Bali on a Budget 2026: 10 Tips and Real Prices – Pipin & Mire - Travel Guides

Bali has a reputation as a luxury destination, with private pool villas and beach clubs, but it's also one of the places in Asia where you can travel best on a small budget. The key is knowing what things cost before you arrive, choosing the right area and eating where the Balinese eat. Here are our 10 tips for traveling to Bali on a budget in 2026, with updated prices.

Everything we mention (warungs, cafés, hostels and beaches) is organized by area in our Bali travel guide PDF, with more than 200 places saved in Google Maps. If you just want the pins on your phone, there's also our Bali map for Google Maps.

How much does a trip to Bali cost in 2026: ballpark prices

Before the tips, a quick price reference (€1 is roughly 20,000 Indonesian rupiah, IDR):

Visa on arrival (VOA): 500,000 IDR, about €25.
Bali tourist tax: 150,000 IDR, about €7.50.
Taxi from the airport to Kuta, Seminyak or Ubud: between 100,000 and 300,000 IDR (€5–15).
Scooter rental: between 50,000 and 100,000 IDR a day (€2.50–5).
Basic car: between 200,000 and 400,000 IDR a day (€10–20).
A meal at a warung: at places like Warung Local in Uluwatu, you can eat for €3–5.

Prices go up in high season and shift with the exchange rate, so treat them as a guide and always double-check before paying.

1. Handle your entry paperwork yourself, online

To enter Bali as a tourist you need the VOA (30 days, extendable for another 30 in person). You can apply online for the e-VOA on Indonesia's official immigration website (molina.imigrasi.go.id) or pay for it when you land at the airport. Before you fly, you also need to fill out the All Indonesia form, which is free (no more than 72 hours ahead), and pay the Bali tourist tax on the official website lovebali.baliprov.go.id.

Always use the official websites: some sites charge fees for the exact same paperwork. And remember your passport needs at least 6 months of validity and 2 blank pages, and you may be asked for proof of onward travel.

2. Avoid July, August and Christmas if you can

Flights and accommodation skyrocket in summer and over the end-of-year holidays. We were in Canggu in August and what we noticed most was the crowds. If you're flexible, May, June, September and October are usually great months: dry season, fewer people and more reasonable prices.

3. Travel carry-on only

It's a tip we repeat in all our guides: if you can avoid checking your backpack, you'll save quite a bit on flights, especially if you're combining Bali with other destinations in Asia or with domestic flights. For Bali, all you need is light clothes, a swimsuit, a rain jacket, comfy sandals and a pair of sneakers for day trips. Our article on how to pack so everything fits has the full list.

4. Get around with Grab, Gojek or by scooter

Bali has no practical public transportation for travelers, so the cheap options are apps and scooters:

Grab or Gojek: you can order a car, a motorbike taxi and even food. Check the fare in the app before accepting.
Scooter: it's the cheapest option and, in areas like Uluwatu, the most practical, because cars get stuck in traffic and a short ride can turn into an hour. Only if you have experience, with a helmet and a valid international driving permit.
Driver by the day: if there are several of you, hiring a car with a driver for the long day trips (waterfalls, rice terraces, the north of the island) works out cheap when you split it.

5. Eat at warungs

Warungs are small local restaurants and the best way to eat well for little money. Try nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles) or nasi campur. A few we recommend in the guide:

Ubud: In Da Compound Warung, our favorite for a first dinner.
Uluwatu: Warung Local, Yeye's and D'Alive Kitchen, cheap and really tasty local food.
Seminyak: Warung Eny.

6. Take advantage of café and restaurant deals

In southern Bali, lots of places have fixed discounts depending on the day. The ones we list in the guide for Uluwatu:

The Bakery: from 5:00 pm, everything is 50% off.
Nourish: daily deals; our favorite, 2-for-1 pizzas on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Alchemy: pizza discount on Tuesdays.
The Cashew Tree: discounts on Thursdays before the party.

Check their Instagram profiles before you go, since deals and events change.

7. Choose the right area (and type of accommodation)

Bali has accommodation for every budget, and hostels and guesthouses are very affordable. In the guide we sort them by area and price. Some budget options:

Uluwatu: Karma Backpacker, Sr Hostel or Pecatu Guest.
Ubud: In Da Lodge, Gora House or The Happy Mango.
Canggu: The Farm Hostel, Surfing Nomads or The Slow Hostel.
Seminyak: Kosta Hostel or Capsule Hostel.

Another trick: staying several nights in a row in each area instead of moving every night saves you transfers, which are what eat up the most time and money in Bali.

8. Enjoy the free (or almost free) stuff

Many of the best moments in Bali cost nothing or next to nothing:

The beaches of Uluwatu: Thomas Beach, Dreamland, Bingin and Nyang Nyang.
Sunsets at Sunset Point Pantai or Single Fin.
Walking through the Tegalalang rice terraces or around Ubud.
Seeing the Ubud Market and the Ubud Royal Palace.

Temples like Uluwatu, Tanah Lot or Tirta Empul charge a small entrance fee and will ask you to cover your legs (they usually lend or rent you a sarong).

9. Compare before booking tours

For the Mount Batur sunrise hike you'll see lots of street stalls in Ubud selling the tour; it's not expensive, but compare prices between a few. To get to Nusa Lembongan or Nusa Penida, ferries leave Sanur regularly. And if you'd rather not deal with logistics, an all-inclusive organized tour can be better value than putting it together yourself with private transfers.

10. Pay smart and haggle at markets

At markets and small shops, haggling is normal, always with a smile. Use a currency converter app so you always know how much you're paying in euros. To stay connected without paying for roaming, an eSIM like Airalo saves you buying a SIM at the airport. And sharing a car, driver or villa with friends brings the cost per person way down.

Finally, don't skimp on insurance: Bali means scooters, waves and volcano hikes. We always travel with IATI Seguros.

Plan your budget trip to Bali

If you want the 13-day itinerary we followed (Ubud, Canggu, Uluwatu, Nusa Lembongan and the north), all the warungs, cafés and hostels by area, and the visa and transportation info, it's all in our Bali guide PDF with a Google Maps map. If your trip is already planned and you just want the places, the Bali map puts them right on your phone.

And to keep planning, also read what to do in Bali: temples, beaches and must-do plans or download our free Asia guide if you're combining several countries.