Thread: What sort of lifestyle is possible in Bali on $3k-8k USD/mo?

Hi All,

I've been lurking around here a while as I slowly but surely work towards making my move to Bali a reality.

Before I ask for advice, I figure I should share my story so you all have some context:

I'm 25 years old and currently reside in New York City. About three years ago I met an Indonesian girl in NYC and we really hit it off. About 3 months after we began dating, her visa was due to expire and it looked like we might be forced apart. Not being the type to give up easily (especially when it comes to love), I looked into various options to get her permanent residency in the USA so we could stay together. After ruling out everything but marriage, I took a huge chance and, despite advise to the contrary from family and friends, married her at city hall and began the US Greencard process. Fast forward to today and we're still happily together. What started as a marriage for logistical reasons has been slowly blossoming into "the real deal".

In January of 2008, my wife and I visited Indonesia together to meet her family (she had not been home in more than 7 years). Her family was delightful and they arranged the trip of a lifetime for us in which we visited many unbelievable places in Indonesia, including Bali.

While the entire country fascinated me, something about Bali resonated like nothing else. I have never really felt like I "belonged" in the US despite being spending my entire life here. I often feel like an outsider, looking in and often not liking what I see. From the minute I got off the plane in Denpasar, I was completely overwhelmed by the allure of Bali and it's boundless sensory wonders. I suppose I'm not alone in this as I've heard of many other cases of "Bali Head" or "Bali Syndrome", but because I initially embarked on the trip with little knowledge of Bali and few expectations, I think I was hit especially hard. I promised myself I would go back soon and in the ~15 months since I've been back in the US, I simply haven't been able to get Bali out of my brain.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make it back due to business obligations and financial constraints here in the US. I own two businesses; a technology consulting firm that has several monetized web properties as subsidiaries, and a clothing line that is a joint venture with my wife. My technology business does reasonably well ($100,000USD+/yr for the past 6 years), but every penny I saved from it (less than you'd expect due to NYC's insanely high cost of living) was invested into the clothing startup. The business has grown nicely but the fashion industry in the US has been basically wiped out as the economy has deteriorated.

As it stands now our savings are virtually non-existent and we have around $60,000 in debt to pay down. These depressing circumstances, combined with our mutual desire to "escape" the grind of New York, have us seriously considering a move (or partial move such as 6 months of the year) to Bali. The clothing business could actually benefit from the lower cost of skilled labor (and access to exotic fabrics and materials). My technology business would surely take a hit as I would lose proximity to many valuable clients, but I expect that I could maintain at least $4,000/mo. of steady income, potentially more than double that once I got established. About $1,500/mo. of this would need to go to debt payments.

This brings me to my immediate question at hand...

If we did relocate to Bali for at least 6-months, what sort of lifestyle could we expect to live if our net income from month to month averaged around $4k - $5k USD? What sorts of initial expenses should we plan for other than airfare, visa expenses, and enough money for 2-3 months of food, rent, etc? I can obviously think of many of the basics, but I figured I'd poll the forum in case anyone has additional insights or is aware of costs not immediately apparent. Basically, we want to make the move as soon as possible but we also want to have enough of a buffer that we can sustain a slow month or two at first and then have a reasonably comfortable existence thereafter.

Given the research I've done and other posts I've read, it seems to me that $4k+/mo. should be sufficient for comfortable existence in Bali but a lot of my budgeting has been based on "bule prices" for housing, food, etc. I'm hoping some folks who've lived in Bali for a while can give me more realistic estimates of what to expect and plan for. We'd like to be located in a nice spot close to the action but not smack in the middle of it, maybe Sanur or Seminyak.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can find the time to reply. I envy all of you folks who are currently enjoying the beautiful Bali climate and delicious cuisines. Hopefully, we'll soon be joining your ranks!

$3-5k will be way more than sufficient, it's almost funny that you are asking this question with those figures.

Personally, I live in Bali on around $500 USD per month, but I live in an Indonesian kos and eat warung food everyday. At your minimum of $3,000 you could have a really nice place, and tons of extra money left over for eating out and clubbing etc.

Thanks much for the replies folks, I guess I'm a bit jaded from NYC living expenses in assuming a much higher baseline cost for Bali than what you all are saying. To put things in perspective, our bill for a modest 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan is $2,500USD monthly and that's considered a great deal. By the time one ads utilities, tv/internet, two mobile phones, food, transportation, two health insurance plans (insanely over priced in the US), two gym memberships, etc we're talking about being on the hook for $6,000/mo.+ just to survive. When I look around outside and it's cold, dirty, and over-crowded with angry people grinding away, I constantly think to myself "what the heck am I doing here when I could be enjoying the sun in Bali, working on a humane schedule, eating delicious food, and having all kinds of lovely adventures." I'm sure it won't all be quite so rosy as that, but I'm also pretty darn sure it will be much better aligned with us than NYC.

I think one challenge is that I'm searching for housing online from within the US. Given what's been written here, most of the prices I've come accross must be "westerner vacation prices" rather than "Bali resident prices". Does anyone have any good resources or links they can point me towards for figuring out a true monthly budget for Bali once one is established there a bit long term. I really have no idea what sort of home we could afford to rent. When I look online at villas and "resort homes" in the key areas of the island, the prices are always fairly high (over $2,000/mo). These aren't super extravagant places either, just the only long-term rentals I've been able to get information about online. Ideally, we'd like some modern comforts, most importantly always-on broadband internet (crucial for my business), AC, and at least basic international TV, but we don't expect to be living "high in the hog".

Also, does anyone have leads on cheap airfare? I may need to fly to and from NYC once every 2-3 months or so for business, which would certainly bump up the average monthly cost of living.

Basically, I'm looking for tips on how to accelerate the transition process of going from outsiders paying Bule tourist rates to locals establishing a home on the island. I understand this is probably something that happens naturally once we take the plunge, but advice (or links to other good posts and resources on the topic) would be appreciated.

These boards are fabulous. It's been lovely to read about everyone's adventures in other threads.

Thanks Spicyayam, I actually just discovered the nomad4ever blog and have read through most of the articles there - great site!

Calitobali wrote

Personally, I live in Bali on around $500 USD per month

Muraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah sekaliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii :shock:

Come on now Calitobali are you pulling my leg :P

Whats your secret hihihihi how do you manage on makan warung ?

Wow Calitobali thats interesting i would like to know more stories i bet you have a few good ones to tell maybe you could share with us how you live on this small sum please :mrgreen:

Hi Jimbo,

Thanks for adding your voice to the thread. Do you have any examples of where I could find such a well-furnished luxury house that aligned with a budget of $2-3k/mo? I'm looking online from the US and I'm seeing crazy prizes for even modest villas ($100+ per NIGHT!). At that price I might as well just move into the Bali Hyatt! Clearly these sites are targeting the short-term tourist rather than the long-term resident.

What about Health Insurance and health care costs in Indonesia? I plan to train Muay Thai while in Bali which, for those who don't know, is an aggressive form of full-contact kickboxing. Given this and the general sorts of outdoor adventuring I like to do, I obviously want to be sure that if I get injured I can get proper care and not break the bank.

What about broadband internet access? I've heard it can be expensive (as much as $500/mo. for a quality dedicated line). How is the quality of lower priced options?

I realize there are some articles on these topics but most are several years old and a lot can change in that time (especially regarding internet connections and the like).

Overall, I'm feeling very optimistic about the quality of life we can expect on $3-$5k USD/mo. in Bali, given the replies in this thread. I don't exaggerate when I say that such an income would put you on the borderline of poverty in Manhattan. How is it that so much of the world hasn't figured out the insanity of this fact? Hopefully it stays that way :wink: