Are you excited about your Bali vacation? It is always exciting to travel to an exotic location, and this island in Indonesia ticks all the boxes. The tropical paradise offers everything from sun, turquoise beaches, powdery white sands, rainforests, as well as warm and generous people. It is also just two hours away from Jakarta with daily flights. From the Indonesian capital, the neighbouring countries are only less than four hours away if you want to explore Southeast Asia.
Now that you have purchased your tickets and booked your pool villa in Bali, you might be anxious about how much money you should bring?
Your money stretches in Bali. For instance, the conversion rate now between the US dollars and the Indonesia Rupiah is 1:75. For example, you can already enjoy a plate of Nasi Goreng or Indonesian fried rice for only a dollar. But there are also fine-dining restaurants in Bali if you want to splurge and they would cost about a hundred dollars for a seven-course meal.
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Daily Budget
What you are willing to spend every day entirely depends on you.
- For instance, if you are a budget traveller, about $20 per day should be enough to get you by for food, transportation, and expendable expenses.
- If you like your comfort, you can budget as much as $50 per person per day. The budget will already allow you to hire your own private car to see all the sights, as well as eat at mid-range restaurants.
- However, if you are used to sitting on the lap of luxury, a daily budget of $100 should be enough to cover most of your expenses. The money will get you a ticket to the more expensive restaurants on the island, your own private vehicle and tour guide, and other expenses.
But please know that the daily budget does not cover your reservation to a pool villa in Bali or your plane ticket.
Food and Drinks
If you eat at cheap restaurants, you can budget from $1 to $4 per person. If you eat at restaurants owned by foreigners, it would cost you between $5 and $10 per person. Beach clubs are more expensive so prepare to pay as much as $30 per person.
A bottle of beer would be around $1.40 to $2, but it can shoot up to $16 at beach clubs.
The good news is that if you go over your daily budget, there are numerous ATMs on the island. While some tourists might hesitate using the ATM, and it’s understandable, there are also money exchange services in Bali. Be sure you know the current exchange rate and ask around so that you do not get shortchanged.
Transportation in Bali
There are several options for transportation in Bali. Taxis, of course, are very expensive. From the airport to the popular destination of Ubud (where the monkey forest is located), you will spend from $25 to $30.
You can also use GoJek, which is Indonesia’s answer to Uber. The costs would be lesser compared to the airport taxis.
But you can also hire a scooter at a daily rate of about $5. You may get a better price if you pay upfront for a week or more. If you are travelling by a group, it is more convenient to hire a van transport, which would cost you about $80-$100 per day. If you are 10 in the group, for instance, your daily expenses would only be about $8 to $10 each. The drivers of the van transport also serve as a tour guide, so you save time trying to find all the destinations you wanted to visit.