiah price is the only one you can compare.

Bali also asks visitors to pay with QRIS, Indonesia's national QR code, but Australia, the US and the UK aren't on the list of countries linked to QRIS (six live, two on trial), so plan to pay cash or by card.^{[2, 3]}

Carry enough cash for a day of warungs (small local eateries) and small shops. If you bring cash in, IDR 100 million (about USD 5,570) or more must be declared on arrival, as the customs declaration guide explains.^[41]

Where should you get cash: an ATM or a money changer?

ATMs are the go-to for cash, and money changers cost more; use a bank ATM or a licensed changer, and nothing else. Pick an ATM inside a bank branch and check the machine has not been tampered with: card skimmers have been found on machines in Bali, so skip standalone and minimarket ATMs, and walk away from a card slot that looks bulky.^{[28, 34]}

A changer is where it goes wrong. A licensed one is on Bank Indonesia's published list, and Bali's rules for visitors allow only these. It displays its licence certificate, the licensed-operator logo and a sign reading "Penyelenggara Kegiatan Usaha Penukaran Valuta Asing Berizin" (Authorised Money Changer). An unlicensed one shows none of the three.^{[2, 4]}

At unlicensed changers, short counts often follow a routine: the teller recounts, mixes look-alike notes such as IDR 2,000 and IDR 20,000, and keeps you talking while a note or two slips aside. Count it yourself at the counter, keep the receipt, and go straight back if it's short.^{[10, 42, 43]}

How do you get around: driving, Grab and Gojek?

You can ride or drive yourself, on the left, with a valid licence and a helmet. Moped and motorbike accidents have risen sharply in Bali, and some are fatal. Which licence counts, and the fines, are on the scooter licence page. Fuel, boats and every other way around are in Getting around Bali.^{[9, 10]}

Police have run helmet and licence checks in Canggu, Uluwatu, Kuta and Seminyak, with tourists among the riders cited. Cash demands of foreigners stopped for minor offences have been alleged, and one filmed stop in 2026 went to an internal police review. Carry your licence, your international driving permit and a helmet that fastens.^{[10, 29, 44]}

Grab and Gojek work, but not everywhere. App pickups can be hard to get in some zones, such as Echo Beach in Canggu, Pandawa Beach and the Padang Bai and Sanur ports. It is not an official block, but local transport groups can make it difficult when they spot app pickups, especially at Padang Bai; drop-offs are allowed. Inside a zone, arrange your ride out before you go in.^{[26, 27]}

Before you ride, check that your travel insurance covers riding a motorbike, and on what licence.

How do you avoid phone and bag snatching?

Keep your phone and bag where a passing rider can't reach them. Riders on passing motorbikes sometimes snatch phones, chains and bags in busy areas such as Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Jimbaran, a phone in a handlebar holder among them.^{[10, 45, 46]}

Which emergency number do you call, and what does care cost?

Call the direct line for the service you need: ambulance 118 or 119, police 110, fire 113. 112 is Indonesia's single emergency number, run by 198 of 514 regencies and cities. Bali's regencies pledged on 24 September 2026 to strengthen and join it up, so call the direct line first.^{[11, 12]}

• Ambulance: 118 or 119
• Police: 110
• Fire: 113
• Emergency, where it runs: 112

One major private hospital publishes no prices on its site, pointing you to memberships instead. Good care can be expensive, and the UK government says an evacuation can cost tens of thousands of pounds.^{[13, 14]} What a policy should cover is on health insurance in Bali.

Read the exclusions, not the summary, and keep the insurer's emergency line in your phone: a policy can exclude liability to other people after a scooter crash, and an insurer can take a day to confirm your cover while you wait.^{[47, 48]}

Which health risks are real: rabies, dengue, water and alcohol?

Rabies comes first. Bali recorded 45,365 bites from animals that carry rabies and 7 deaths between January and August 2026, so treat any dog or monkey bite or scratch as urgent. What to do in the first hour is on the rabies page.^[16]

Dengue is the slower risk. Bali had 1,588 confirmed cases and 2 deaths from January to July 2026. The mosquitoes that carry it breed in water left standing after rain, so use repellent all year, and more after rain. The warning signs are on the dengue page.^{[17, 18]}

Tap water is not safe to drink. Bali's waste rules ban plastic water bottles under one litre but keep the galon (refill water jug), so plan on refills. Ice and brushing your teeth are covered on Is tap water safe to drink in Bali?, and an upset stomach on the Bali belly page.^{[14, 19]}

Methanol poisoning from drinks kills visitors to Indonesia. Small amounts are enough, and you can't taste or smell it. It has turned up in drinks from licensed bars, shops and hotels too, so choose premixes, beer, wine or cider over spirits poured from an open bottle.^{[10, 30]}

What rules do foreigners have to follow?

Bali's rules for visitors are mostly about respect. Dress modestly, stay out of a temple's inner courtyards unless you are there to pray, and pay the levy in rupiah.^{[2, 21]}

Bring your own bag too. Bali limits single-use plastic bags, polystyrene and plastic straws, and shops face sanctions for handing them out.^[25]

Drugs are the one line never to go near. Indonesia has zero tolerance, with long prison sentences or the death penalty, and cannabis is illegal, medicinal cannabis included. The rest of the law is on Bali laws for tourists, and the common tricks on scams in Bali.^[10]

If you live here on a KITAS (limited stay permit) or KITAP (permanent stay permit), you don't pay the Bali tourist tax. How to claim the exemption is on the tourist levy page. The visa and registration steps, in order, are in the moving to Bali guide.^[31]

What happens in the wet season and on Nyepi?

Bali's wet season usually runs from about October or November to March, and the dry season from April to September. This year, rain is forecast to reach parts of Bali in November 2026 and most of the island in December. It peaks in February 2027.^{[10, 24]}

Rain matters most when you sign a lease. Drainage is the defect a dry-season viewing hides. See the place in heavy rain if you can, and use the lease guide for the rest of the contract.

Ask the owner where the water goes and when the street last flooded before you sign: Bali's urban areas can flood in torrential rain or storms, and streets along the Mati River through Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are among those that can flood after a few days of heavy rain, waist-deep on one hotel road in 2024.^{[36, 49]}

Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence, falls on Monday 8 March 2027. For 24 hours nobody lights a fire or lamp, works, travels or seeks entertainment, so stay inside. The airport closed for the day in 2026 and is expected to close again. Village guards (pecalang) enforce it, and villages can set their own penalty, such as a customary fine.^{[22, 23, 37, 38]}

What should you set up in your first week?

Five jobs make a new home work in Bali: a local SIM card, the right plugs, the prepaid electricity meter, Bali's clock and an introduction to your banjar (village community association).