The Bali Secret guide
Short answer
Excluding international flights, a week in Bali costs roughly $350–$550 per person for budget travel, $700–$1,400 mid-range, and $2,500–$6,000+ for luxury.
In this guide8 sections · 4 min
Bali spans an unusually wide price range — you can genuinely do it on $30 a day or $500 a day in the same week, on the same island.
Daily spend by tier
| Tier | Per person per day | Per week (7 days) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / backpacker | $25–$40 | $350–$550 |
| Mid-range | $70–$130 | $700–$1,400 |
| Luxury | $300+ | $2,500–$6,000+ |
These figures exclude international flights, which are usually the single largest line item and vary enormously by origin.
Where the money goes
- Accommodation. The widest range by far. Hostels from a few dollars; private-pool villas from around $60–$100 that would cost many times that elsewhere.
- Food. The biggest lever on your budget. A local warung meal runs a couple of dollars; a Canggu brunch cafe can cost ten times that. Alternating is how most people keep costs sane.
- Transport. Scooter hire is cheap per day. Private drivers are the common choice for day trips and split well between people.
- Activities. Temple entries are modest. Diving, surf lessons and organised day trips are where costs accumulate.
- Tourist levy. A one-time IDR 150,000 (about $9.30) per person.
The "++" that is not on the menu
The most common budget surprise in Bali, and it is hiding in plain sight. Many restaurants, cafes and hotels — particularly mid-range and upwards — list prices followed by ++, meaning tax and service are added at the till.
- The first plus is a service charge, commonly 5–11%.
- The second is a regional government tax (PB1, now formally PBJT), typically around 10%.
- Together that is usually 15–21% on top of every listed price.
On a $40 dinner that is $6 to $8 you did not plan for, repeated nightly. Warungs and small local places generally do not do this — their prices are what you pay — which is another reason the warung-versus-cafe split moves a budget so much.
What things actually cost
| Item | Typical |
|---|---|
| Warung meal (nasi campur, mie goreng) | $1.50–3 |
| Western cafe brunch | $7–15 |
| Mid-range restaurant main | $8–18 (plus ++) |
| Local coffee | $1–2 |
| Specialty flat white | $2.50–4 |
| Large beer | $2.50–4 |
| Hour-long massage | $7–15 |
| Scooter, per day | $5–7 |
| Private driver, full day | $40–60 |
| Grab/Gojek short hop | $1–3 |
Money, practically
Everything is in rupiah and the numbers get large fast, which is where people lose track. The shortcut most travellers settle on: drop three zeros, then divide by about fifteen. So IDR 150,000 becomes 150, divided by fifteen, roughly $10. Close enough to make decisions with.
- Use ATMs attached to real bank branches, ideally in daylight. Standalone machines in tourist strips are where card skimming happens.
- Withdraw larger amounts less often. Per-withdrawal fees are fixed, so four big withdrawals beat twelve small ones.
- Decline "conversion to your home currency" at the ATM or card terminal. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is always worse. Always choose to be charged in rupiah.
- Use authorised money changers only — a proper shopfront, posted rates, a counting machine. Rates that look notably better than everyone else are the lure for sleight-of-hand shortchanging, which is a long-running problem here.
- Count your money before leaving the counter, every time, and do not hand it back to be recounted.
Timing changes the price
Shoulder season (April–June, September–October) typically runs 20–30% cheaper on villas than July and August, with weather most visitors cannot tell apart. February is the cheapest month overall, at the cost of rainy afternoons.
A worked mid-range week
Numbers are easier to argue with than ranges, so here is one concrete seven-day trip for two people, excluding international flights:
| Item | Cost (2 people) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, 7 nights | $490–700 | $70–100/night, private-pool villa territory |
| Food | $210–560 | The widest variable — warungs vs cafes |
| Private driver, 2 days | $80–120 | Split between you, so half each |
| Entrance fees | ~$100 | Temples, terraces, monkey forest |
| Nusa Penida day trip | ~$70 | Boat, tour, lunch |
| Scooter hire, 4 days | $20–35 | Plus fuel, which is minimal |
| Tourist levy | $18.60 | IDR 150,000 each, one time |
| Airport transfers | $25–40 | Both ends |
| Total | ~$1,015–1,645 | $500–820 per person |
Notice that food spans a $350 range on its own — wider than accommodation. That single choice moves the total more than anything else you decide.
Costs people forget to budget for
- Visa on arrival, if your nationality requires it
- The IDR 150,000 tourist levy, per person
- Scooter fuel and any rental insurance
- ATM withdrawal fees, which add up over a trip
- Airport transfers at both ends
- Travel insurance — worth it given scooter accidents are the most common claim
Tracking spending in rupiah while thinking in your home currency is the part most first-timers find hardest. The exchange rate puts you in the millions quickly, and it is easy to lose the thread.
