Living on a backpackers budget

winged

Okay, so I've visited Bali twice now. I have close friends living there permanently, and I've completely in love with everything that Bali is. I'm not sure about a permanent relocation, but I'm seriously considering moving there for six months to a year. Maybe more, but we'll figure that out later. It's just feelers for now, but this is a serious enquiry, without set dates as of yet, but starting sometime before July this year. I plan on saving a lot of money before I go, selling my car etc, as I know sourcing a local job isn't easy, but if you have any tips for that let me know. I have a lot of job experience and references.I was just wondering if I can get an indication of how to live as cheap as possible, on a long-term temporary basis. I'm willing to stay in backpackers, very simple guest-houses etc. I can sleep through pretty much anything if noise is an issue. Ideally am looking at anywhere between Kuta, Seminyak and Kerobokan. Needs too be relatively close to this and half the point of the move is too spend more time with the friends living in Kerobokan.Are there any recommendations for these places? Can you negotiate a lower price for a longer stay? Ideally it would have a pool and it would be great if it included some kind of breakfast. I am learning the basics of language before I go. I know how to eat cheap there, at local warungs etc and am not expecting a restaurant meal every night or anything like that. I love the local food.Alternatively, is there an easy way to find cheap furnished rental apartments or houses? I have been researching but I have discovered that word of mouth is best so I think its worth a shot too ask on here. Or are there any other options? Like a room to rent?I'm new, be nice :) Thankyou!

mat

Okay, so I've visited Bali twice now. I have close friends living there permanently, and I've completely in love with everything that Bali is. I'm not sure about a permanent relocation, but I'm seriously considering moving there for six months to a year. Maybe more, but we'll figure that out later. It's just feelers for now, but this is a serious enquiry, without set dates as of yet, but starting sometime before July this year. I plan on saving a lot of money before I go, selling my car etc, as I know sourcing a local job isn't easy, but if you have any tips for that let me know. I have a lot of job experience and references.I was just wondering if I can get an indication of how to live as cheap as possible, on a long-term temporary basis. I'm willing to stay in backpackers, very simple guest-houses etc. I can sleep through pretty much anything if noise is an issue. Ideally am looking at anywhere between Kuta, Seminyak and Kerobokan.Are there any recommendations for these places? Can you negotiate a lower price for a longer stay? Ideally it would have a pool and it would be great if it included some kind of breakfast. I am learning the basics of language before I go. I know how to eat cheap there, at local warungs etc and am not expecting a restaurant meal every night or anything like that. I love the local food.Alternatively, is there an easy way to find cheap furnished rental apartments or houses? I have been researching but I have discovered that word of mouth is best so I think its worth a shot too ask on here. Or are there any other options? Like a room to rent?I'm new, be nice :) Thankyou![/QUOTE] In the north here you can get basic good accommodation from about 7 million Rupia a year for a new build, unfurnished, a good bed a wardrobe and a fridge will set you back about 5 and a half million. [ no pool ] If you have cash to invest you can get 20% aprox from the LPD [village ] banks paid monthly. Local warungs here offer a basic rice + meal for 3 thousand rupia. Need any more info PM me, I can help by sending you some numbers of local people who want to rent [ usually for a year at a time, but you can sub contact on after if you need for shorter.]. I am not an agent and have no financial interest and can only supply info on my local area [between Lovina and Singaraja].

BKT

I would suggest you look for a fully furnished cost and rent for a year, that would cost anywhere between 400-600 RP per month, anything with a pool would set you back too much.

winged

Thanks BKT, Is that 400-600 thousand rupiah? Or million?Do you know of any that are available or site too look? Only one bedroom is needed.

spicyayam

matsaleh

I imagine he means 400-600 thousand. Unfortunately there aren't any websites that you can find these places. You just need to ask around in the area you want to live, also look for signs in the street as there are many of these places.[/QUOTE] I doubt you'd find a furnished kost in the south of Bali at that price any longer. I have a few local friends and they're all paying more than that for [I]unfurnished[/I] places now. Most are paying between Rp800.000 and Rp1 million a month, cold water only. Some kost' are advertised on the net. I searched Google with search terms "sewa kost Bali Desember 2010" and came up with a few sites. Here's a couple:[url=http://baliwall.com/bali-kamar-kost.htm]Kost di Bali, kost eksklusif, Villa Canggu Bali, rooms for rent, apartemen harian[/url][url=http://kostbali.wordpress.com/]info kost di bali[/url]Most of them are in bahasa Indonesia, so you get to practice your language skills as well. :icon_razz:

winged

Thanks for your reply. I guess I'll have to get in a hotel or a guesthouse for a few days and check it out.I don't speak indonesian yet, only learning, but thankyou, I'll try.If there are any other suggestions please put them up :)

calitobali

I doubt you'd find a furnished kost in the south of Bali at that price any longer. I have a few local friends and they're all paying more than that for [I]unfurnished[/I] places now. Most are paying between Rp800.000 and Rp1 million a month, cold water only. Some kost' are advertised on the net. I searched Google with search terms "sewa kost Bali Desember 2010" and came up with a few sites. Here's a couple:[url=http://baliwall.com/bali-kamar-kost.htm]Kost di Bali, kost eksklusif, Villa Canggu Bali, rooms for rent, apartemen harian[/url][url=http://kostbali.wordpress.com/]info kost di bali[/url]Most of them are in bahasa Indonesia, so you get to practice your language skills as well. :icon_razz:[/QUOTE] They are still around for sure. Recently I had to rent a kos just for a month while I let some people stay in my house while on vacation. The kos came furnished with a large bed, a wardrobe and a fan for rp 500,000 a month and this was in petitenget as well, right by the corner that goes to pantai petitenget.Most locals that I know stay in a kos for much less than 800,000, with a lot of them staying for 350,000 - 500,000 with varying levels of being furnished. This is in Kuta. If a kos is around 800,000 to 1 million it would be a very upscale kos and should be furnished and attract locals that work office jobs and have more flashy lifestyles. I lived in a place like that for a year.Anyways, not trying to get into a pricing debate, just wanted to let the OP know what is really out there and for how much.

winged

They are still around for sure. Recently I had to rent a kos just for a month while I let some people stay in my house while on vacation. The kos came furnished with a large bed, a wardrobe and a fan for rp 500,000 a month and this was in petitenget as well, right by the corner that goes to pantai petitenget.Most locals that I know stay in a kos for much less than 800,000, with a lot of them staying for 350,000 - 500,000 with varying levels of being furnished. This is in Kuta. If a kos is around 800,000 to 1 million it would be a very upscale kos and should be furnished and attract locals that work office jobs and have more flashy lifestyles. I lived in a place like that for a year.Anyways, not trying to get into a pricing debate, just wanted to let the OP know what is really out there and for how much.[/QUOTE]Thankyou very very much. This is very hopeful, do you know where I could find one before moving or is my best bet to just go and hunt around there?

winged

ALSO! Would I find better value in Kuta area like Jalan Benesari where it's competitive or going further out of the major tourist spot like trying Canggu?thanks heaps

calitobali

best bet is to find one when you are already here. It would be hard to arrange it ahead of time as most places want half of the rent for the first month as a deposit to hold the place for you. The places listed on the sites that Matsaleh posted look very nice, but they will be more expensive than rp 500,000 a month.Also Jl. Benesari will have cheap little hotels although it is definitely not the place to look for a kos. If you want to stay in Kuta there are many rooms in kos over there on Jl. Mataram for less than rp 500,000 per month although not all of them would be ideal living situations, some of them certainly would be though.If you head up and out of Kuta you will probably get a better deal and less noise.

D&M

In the north here you can get basic good accommodation from about 7 million Rupia a year for a new build, unfurnished, a good bed a wardrobe and a fridge will set you back about 5 and a half million. [ no pool ] If you have cash to invest you can get 20% aprox from the LPD [village ] banks paid monthly. Local warungs here offer a basic rice + meal for 3 thousand rupia. Need any more info PM me, I can help by sending you some numbers of local people who want to rent [ usually for a year at a time, but you can sub contact on after if you need for shorter.]. I am not an agent and have no financial interest and can only supply info on my local area [between Lovina and Singaraja].[/QUOTE]Hi Mat,My wife and I will be moving to Bali in Feb, my ears pricked up when I read your remark regarding deposits with LDP banks. Can you please elaborate upon this, that is, contacts if possible risks etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.CheersDamon

mat

Hi Mat,My wife and I will be moving to Bali in Feb, my ears pricked up when I read your remark regarding deposits with LDP banks. Can you please elaborate upon this, that is, contacts if possible risks etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.CheersDamon[/QUOTE] Has been talked about in previous postings, [give it a search] But here's the short of it, a LPD bank is a village owned bank lends out money to locals at 35%, you can invest money [Indonesian Rupia only] for 6 month or yearly contracts. Anybody can invest. The rates vary, but are generally very high. Most villages have them. We generally agree that personally we would not put more than 100 million in each. But as yet have not seen one fold, [most have been going for 10 years or so. All you need is a passport/ID to open an account, interest is paid monthly into that account. You get a certificate with each investment which tells you the date you can get your original money back with no penalty. Late or early withdrawals are penalized with a cash penalty. I believe if you are late getting your original investment back it rolls over for another year. I have and do use LPD banks and have never had a problem or heard of anyone else having one. However it does sound too good to be true, doesn't it? and you know what they say about that....So if you use them I recommend spreading your money amongst them rather than all in one. Sometimes a bank has enough investment and rates drop or investments are limited.