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Living the last 2 years in Bali were surprisingly smooth sailing. Originally we wanted to stay here 6 months only – now I almost can’t believe, how quickly time passed on this lovely island.
Coming from Phuket, the first impressions were quite mixed. What stroke me most initially, was the chaotic traffic and the colder ocean temperatures.
Now it’s time to move on again to new shores. Time for a Wrap-up of good and annoying things you can experience, when you live here as a long-term traveler, Nomad or Expat.
Here we go; the Best, the Good, the Ugly of Bali:
The Best
The best thing about Bali is the rich variety of food and international cuisines for very affordable prices. I don’t think there is another place like this anywhere in Asia, where you can eat out so deliciously – so cheap!
Don’t get me wrong – Singapore or Hong Kong offer excellent cuisines of all countries possible, but you will pay with an arm or a leg for it. Everything except food courts will cost you dearly and you will think twice, if you can dine out again at that special Italian Restaurant or that Greek Taverna. Sure, places like Phuket or Boracay offer international cuisine as well, but they mainly cater to the backpacker crowd and classy restaurants are either rare or bloody expensive.
Not so in Bali!
Although it offers an abundance of Indonesian and Balinese Warungs, Restaurants, Food Carts and Food Places – it’s the international food options where Bali really shines and offers the best of all worlds for long-term travelers, Nomads and Expats alike.
You can find classy restaurants of all styles here; Greek, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Belgian, Dutch, German, Moroccan, Brazilian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Middle Eastern – and all of them in close proximity to each other. Rarely a meal costs more than USD 10-20 for a great dish. A dinner for 2 in your home country could easily set you back 5-10 times the amount you pay here for comparable quality.
I can’t imagine anyone being bored easily with the sheer selection of foods you have here – a problem I faced already 8 months after staying in Thailand.
Besides the quality and value of great food – the overall Costs of Living are the best thing about Bali.
I’m yet to run into a place, where you can have a similar comfort, quality of life and low cost of living in one place in Asia. Wikipedia compared the Purchasing Power Parity of countries around the globe; Indonesia (and Bali) are in the 20-25% area – that means, you can live here on a comparable standard to the US or Europe with only 20-25% of the expenses.
Amazing, right?
From Food, Drinks, to Housing or Transportation – Bali will give you plenty of bang for your buck. Your Dollar or Euro will go a long way here – if you want to calculate that in more detail, check out my Cost of Living Chart for Bali.
The Good
Scenery, sightseeing and activity options will keep you busy and never being bored during your time in Bali. Bali is definitely a unique island of magic – a special paradise for many, an island of plenty.
Are you sporty? Do sports here: dive, snorkel, surf, kite, trek, bike, hike, play beach games. Ride a bike or car around the island and explore its hidden gems. Check out its neighboring islands like Lombok, Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan. Having driven myself about 25.000 km in the last 2 years on my trusted Kymco Scooter – I can tell you that you will discover some new interesting spots almost every day!
Are you lazy? Relax at the beach, watch birds, the rice fields, read that novel you always wanted to read, pamper yourself with massages, spa, cream baths or wellness programs. Drink a ice-cold Bintang beer or that colorful cocktail, while surfing the internet to get into the right mood. Swim with dolphins or visit sunken wrecks on the bottom of the ocean. Ride a horse on a beach during sunset or sunrise. You name it, Bali has it!
You want nature? Chose between white beaches, yellow beaches, black beaches, grey beaches, stony beaches, sandy beaches, pebble beaches. Deep lakes, mountains, volcanoes, water falls, hot springs, jungles, national parks, rice fields or terraces are here for you. You can simply get lost in nature!
Culture is your thing? Explore the only Hindu enclave in a sea of 17.000 Muslim islands. Visit temples by the sea, in jungles, on mountains, on cliffs, at the slope of volcanoes or near sandy beaches. Indulge yourself in exotic dances, traditional music, mystic plays, listen to drums and watch fire dances, watch the diverse ethnic cultures, creatures, dresses and ceremonies. Free your body, minds and spirit – completely! 
The Ugly
No place on earth is perfect. Bali is no difference. The most annoying things for long-term travelers, Nomads or Expats I found the following:
The Visa System: Honestly – the Visa System for Indonesia is seriously f…..fflawed. I mean, how can you visit a country with 17.000 islands, 220 Million people and with the size of a regular continent in 30 days with the VOA, Visa on Arrival System? That’s truly impossible!
Yes, they have Working Visas (KITAS) or Retirement Visas, but those exclude everyone below 60, who doesn’t work. The Social Visit Visa is a joke in itself! Anyway, here are some more details on how it works.
You will either spend a lot of money or a lot of time, to get your Visa renewed every month within the country. While I initially thought that this will only be a minor problem – it turns out that for me it was now the most annoying thing – the main factor or deal breaker to move on to another country. The current system is bureaucrazy and corruption combined.
Last month they let me come 6 times (!) to the Immigration Office in Denpasar for one simple stamp in my passport. That means every time about 2 hours drive, fighting through the horrible traffic and pollution of Denpasar. A minimum waiting time of 30-60 minutes every time you are in the Immigration Office in Jalan Panjaitan in the Renon area of Denpasar, legions of paperwork, you will pay exuberant fees for their own forms, copies and the whole procedure is different again every month.
Usually you will see the Immigration Office about 20 times in just 6 months! Unbelievable and my major annoyance for long-term stay here. The alternative? Paying a Visa Agency triple the price then what the Visa Extension costs.
I’m sorry, but I can’t subscribe to that idea anymore!
Other minor annoyances are the Corrupt Traffic Cops, which will stop you every other day to extort money from you for no reason or the beach hawkers, who won’t give you a quiet minute, when you are lazing at the beach.
Over time you will learn to fend off the cops and get away without paying anything, although it remains a hassle, being stopped and questioned every second day. The hawkers on the beach you can simply ignore and you’ll even get used to the dual price system, meaning that as a foreigner you are naturally overcharged at almost every day-2-day situation. Cheating Money Changers are best avoided by withdrawing money solely from ATM’s or exchanging notes directly in banks.
Dirt and filth are something you have to cope with in most 3rd world countries and Bali is unfortunately a very dirty place at least in the main tourist areas. The environmental conscience of the average Indonesian is poorly developed – you will see plastic bags, empty bottles or anything else they want to dispose themselves off landing in the road sides or anywhere else.
Luckily things are slowly improving and the Balinese learn that it will destroy their paradise in the long run, if natural resources are exploited and the mountains of trash in the road sides are growing by the day. So there are efforts on the way for recycling, to separate trash and clean up the mess around, but it will take a bit time to see the fruits of this development in a more substantial way.
—
That sums it basically up, the experiences of our last 2 years here in Bali. Over time we truly learned to appreciate the many advantages Bali has to offer, compared to living on a smaller island like Phuket or living the City Life in Singapore or elsewhere. Coping with the disadvantages is another thing.
So, the judgment can sometimes sound hard and probably someone else will surely see things differently.
Please share your thoughts by using the comment form below!
Next week will see us leaving Bali for now. Next destination is …… ahem….nahhh……later……
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Hi Chris, I can understand the frustration of expats in Bali when dealing with those government things. It is all over Indonesia not only in Bali, part of idiotic administration system. But I believe there are still some good guys in those offices, they just can’t do nothing but follow the ‘big stream’.
Btw, are you leaving Bali? Agh almost forget you are nomad
. Too bad I did not contact you while I was in Bali (September).
thought you are settle in Bali
Great Rundown ! I can’t wait to visit soon ! Thanks for all the Bali info and have a safe trip to your new home .
So where too next?
I remember you wrote about a 3-month visa that the government was thinking of introducing. Seems like they haven’t gotten around to it yet. From what I have read, the Philippines has the best visas for long term travelers.
Thanks guys! Yep, the 3-month visa didn’t materialize, Mike – too bad!
The Philippine Visa system isn’t too shabby, as you can stay up to 2 years in the country and the monthly extension is pretty straightforward and takes maybe about 1 hour per month. The only concern we had were the current costs, about 80 USD per person per month, that makes 160 USD for 2 persons just for the Visa alone. For that amount I can almost rent a house someplace else. So we decided against the Philippines for now and will move to a place, where you can get a 6-month Visa for about 75 USD.
More in the next couple of days…
Nice round-up. Thanks for the article.
Can I have a guess where you are going? Two clues, the visa length time of 6 months and the time of year in terms of monsoons….
Goa?
Ahem Working Nomad, how did you….ahhhh……ppsssssstttt!
Is it ?
it’s gotta be
oh, i just want to share with people here who can understand this (why I’m not pursuing corporate gold) … In 2 weeks or so, i will be going to the philippines for a 9 month stay!
I am 26.
I love this
tom
[...] of you guessed right already, so you will be able to find me at least for the next 6-12 months in Goa, [...]
Can’t wait for the future posts ! Great guess Working Nomad !
This is so nice! Thanks for sharing, I’ve bookmarked your article for later reference!
Nah, best variety of cheap food is in Penang! I settled here with my Indonesian wife a year ago – we dismissed Indonesia for the same visa related problems you describe. MM2H long stay visa here is great as long as you can meet the financial requirements. Also direct Air Asia flights to Jakarta & Medan to visit wife’s family.
Englishman in Penang – great info! Malaysia is pretty similar culture-, climate- and food-wise to Indonesia. So I bet, you and your wife have no problems getting along and enjoying the good life over there. Sounds like a good idea to think through for us mixed couples. Will consider it for sure for one of the next destinations…thank you!
fair and informative info about Bali stuff.
Have a great day in Goa buddy :-)
So far so good, balidreamhome. Thanks for dropping a line and all the best towards a quick end of the rainy season in Bali!
Hi there, I have just discovered your website and I am finding it really valuable. I live and work in Australia and will have reasonable assets built up here by the time my children finish their schooling (6 more years) I will be 50 by then and keen to throw in full time working “rat race” life for a more relaxed existance in Asia.
Sad to hear about the VISA hassles involved in living in Bali as I was hoping to spend time there, I surf and swim a lot and it would be close and cheap to return home to Perth when needed (a consideration for my wife more so than me). Anyway great site and information and I will continue to explore and enjoy your site as I plan my early retirement:-) – keep up the good work
kerrsan, no worries! When you turn 50, there are hopefully other options by then. A Retirement Visa is unfortunately only for people of age 55 and above, but I really hope that countries who want to attract foreigners come to their senses and do something about those visa regulations. The Philippines were setting a trend some 18 months back, there are rumors that Thailand will ease their now complicated visa structure again and hopefully others will follow suit. Worst case, you pay an agency to get your Social Visa extended every month.
wow, i wanna go to bali too.
you’ve been all over asia. that’s lovely!
i didn’t know that indonesia works like the philippines in some ways. *wink*
we have the bounty of our nature but uh-oh, corruption is also something that irks the rest of the nation.
Purchasing Power Parity? wow, that’s a good-to-know info. thanks for that!
Hoi Chris,
Thanks a lot for your advise. I am from Holland end been now several times in Bali. In oktober 2009 i am going again and i met a girl there and when i am retire in 20010 i wil also be om a social visa for 6 month. I hope we can meet sometime when i am i Bali? Send otherwise you email and we can make a appointment.
Greatings Willem
raquel, yep – seems that Indonesia and the Philippines are pretty much alike in more than 1 ways.
willem, all the best for your plans in Bali and your future with your girl. Sounds, like you are pretty excited? I’m currently not in Bali anymore but in the Philippines, but plan to return in about 2-3 years. Maybe we can catch up then?
Chris,
Ok i hope we can meet then. Your experience with Bali has helpt me a lot. I think i will live as expat sometime in Bali. Nice to see that you also go to the Phillipines. I follow your comment on that.
When you come back give me a mail then we can catch up again.
Willem
willem, I’m sure you won’t get bored easily in Bali. There are soooo many things to do, see and explore. And after that, there are still the surrounding island to cover. If I would’ve found a better way for my visa troubles, I would’ve stayed probably longer. But then it’s sometimes nice to see new shores and come back one day to feel at home again and do things differently. Anyway – thanks for your compliments and enjoy your time in Bali!
I suggest that the Indonesian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino governments seriously think of a offering a Permanent VISA for investors, like what the Malaysians and Hong Konge governments had done. Malaysia My Second Home is attractive to those with less to invest, while Hong Kong’s programme appeals to those with more money to invest.
Since all these couuntries-China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam- already have a large population and need more investment, they should offer those who don’t mind their lower standard of living a Permanent VISA. Having even a million investor-immigrants move there won’t make much difference to their overall population, but would create significant economic activities. They will suddenly have a niche market for services that appeal to these immigrants, which develops their sophistication and development in these value-added industries (eg. medical, spa, golf, gastronomy, cultural). More jobs can be created.
A few features that I think should be included:
1) Low investment: Example US$100k
2) Long-term visa (10y or lifetime)
3) Tax incentive (money brought into the country should be tax-exempted)
4) No estate duties (like Singapore)
5) Right to buy and own 1 residential landed property and private car
6) Right to employ maid
7) Right to bring their parents, spouse and children under 25 with them under same application
8) Right to study in local public schools
9) Use of English in the department in govt in-charge of promoting this programme
10) The investment should not be paid as fees, but be required to be used for investment (like HK) or bank deposit (like Malaysia)
11) Right to convert the VISA to Permanent Residency VISA after a few years
12) Right to open bank account in multiple currencies and to transfer fund in and out of the country without restriction
13) Easy and fast to get approval after standard documents and application form are submitted
14) Ease to withdraw from the program without penalty anytime
15) Right to use the nursing homes and hospitals in the country
Sunny, great ideas as usual. Now we just have to hope that the governments of the mentioned countries read here also and fix their systems ASAP! Wow….
…not sure if this is the right place for my question. ANYWAY, could anyone recommend (or compare in short) what place is much worth to travel in: Malaysia(Penang,Langkawi,Cameroon Highlights,KL) or Bali/Lombok? Me and my girlfriend can not deside, which one place to go for honeymoon (we prefer cheap one but consider quality too. at least western toilet ;) We have benn in Thailand, we like it very much (Krabi,KohSamui,Phangan.Tao). PLease any advice would be appreciated as need to book flight to … `till October!
Thanks a lot! =D>
It would depend on your preferences, Juraj. There is none generally better or worse. Malaysia and Indonesia are both worth more than one visit. You can arrange honeymoon arrangements with your hotels, they will be more than happy to help you with it. The main difference between these destinations is maybe that Bali has a lot of things to offer in closer proximity, most tourists sights are usually less than 2 hours travel away. Malaysia as a country is naturally much bigger and would require maybe some more arrangements beforehand. Also I would say that Malaysia is more expensive than Bali or Lombok, quality-wise I don’t see big differences. It’s more a matter of taste and preferences – hard to give more concrete advice without knowing what type of person you are, your budget and you are looking for. Anyway – best of luck planning your trip.
Hi Chris
I’m about to return to Bali, for a longer visit.
Can you recommend anywhere long term to stay? Maybe a cheap apartment.
Also what did you do for internet access. I have been enjoying EDGE network in Thailand. Do you know about Bali?
Many thanks
Darren
Darren, there are too many places to recommend any. Take your time and look around, rent preferably from owner and avoid agents. As for internet, check out these articles here (ISP options in general) and here (3G internet). Have a great trip and enjoy paradise island!
The best article about Bali by a foreigner’s eyes.
Thanks Andre, you are too friendly!