Leave to live in Bali: detailed instructions with prices and useful tips. Employment of an employee in a medical facility on the island. Peace and positivity

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Life in Bali

Rice fields, traffic jams and rubber time

I moved to Bali 6 years ago and have been working remotely all these years.

Irina Krokhaleva

7 years living in Bali

To be honest, if not for surfing, I would hardly want to live here. But there are many expats in Bali with different hobbies: there are party-goers, athletes, "enlightened ones", families with children and just those who do not like winter. And for all these groups there is an infrastructure and a lot of entertainment.

You get aesthetic pleasure from the views in Bali every day. Over the years, they do not get bored: the nature here is incredibly beautiful.

The disadvantages are mainly related to the mentality of people: Indonesians in general and Balinese in particular are people who are relaxed on the verge of total laziness. However, they are very greedy and often unprincipled. Corruption and bureaucracy reign in state bodies, and the attitude towards whites is biased. Like everywhere, Bali has its pros and cons, so you can only decide if this place is right for you to live by trying to come here.

How the island works

For the average tourist or expat, Bali is divided into several main areas.

Kuta And Seminyak- the most touristic, densely built hotels and villas, shops, bars and restaurants. There are crowded beaches shopping centers, nightclubs, cinemas and water parks.

Canggu- the most fashionable area among expats, I live here and most of my friends. In short, Canggu is rice fields, stylish cafes, custom bikes and surfing. All in all, a hipster neighborhood.

The appendix in the very south of the island is Bukit. Bukit has great surfing waves, pristine beaches, high cliffs with breathtaking ocean views. If you compare Bukit with Seminyak or Canggu, it's like a village and a city. Bukit is inhabited by those for whom surfing is more important than the rest of the infrastructure for life.

For a simple swim in Bali, there are few beaches, they are concentrated in Nusa Dua. The coast there is built up with all-inclusive hotels.

In the center of the island is Ubud. The ocean is far from here, but there are many rice fields and jungles. In Ubud, mainly those who are fond of yoga, meditation and creativity live and relax.

In the northeast of the island, in the areas Amed and Chandidas, there are no waves, but good conditions for diving and snorkeling, very calm and quiet, few people. It’s boring to live there for a long time, but periodically going for a couple of days to relax is cool.

From point of view local population, there are two major cities in Bali - Denpasar and Singaraja, - as well as evenly dispersed throughout the rest of the area of the village. Locals live everywhere, just closer to the center of the island, the building density is less because of the rice fields or the jungle. They work in the field of tourism, grow rice, breed chickens and pigs. Many people are employed in small industries: in clothing factories and jewelry workshops, wood carving is developed.

Manual labor in Indonesia is inexpensive, and many expats take advantage of this by exporting furniture, clothing, jewelry and home furnishings. Other expats are opening businesses here, and not necessarily aimed at tourists. In addition to bars, hotels and beach clubs, foreigners have opened here, for example, karting in the center of Denpasar and a nail salon focused on Asian tastes in nail design.

Bali is international resort, where people come from all over the world, but most of all there are tourists from Australia. For Australians, Bali is the nearest resort, as for Russians, Turkey or Egypt. There are also a lot of Russians in Bali - both tourists and expats, so some Indonesians even learn Russian. Finding a guide with knowledge of the Russian language is very easy here.

Visa

A tourist visa for a month is given to Russian citizens free of charge at the airport. For $ 30 (1750 R) at the airport you can buy a visa for 30 days, which can then be extended for another 30. Then you will need to fly out of the country, but you can return at least on the same day - and get it again tourist visa. Such trips are called "visa-runs". The cheapest way to fly on a visa run is to neighboring Malaysia, on average, the trip costs $ 150-200 (9-12 thousand rubles).

I have not heard about cases of refusal of entry due to the fact that there are too many visas in a row in the passport, but sometimes they ask to show return ticket from Indonesia, although its authenticity is not verified in any way.

30 $

costs a regular tourist visa at the airport

Flying back and forth every two months is expensive, annoying, and the pages in your passport run out quickly. If you are not working or working remotely, like me, the best option for a long-term stay in Indonesia is a social visa. It is called so because it suggests that its owner has local friends here and studies culture and society. A social visa is issued at the Indonesian embassy in any other country. From Bali, it is most convenient to fly to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. You will need a copy of the identity card of the Indonesian guarantor and a sponsorship letter from him, that is, a paper that contains his and your data. It is assumed that the guarantor bears full responsibility for you, and if you break the law or get into trouble, then they will also be asked from him.

A social visa costs $50 (3000 R) and is valid for 60 days. Then it can be extended four times, each time for another 30 days. Each renewal costs $30. It turns out that in total with such a visa you can live in Bali for six months, and registration will cost $ 170 (9900 R).

9900 R

will cost a social visa, on which you can live in Bali for six months

To extend a tourist or social visa, you need to come to the immigration office three times: first, submit a passport, then pay and have your fingerprints taken, and finally pick up your passport. If you have a social visa, then you must apply for an extension together with a guarantor.

The search for a guarantor and the hassle of renewals can be avoided by using the services of a visa agency. Documents for the embassy cost 250,000 Indonesian rupiah (1250 R). Each extension will cost 700,000 rupees (3500 R). An initial fee of $ 50 for 60 days of a visa is paid independently when applying at the Indonesian embassy, the process takes two days, so tickets to another country, hotel and food are added to the amount.

You can also stay in Indonesia on an annual KITAS visa, but not everyone is given it. Kitas can be obtained if you go to university, get a job, get married or marry an Indonesian. The kitas itself costs $700 (40,000 R) per year, but in order to work, you also need a permit, which costs about $1,300 (75,000 R) per year. Therefore, it is difficult for foreigners to find official work in Bali: it is simply unprofitable to apply for them. If you are married to an Indonesian citizen, you can work for him without additional permits - this is considered helping the family. But in order to get a job that is not related to your spouse, you need to get permission and pay the fees in full.

There is also a kitas for pensioners. Those over the age of 55 can apply for it by providing insurance, a one-year lease on land or a house, a letter from a local guarantor, and a bank statement showing regular cash receipts. How much money comes in is not important, the main thing is to show that transactions are regular.

Kitas is extended in Indonesia, and in order to leave the country, you need to get permission. Having lived for 5 years on Kitas, you can apply for a KITAP - this is the same visa, but not for a year, but for 5 years. It costs the same amount, you just have to pay the whole amount at once. So, if a foreigner has been married to an Indonesian citizen for 5 years and wants to get a kitap, he needs to pay 36 million rupees (151,200 R).

300,000 rupees (1250 R) per day - a fine for delaying a visa.

1250 R

per day - a fine for delaying a visa

Since 2012, I have been applying for a social visa every six months. Usually in Malaysia, a couple of times I made out in Russia. In Moscow set required documents more, you must also provide a rental agreement or a hotel reservation, as well as an account statement that has at least $ 1,500 (90,000 R).

Housing

In law Foreign citizens cannot buy land or property in Indonesia. You can negotiate with a local and conclude an agreement under which a foreigner allegedly lends him money, land and real estate are registered in his name, and then he writes an agreement that, as payment for the debt, he gives his property for untimely use. In this case, you pay money, but in fact you do not own anything. Probably, this allows you to agree on more low price, but the risks are unreasonably high - it is much better to conclude a lease for, say, 50 or 100 years.

There are a lot of options for renting: from rooms to guest house to a luxurious villa with palm trees and a swimming pool. The only question is the price. The cheapest options start at 2 million rupees (8400 R) per month - this will be a room with a bed, bedside table, fan and shower. There is no top bar.

8400 R

per month is the cheapest housing in Bali. No top bar

When you rent a house for a year, you need to conclude an agreement in which the area of responsibility is spelled out. Due to high humidity, houses leak, sometimes something falls off, pumps, air conditioners and water heaters break down, all this must be repaired by the owner at his own expense. I pay monthly, there is no contract, but the hostess writes me a payment receipt every time. If something breaks, I write to her on WhatsApp, she sends workers and they fix everything.

I rent a house for 5.5 million rupees per month (23,100 R) in the Canggu area. It takes me 15 minutes to get to the beach by moped, there is a supermarket, fruit stalls, gas station nearby.

It is more profitable to rent a house for a long time than for a month. My house could be rented for a year for 60 million rupees (252,000 R), but you have to pay the entire amount at once.

You can search for accommodation on Airbnb, on the local website olx.co.id or in groups on Facebook. There are also notice boards in Bali tourist places or signs For rent / Di kontrakan on the gates of houses in the villages. If you are already in Bali, you can simply drive through the area of interest and look for it or ask around the locals.

23 100 R

per month I pay for the rent of a house in the Canggu area

Some houses have water meters, but most often it is simply pumped from a free source by a pump. That is, you do not pay for the water itself, but electricity is consumed. Electricity works on a prepaid basis, it is necessary to deposit money into the account in advance. This can be done at any store. You pay 100,000 rupees (420 R), they give you a ticket with 20 digits, enter them into the counter, and the balance is replenished by 65 kW. I spend about 400,000 rupees (1680 R) per month on electricity. I buy gas for the stove and water heater in cylinders. Rs 95,000 for a large bottle of gas that will last for three weeks. Garbage removal costs 50,000 rupees (210 R) per month.

You can clean the house yourself, or you can find a housekeeper. I have a housekeeper - she comes twice a week, copes in 2 hours and receives 500,000 rupees (2100 R) per month.

Each district has a local government - banjar. It includes all the adult males of the village. They are responsible for security, help resolve conflicts. The banjar has to pay a village tax every month. This is 50,000 rupees (210 R) from an ordinary house or 100,000 rupees (420 R) from a villa with a pool. This amount can be included in the contract, and then the owner will pay - as agreed.

Money

The currency of Indonesia is rupiah, in January 2018, 1 $ is worth 13,441 rupiah. The largest banknote in Indonesia is 100,000 rupees (420 R). Cards are accepted in shops and cafes, but it is better to pay in cash and withdraw money from ATMs in the bank office, as skimming machines are very common in Bali.

You can change rubles to rupees directly, but it is very unprofitable. The rate for such an exchange differs from the official one by almost half, so it is better to bring dollars or a dollar card with you.

Salaries

The salaries of locals and expats are very different. Indonesians from the service staff, gardeners, housekeepers and waiters receive 2-4 million rupees per month (8400-16800 R). Middle managers earn 5-10 million rupees (21,000-42,000 R).

For officially employed foreigners, there is a minimum wage of 20 million rupees (84,000 R). True, in fact, the employer often negotiates with the employee for a smaller amount. As for Bali, the richest locals here are not those who work, but those who have property to rent.

16 800 R

are considered high salaries for an Indonesian in the service industry

Working illegally in Indonesia is dangerous. Expats with their Western mentality mostly work better than locals and receive high salaries. Usually foreigners work as managers, managers, surf instructors, photographers, videographers, DJs. In the eyes of Indonesians, visitors simply get more, and this causes discontent. Therefore, Indonesians may report to the immigration police on expats supposedly working without kitas.

The immigration police themselves sometimes arrange raids on organizations owned by foreigners. Checking for visas and work permits. Therefore, expats who work illegally in the tourism sector are at great risk: they face prison or deportation with a ban on entry.

Bribes in Indonesia solve any problem. A private surf instructor will have to pay about 20 million rupees (84,000 R), for organizations the amount of the bribe will be higher.

taxes

The company pays taxes for employed citizens and foreigners by preparing monthly tax returns. Salaries up to 3.5 million rupees (14,700 R) are not taxed. There are many gray areas. It is possible, for example, to write off part of an employee's salary for rent, since only what a person receives in his hands is taxed.

If an expat opens in Bali own business, he is obliged to hire a lawyer or conclude an agreement with a consulting company that collects and prepares documents. As a result, he will be billed, which includes taxes, government fees and commissions of agents.

In Indonesia, there are taxes on property: land, real estate. In theory, every Indonesian should file a declaration and pay for himself, but in fact, few people do this. Since 2016, the tax police have been carrying out an amnesty in order to bring out the worst defaulters from the shadows. There was a period when it was possible to cancel the tax debt for 1% of the amount, then for 3%, now you can do it for 5%. After that, mass checks and fines under 200% are planned.

Taxes in Indonesia affect pricing. Here, for example, there is a luxury tax, which is imposed on certain categories of goods that do not necessarily belong to the expensive segment. Wetsuits in Indonesia are one and a half to two times more expensive than in Russia or Europe, just because of this tax. When you order something from foreign online stores and the order amount is more than 500,000 rupees (2100 R), you will also have to pay tax. Its size will depend on the product category. Sometimes you have to pay up to 30% of the value of the item.

Once I ordered clothes from Asos for $ 90 (5200 R), but I had to pay another 350,000 rupees (1470 R) at the post office.

The state tax, analogous to our VAT, is 10%. There is also a 5% service tax. In cafes and restaurants, they often write prices without taxes, so in the end the bill is 15% more than you expect.

Banks

Officially, foreign citizens can open a deposit in a local bank only if they have a kitas or kitap visa. Rumor has it that if you have certain connections in some banks, you can negotiate with the manager and he will approve the application without the necessary documents. It's illegal, so no guarantees.

Friends who have accounts in local banks say that the service is good, Internet banking is convenient and works without failures. I use Russian cards, I have accounts in two banks: in Tinkoff-Bank and Alfa-Bank. I usually withdraw from the ruble card of Tinkoff Bank, since there are no commissions, but on the other hand, Alpha, if the card is lost or blocked, sends a new one via D-H-El at its own expense - this is a good safety net.

Transport

Personal transport in Bali is absolutely essential. There is no public here at all, and walking is impossible. Behind Last year V tourist areas sidewalks were laid, but since the traffic is very dense, there are a lot of cars and scooters, often scooter drivers just ride along the sidewalks.

In addition, Bali is very hot and humid, and the distances are long. More comfortable to drive.

Renting a simple Honda or Suzuki scooter costs 600,000 rupees (2520 R) per month, H-max - 1.2 million rupees (5040 R). You can rent a car from 3 million rupees (12,600 R) per month. You will not be asked for any documents, rights, or collateral - they work on their word of honor. You can also drive without a license, and if the police stop you, then 200,000 rupees (840 R) will solve any problem.

2500 R

per month it is worth renting the simplest motorbike

Gasoline costs 7450 rupees (31 R) per liter. You can park anywhere, if you do not block the road: on beaches and parking lots in tourist areas it costs 2000 rupees (8 R) per bike and 5000 rupees (21 R) per car.

The roads in Bali are good, but there are a lot of bikes and cars. During peak hours, from 8 to 10 am and from 4 to 7 pm, the main streets are almost completely closed, traffic jams are 9-10 points.

There are taxis and Uber in Bali, but using them every day is much more expensive than renting your own vehicle. With Uber, the situation is generally tense: local taxi drivers boycott it and can use brute force on the driver. Therefore, house calls, especially night calls, are often not accepted or cancelled.

But there is a very convenient Go-Jack application - instead of a taxi, you can order a scooter there. You can call a driver to take you somewhere, or pick up the package and deliver it to the right address, or generally buy according to the list in a store or restaurant and bring everything to your home. Services cost 10-30 thousand rupees (42-126 R) depending on the distance of the trip. I most often order food delivery from a fish restaurant in another area through Go-Jack. It costs me 12,000 rupees (50 R) and saves about an hour.

Medicine

There are two types of hospitals in Bali: for tourists and for locals. The first is clean and tidy, but expensive. Secondly, it looks creepy, but in general they treat the same, but cheaper.

I will give an example from life. My friend sprained his finger on his hand, there was no insurance. First we arrived at a decent hospital "Bali-med". They took a picture, it turned out that there was no fracture and the operation was not needed, you just need to pull and insert the joint into place. We were billed 5 million rupees (21,000 R). In two more hospitals, "Prima Medica" and "Kashih-ibu" - the same thing. As a result, we went to the Sanglah emergency room, where we anesthetized our finger, inserted it and took another picture, and we paid 180,000 rupees (756 R) for this.

750 R

cost a procedure to correct a dislocation of the finger in the most common emergency room

I always take out travel insurance, because in case of a serious injury, such as a fracture, an operation is prescribed with screwing in the pins. Even in the cheapest clinic, it will cost from 40 million rupees (168,000 R).

All diseases of a cold and inflammatory nature are treated in the same way: antibiotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed - these are the three pillars of Indonesian medicine. In general, it is tight here with qualified specialists.

My friend had gynecological inflammation. She was misdiagnosed. She was saved only by the fact that she urgently got ready and flew to Russia for treatment.

Crime

Bali has a very high crime rate. Europeans are constantly robbed here: they break into houses, rip off bags, pull out phones. At the same time, the police do not try to look for robbers. It is easier for them to play for time, and there the tourists will already fly away.

If you are not a tourist and have been living in Bali for a long time, there are more chances that the police will help. But you still need connections.

One day two laptops were stolen from my house. I speak good Indonesian, the police understood me perfectly, but they refused to accept the application without a certified translator. His services cost me 1.5 million rupees (6300 R). The next day, I saw that they were trying to log into my account. I even found an IP address and a provider, came to the police with this data, but they told me: “Sorry, we don’t have a technical specialist now, relax and go home.” This was the end of the matter.

My friend, however, once managed to return the stolen equipment. But this happened only because he had connections with the local government - the main banjar of the entire region, whose leader was able to put pressure on the police.

The police found a laptop for another acquaintance, but did not return it, but offered to buy it: either he pays and takes it, or they leave the laptop as material evidence. The computer was old and not very useful, so after much bickering, he simply copied all the necessary information to the hard drive and left it to the police.

Products and food

Eating in Bali can be both expensive and cheap - it depends on your budget. There are many small stalls on the streets, where for 15,000 rupees (63 R) you can eat a large portion of fried rice, vegetables or chicken. The traditional meatball soup is called bakso and also costs about 10,000 rupees (42 R). But it's all very low quality food.

420 R

average check for one dish and drink in a cafe in Bali

In cafes and restaurants, the average bill for a dish and drink is 100,000 rupees (420 R) per person.

It is better to buy fruits and vegetables in markets and tents, and meat and chicken in stores, it is safer. There is one big one in Bali fish market, there is the freshest and most inexpensive seafood, but I have to drive 40 minutes to get there, so I buy fish in the supermarket.

There are many imported goods in Bali, but the prices are often unreasonably high, especially for cheeses and nuts. Alcohol is also expensive due to high excise taxes. Since 2015, the tax on strong alcohol is 150% of the price per liter. In the store, a bottle of Jameson whiskey costs 745,000 rupees (3129 R). Prices are rising fast. Four years ago milk cost 9,000 rupees, today it is 29,000.

3129 R

a bottle of Jameson whiskey

In the supermarket, the prices for basic products are as follows:

loaf - 25,000 rupees (105 R)
liter of milk - 29,000 rupees (122 R)
1 kg of potatoes - 20,000 rupees (84 R);
a dozen eggs - 30,000 rupees (126 R);
1 kg of sugar - 12,500 rupees (53 R);
a pack of butter - 40,000 rupees (168 R);
1 kg of chicken thighs - 56,000 rupees (235 R);
1 kg of tuna fillet - 165,000 rupees (693 R);
1 kg salmon fillet - 300,000 rupees (1260 R).

There are many vegetarians in Bali. I don’t consider myself one of them, but it’s so hot here that I really don’t feel like eating meat. Healthy and environmentally friendly food has been at the height of fashion for several years now, and they make good money on it. On the one hand, it’s funny when an eco-shop sells for 100,000 rupees (420 R) a reusable glass straw for drinks, which says that it charges the liquid with positive energy. On the other hand, it is good if there is less plastic on the island.

Imported cheese - 300,000 rupees (1260 R) for 250 g

Leisure and entertainment

The whole of Bali is huge Entertainment Center. There are natural attractions here, such as a volcano, as well as temples, zoos, spa centers, shops, clubs, surf schools, safari parks - the list is endless.

630 R

a month I pay for the gym

If I want to rest, I go to some beautiful place with an overnight stay. The price of the issue is only rental housing, usually you can meet 200,000 rupees (840 R) per person. I usually go to the beach in the north of the island, to the rice fields in Ubud or Botanical Garden in the foothills of the Kintamani volcano.

I go to the gym, which costs 150,000 rupees (630 R) per month. This is a small room at the hotel. Nearby there is a large sports complex Finns Recreation Club with a pool, sauna and group classes, a subscription costs 800,000 rupees (3360 R) per month. One yoga class in the studio costs an average of 100,000 rupees (420 R), a manicure - 160,000 rupees (672 R), a movie ticket - 50,000 rupees (210 R).

Climate

There are two seasons in Bali: wet and dry. From December to March, it rains almost every day, sometimes long, sometimes short and powerful, showers. At this time, the rivers wash all the garbage into the ocean, and the tides carry it ashore, so West Coast dirty, swimming unpleasant.

During the rest of the year, precipitation is rare. But dry air still does not happen here - it is almost always humid. The most difficult time is the off-season period: April-March and November. At this time, it is very hot and stuffy during the day, but there is no rain yet.

The most pleasant weather in Bali usually occurs in July and August. Air temperature +28 °C and sunny.

Evenings in Bali are fresh, and when you ride a scooter, it can even be cool. I have already adapted to the climate so much that I wear light sweaters and jeans, although tourists cannot understand me.

Language

All employees of the tourism sector speak tolerably English, albeit in a simplified version.

Everyone here speaks Indonesian, although official language It became Indonesia only in 1954. Each island also has its own historical dialect. There are few rules in the language, and they are simple. A vocabulary of 100 words is enough to solve any everyday problem.

Arriving in Bali, the first thing I learned was numerals in order to bargain in the market. Gradually I remembered the names of products, translating them in Google Translate. She also translated words from billboards and signs, asked friends who had been in Bali for a long time how to say this or that phrase in Indonesian. I learned a lot of Indonesian words from a Balinese woman who worked at my surf school. In general, I learned in everyday situations.

I can’t talk about politics or literature, but at the everyday level I can easily explain everything I need.

Generally

Despite all these difficulties and disadvantages, it is much more pleasant for me to live in Bali than in Russia. I earn less here, but I also spend much less time on work, and more time on life.

It's like in a village: everyone knows everyone, Fresh air, No tall buildings and the constant urban race, the pace of life is slow. On the other hand, there is any entertainment here, as in a metropolis. From here it is easy and inexpensive to travel around Asia. Tickets to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Thailand or the Philippines cost around $ 300 (18,000 R) round trip.

In conclusion, I want to tell two telling stories about the Indonesian mentality.

History first. For the event it is necessary to print banners on flags, time is running out. We find a printing company, dialogue:

There are many orders, we will make it in 7 days.

For a long time. Let's pay twice as much, and you will do it for 5?

Let's pay twice as much, and we will definitely do it for 7?

The second story. Five surfer friends stayed on the coast in a small guest house. Breakfast is prepared by the owner himself, you have to pay for it separately. Four friends woke up, ordered an omelet and had breakfast. The fifth overslept and came when everyone had finished eating. He goes to the kitchen to ask for another omelet, and the owner looks at him and says: Already closed, because I'm tired ("Already closed, I'm tired").

The local way of life is very specific, it cannot be changed. If you put up with it and accept it, it becomes really good in Bali.

There are more and more people wishing to move to Bali every year. A more pleasant climate, the proximity of the ocean, the relative cheapness of life. People think Bali is real perfect place for living, but is it really so?

moving

Before you pack your things, buy a one-way ticket and get on a plane with optimistic thoughts, it's worth talking to those people who already live in Bali. Ask about all the problems they faced, about the difficulties. It is advisable to talk not only with one person, so as not to form too subjective an opinion.

Naturally, you need to buy a ticket in advance to save money. There are two options for getting to Bali:

with a connection organized by one airline - the most convenient method in which you do not have to worry that you will not have time for a transfer and look for your luggage at a foreign airport. You should not pay attention to Chinese companies, it is better to fly with more or less well-known lines (Qatari or Emirates);
connecting flights through Asian cities neighboring the island - in this case there will be several transfers, and tickets will have to be bought separately, and luggage is usually not included in the price. You need to allow more time for a transfer in order to accurately catch the next flight. The option is suitable only for experienced travelers who speak English well.

To buy a ticket you need international passport And bank card with CVV code on the back. All data is entered only in Latin.

Most people use a one-month visa, which is issued upon arrival at the airport. The questions asked by the border guards are standard: where will you live, for how long and what is the purpose of the trip (there can be no options other than tourism). Then it can be extended for another 30 days. After their expiration, you will need to go to neighboring country to get a visa again. However, if you want to stay in Bali for a long time, you can pay attention to other types of visas:

social - valid for 6 months and obtained in advance at the Indonesian embassy in your country. It, like a visa on arrival, does not allow you to do business and work in general. Of the documents you will be required to: passport, return ticket, letter of invitation from the sponsor, which can be any Indonesian;
working - will be required for those who plan to work or open their own business on the island. Naturally, freelancers can do without it, but it still won't be too legal. The employer must make such a visa, and if you are running a business, you can get it for your legal entity;
business - designed for people who often fly to Indonesia and do not want to get a visa at the airport every time. It is also relevant if you plan to shop in Bali, and then transport goods to your country. Each stay under this type of visa should not exceed 2 months;
pension - suitable for those who meet the following conditions: reaching the age of 55, having a bank account, a health certificate from a medical institution. The visa is issued for 1 year, then it can be extended for 5 years, after which the person gets the right to apply for permanent residence.

It is worth taking seriously the choice of a visa, because if you work without a work visa, it threatens with deportation and a fine from the immigration service.

Insurance

Insurance is something that should never be forgotten. Many for some reason ignore the cost of it, but if something happens (traffic accident, animal bite, dengue fever) and you are hospitalized, then the bill for payment medical services will be huge. Therefore, if a person plans to spend a long time on the island, the purchase of insurance is mandatory. Moreover, even the initial examination in the clinic will cost from $70.

Insurance is done at home, before departure, and the cost depends on the number of days that you plan to spend in another country. The company must be chosen carefully, focusing on the following points:

work with clinics in Bali by bank transfer;
cooperation with international hospitals for foreigners;
the possibility of obtaining special sports insurance (needed for surfers).

One of the most preferred options is to contact Ingosstrakh, especially since they even offer online service.

Of course, all people spend money in different ways. Someone is unpretentious and can eat in cheap local eateries, and live in ordinary guest houses or inexpensive small rooms. Others prefer more comfortable conditions: a chic hotel or apartment with several bedrooms, food from European restaurants and other amenities. That is, there is no universal answer to the question: “how much money do you need to live in Bali?” Let's try, however, to roughly estimate the possible costs of an average person staying on the island.

Housing

Housing makes up the bulk of the costs. You can rent a villa for $1,800 a month, or you can huddle in a guest house room for $140. It also matters if you live alone or with your family.

Most cheap option, as already mentioned, I will eat rooms in the guesthouse. It can be with hot water and air conditioning or without these services. Breakfast is also sometimes included in the price. There are better guest houses that have their own pool, separate entrances to the rooms and other amenities.

If we talk about individual houses, then the prices for them start from 300-400 dollars. However, one must understand that the fee, most likely, will have to be paid a year in advance, and this is a rather impressive amount. Housing with a pool starts from 800-900 dollars, and a real European villa - from 2000.

Also, the money will be spent on various utilities: electricity, internet, gas service, garbage collection, local fees. This applies to those who rent a house or villa. People who live in guest houses usually don't pay separate electricity bills because they have everything included in the price.

Transport

Count on movement around the island on public transport not worth it. It either doesn't exist at all, or it's a waste of time. It is best to put in the budget an item on the cost of a scooter. This is the most convenient way move around Bali. The cost will be approximately $80 per month. The car will cost several times more, but it is not very profitable due to constant traffic jams, expenses for gasoline, parking and other unforeseen circumstances (like toll roads or repairs). To drive a car, you will also need driver license international standard.

Food

The price tag for food in Bali is, of course, cheaper than in Moscow. But in every standing restaurant they will throw a 10% tax and a mandatory tip, sometimes reaching 10%. Speaking more specifically about prices, then:

local dishes in a small eatery - $ 3-4;
European food in a cafe - from $ 10;
a popular restaurant in a tourist place - from $ 20 per dish.

Naturally, you can buy food and cook on your own, then the expense item will slightly decrease, although it must be borne in mind that the cost of even milk and eggs is higher than in Moscow.

Of course, some save on absolutely everything, do not go anywhere and eat rice, but can you really enjoy this lifestyle?

The regions of Bali are very diverse, so when choosing where to move, you need to take into account their features. Basically, it all depends on what type of recreation a person prefers. So, conditionally, all places can be divided into:

"Party" - entertaining. If a person does not need privacy at all, and he prefers a vibrant nightlife, then only Kuta and Seminyak will suit him. The first area is more for surfers and youth; the second is filled with trendy restaurants, villas, so wealthier people prefer it. In addition, in these two areas, you will not even need to spend money on rent. vehicle everything is close enough. Due to the noise and constant parties, it rarely happens that a family with children lives in Bali in this area;
for surfing. Canggu or the Bukit peninsula will be a great choice for those who know how to ride a board or want to learn it. The places located there are picturesque and green, and the beaches are quite deserted, sometimes they don’t even have sunbeds or umbrellas for vacationers;
beach. For admirers of such a holiday, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran and Sanur are suitable. Also, these places are ideal for families with children, as they are not so noisy. However, we must remember that since there is an ocean near Bali, there will always be waves, in some places the bottom is reef or rocky. For this reason, going to the island for the beaches is not a good idea;
secluded. Looking for relative loneliness a relaxing holiday maybe in Ubud. Around will be green and original, rice fields and winding rivers. In fact, there is no ocean at all. Creativity flourishes in Ubud, and every surrounding village is famous for some kind of handicraft.

In principle, everyone will find a place to stay that suits their interests. And it's best to try to stay in each area for a while to form your own opinion.

Everyone who has lived in Bali for even a relatively short period of time knows that the island offers a huge amount of entertainment and activities. What to do in your spare time?

go surfing, diving, snorkeling;
meditate, go to yoga classes (especially in Ubud);
lie on the beach;
create, attend various master classes;
go on numerous excursions;
conquer active volcanoes;
get acquainted with the customs and traditions of ethnic Balinese villages;
visit beautiful temples;
walk along the rice terraces;
attend Balinese ceremonies;
participate in holidays and celebrations;
get to know the local cuisine.

Job

Do not think that after arriving on the island, work will find you by itself. You will have to put in some effort. In Bali, there are many expats of different qualifications and specialties, so the competition is quite high.

It is important not to despair and look for work constantly. You need to understand that there is not and will not be much diversity among vacancies. Most offers in tourist area as well as the service sector. It is much easier for good yoga instructors, photographers, manicure and pedicure masters, and nannies to find work than specialists with various kinds of liberal education. English teachers, employees of shops and hotels, as well as waiters are also required.

There are no special sites to search for (except for groups in in social networks), so it's best to contact employers directly. The relative cheapness of life on the island means that salaries will also be small. It is not worth counting on a salary of more than $ 1000, only increases in the form of bonuses and bonuses are possible.

So, you can find a job in Bali, but it is not so easy, especially if a person expects high wages.

Own business

One job option that seems attractive enough at first glance is self-employment. First of all, you need to decide on the scope of activity. To open a company, you must obtain a license, having previously collected a package of documents.

The main feature of a business in Bali is to attract a local partner, otherwise it will not work to open a business. Therefore, the question arises: how to find a respectable Balinese who speaks English well and is interested in overall success, and not just in personal enrichment.

In addition, the tax is also large: it can be 10% or 30%. It really depends on the type of company. Also, the budget is hit by the need to have an office, which must be located exclusively in a commercial institution and be operational. It is worth noting that this is a really significant expense item, since usually a lease agreement is concluded for a year, and the owners demand payment immediately for the entire period.

Due to its proximity to the equator, Bali is characterized by approximately the same temperature regime throughout the year - about 28 degrees Celsius. Therefore, holidays on the island cannot be called seasonal: there are always a lot of tourists.

There are only two seasons, relatively speaking: the dry season (April to October) and the rainy season (November to March). The latter is not as severe as in others Asian countries. Rains begin suddenly and end the same way, lasting no more than 2 hours usually. The sun comes out right after them, so everything dries up quickly. Most often they go at night, so they do not cause any particular inconvenience to tourists and local residents. In any case, at this time it is undesirable to leave the house without an umbrella, because the weather changes suddenly and unexpectedly. The biggest plus of the rainy season is warm (rather than hot) weather and warm water, although it can be muddy due to the waves.

The dry season is characterized by freshness due to a light breeze from the ocean. It can even get chilly in the evenings, so make sure to bring a sweater or warm cape with you just in case. The peak of this season falls on July and August, so those who do not like heat and stuffiness prefer these months for a visit. By the way, surfers will definitely need a good wetsuit to keep warm in the mornings and evenings.

Difficulties

People who lived in Bali, as the difficulties they had to face, call the following points:

the ability to transfer dengue fever, it is impossible to vaccinate against it, but you must definitely go to the hospital;
without knowledge of English, there is almost no chance of finding a good job with a decent salary;
many people think that Bali is a small island where there are not so many people and you can retire. This is not at all true: the number of tourists and expats is increasing every year, so it will not be possible to be alone with yourself;
in Bali, there are opportunities to open your own business, but this is a very laborious process, associated with a high level of competition in almost any field;
foods familiar to Russians and Europeans are expensive, sometimes it’s cheaper to eat in local cafes;
life goes too slowly because of the mentality of the local population: they are leisurely, which is sometimes very annoying. In addition, corruption and bureaucracy flourish in state bodies, so communication with them should be limited;
not knowing local language(bahasa), there is a possibility that you will be sold goods at other, naturally higher prices, so if you go for a long time, then you need to learn the language;
foreign citizens cannot buy real estate in Indonesia, so the only option is to rent;
a fairly high crime rate, and the police not doing their job too well;
rubles to rupees ( local currency) it is unprofitable to change, it is better to have a dollar card with you right away.

All these problems are usually crossed out by fresh air, the absence of city fuss and the calm rhythm of life in the presence of a large number entertainment for all tastes.

Despite all the difficulties, it is difficult to find out whether it is good to live in Bali or not for you personally, if you do not try it yourself. Perhaps it is best to first stay there for a month or two to assess the situation, to understand whether the climate is suitable or not, to get acquainted with the local mentality. Usually this happens quite quickly, since the Balinese are very pleasant and hospitable, and the representatives of the Russian diaspora also support each other, communicating both personally and through groups on social networks.

Russian Irina Krokhaleva moved to Bali in 2012. She spoke about the peculiarities of life in Indonesia, the weather, mentality, difficulties, prices and much more in her blog for Journal Tinkoff.

You get aesthetic pleasure from the views in Bali every day. Over the years, they do not get bored: the nature here is incredibly beautiful.

Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

How the island works

For the average tourist or expat, Bali is divided into several main areas.

Kuta and Seminyak are the most touristy, densely built with hotels and villas, shops, bars and restaurants. There are crowded beaches, shopping centers, nightclubs, cinemas and water parks.

Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Canggu is the trendiest area for expats and is where I live and most of my friends. In short, Canggu is rice fields, stylish cafes, custom bikes and surfing. All in all, a hipster neighborhood.

The appendix in the very south of the island is Bukit. Bukit has great surfing waves, pristine beaches, high cliffs with breathtaking ocean views. If you compare Bukit with Seminyak or Canggu, it's like a village and a city. Bukit is inhabited by those for whom surfing is more important than the rest of the infrastructure for life.

There are few beaches in Bali for simple swimming, they are concentrated in Nusa Dua. The coast there is built up with all-inclusive hotels.

Ubud is located in the center of the island. The ocean is far from here, but there are many rice fields and jungles. In Ubud, mainly those who are fond of yoga, meditation and creativity live and relax.

In the northeast of the island, in the areas of Amed and Chandidas, there are no waves, but there are good conditions for diving and snorkeling, very calm and quiet, few people. It’s boring to live there for a long time, but periodically going for a couple of days to relax is cool.

From the point of view of the local population, Bali has two large cities - Denpasar and Singaraja - as well as villages evenly dispersed throughout the rest of the area. Locals live everywhere, just closer to the center of the island, the building density is less because of the rice fields or the jungle. They work in the field of tourism, grow rice, breed chickens and pigs. Many people are employed in small industries: in clothing factories and jewelry workshops, wood carving is developed.

Manual labor in Indonesia is inexpensive, and many expats take advantage of this by exporting furniture, clothing, jewelry and home furnishings. Other expats are starting businesses here, and not necessarily aimed at tourists. In addition to bars, hotels and beach clubs, foreigners have opened here, for example, karting in the center of Denpasar and a nail salon focused on Asian tastes in nail design.

Bali is an international resort where people come from all over the world, but most of all there are tourists from Australia. For Australians, Bali is the nearest resort, as for Russians, Turkey or Egypt. There are also a lot of Russians in Bali - both tourists and expats, so some Indonesians even learn Russian. Finding a guide with knowledge of the Russian language is very easy here.

Visa

A tourist visa for a month is given to Russian citizens free of charge at the airport. For $30 at the airport, you can buy a visa for 30 days, which can then be extended for another 30 days. Then you will need to fly out of the country, but you can return at least the same day and get a tourist visa again. Such trips are called "visa-runs". The cheapest way to fly on a visa run is to neighboring Malaysia, on average, the trip costs $150-200.

I have not heard about cases of refusal of entry due to the fact that there are too many visas in a row in the passport, but sometimes they are asked to show a return ticket from Indonesia, although its authenticity is not verified in any way.

Flying back and forth every two months is expensive, annoying, and the pages in your passport run out quickly. If you are not working or working remotely, like me, the best option for a long-term stay in Indonesia is a social visa. It is called so because it suggests that its owner has local friends here, and he studies culture and society. A social visa is issued at the Indonesian embassy in any other country. From Bali, it is most convenient to fly to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. You will need a copy of the identity card of the Indonesian guarantor and a sponsorship letter from him, that is, a paper that contains his and your data. It is assumed that the guarantor bears full responsibility for you, and if you break the law or get into trouble, then they will also be asked from him.

Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

A social visa costs $50 and is valid for 60 days. Then it can be extended four times, each time for another 30 days. Each renewal costs $30. It turns out that in total with such a visa you can live in Bali for six months, and the registration will cost $170.

The search for a guarantor and the hassle of renewals can be avoided by using the services of a visa agency. Documents for the embassy cost 250,000 Indonesian rupiah ($19). Each renewal will cost 700,000 rupees ($53). The initial fee of $ 50 for 60 days of the visa is paid independently when applying at the Indonesian embassy, the process takes two days, so tickets to another country, hotel and food are added to the amount.

You can also stay in Indonesia on an annual KITAS visa, but not everyone is given it. Kitas can be obtained if you go to university, get a job, get married or marry an Indonesian. Kitas itself costs $700 a year, but in order to work, you also need a permit, which costs about $1,300 a year. Therefore, it is difficult for foreigners to find official work in Bali: it is simply unprofitable to apply for them. If you are married to an Indonesian citizen, you can work for him without additional permits - this is considered helping the family. But in order to get a job that is not related to your spouse, you need to get permission and pay the fees in full.

300,000 rupees ($23) per day - visa overstay fine.

Since 2012, I have been applying for a social visa every six months. Usually in Malaysia, a couple of times I made out in Russia. In Moscow, the set of necessary documents is larger, you must also provide a rental agreement or hotel reservation, as well as an account statement with at least $1,500.

Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Housing

By law, foreign nationals cannot buy land or property in Indonesia. You can negotiate with a local and conclude an agreement under which a foreigner allegedly lends him money, land and real estate are registered in his name, and then he writes an agreement that, as payment for the debt, he gives his property for untimely use. In this case, you pay money, but in fact you do not own anything. Probably, this allows you to agree on a lower price, but the risks are unreasonably high - it is much better to conclude a lease agreement, say, for 50 or 100 years.

There are a lot of options for renting: from a room in a guest house to a luxurious villa with palm trees and a swimming pool. The only question is the price. The cheapest options start at 2 million rupees ($150) per month - this will be a room with a bed, a bedside table, a fan and a shower. There is no top bar.

When you rent a house for a year, you need to conclude an agreement in which the area of responsibility is spelled out. Due to high humidity, houses leak, sometimes something falls off, pumps, air conditioners and water heaters break down, all this must be repaired by the owner at his own expense. I pay monthly, there is no contract, but the hostess writes me a check every time. If something breaks, I write to her in whatsapp, she sends workers and they fix everything.

I rent a house for 5.5 million rupees per month ($413) in the Canggu area. It takes me 15 minutes to get to the beach by moped, there is a supermarket, fruit stalls, gas station nearby.

This is my house in Canggu area: 2 bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom and large veranda on the second floor
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

It is more profitable to rent a house for a long time than for a month. My house could be rented for a year for 60 million rupees ($4,500), but you have to pay the whole amount at once.

This is what the house looks like inside
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

You can search for accommodation on Airbnb, local site olx.co.id or in Facebook groups. There are also boards with announcements in tourist places or signs in Bali For rent / Di kontrakan at the gates of houses in the villages. If you are already in Bali, you can simply drive through the area of interest and look for it or ask around the locals.

This is the village where I live. To the supermarket and gas station to go 2 minutes, to the beach - 15 minutes
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Some houses have water meters, but most often it is simply pumped from a free source by a pump. That is, you do not pay for the water itself, but electricity is consumed. Electricity works on a prepaid basis, it is necessary to deposit money into the account in advance. This can be done at any store. You pay 100,000 rupees ($7.5), they give you a check with 20 digits, enter them into the meter, and the balance is replenished by 65 kW. I spend about 400,000 rupees ($30) a month on electricity. I buy gas for the stove and water heater in cylinders. 95,000 rupees ($7) is a large bottle of gas that will last for three weeks. Garbage removal costs 50,000 rupees ($4) per month.

This is what an electricity bill looks like.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

You can clean the house yourself, or you can find a housekeeper. I have a housekeeper - she comes twice a week, does it in 2 hours and gets 500,000 rupees ($38) a month.

Each district has a local government - banjar. It includes all the adult males of the village. They are responsible for security, help resolve conflicts. The banjar has to pay a village tax every month. This is 50,000 rupees ($4) from a regular house or 100,000 rupees ($8) from a pool villa. This amount can be included in the contract, and then the owner will pay - as agreed.

Board of announcements with proposals for the rental of villas and houses.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Money

The currency of Indonesia is rupiah, in January 2018 $1 costs 13,441 rupiah. The largest denomination in Indonesia is 100,000 rupees. Cards are accepted in shops and cafes, but it is better to pay in cash and withdraw money from ATMs in the bank office, as skimming machines are very common in Bali.

Salaries

The salaries of locals and expats are very different. Indonesians from service personnel, gardeners, housekeepers and waiters receive 2-4 million rupees per month ($150-300). Middle managers earn 5-10 million rupees ($375-750).

For formally employed foreigners, there is a minimum wage of 20 million rupees ($1,500). True, in fact, the employer often negotiates with the employee for a smaller amount. As for Bali, the richest locals here are not those who work, but those who have property to rent.

taxes

The company pays taxes for employed citizens and foreigners by preparing monthly tax returns. Salaries up to 3.5 million rupees ($263) are not taxed. There are many gray areas. It is possible, for example, to write off part of an employee's salary for rent, since only what a person receives in his hands is taxed.

If an expat opens his own business in Bali, he must hire a lawyer or enter into an agreement with a consulting company that collects and prepares documents. As a result, he will be billed, which includes taxes, government fees and commissions of agents.

Taxes in Indonesia affect pricing. Here, for example, there is a luxury tax, which is imposed on certain categories of goods that do not necessarily belong to the expensive segment. Wetsuits in Indonesia are one and a half to two times more expensive than in Russia or Europe, just because of this tax. When you order something from foreign online stores and the order amount is more than 500,000 rupees ($38), you will also have to pay tax. Its size will depend on the product category. Sometimes you have to pay up to 30% of the value of the item.

Once I ordered clothes from Asos for $90, but I had to pay another 350,000 rupees ($26) in the mail.

The state tax, analogous to our VAT, is 10%. There is also a 5% service tax. In cafes and restaurants, they often write prices without taxes, so in the end the bill is 15% more than you expect.

Some establishments do not even have a cash register, but they do not forget to charge taxes.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Banks

Officially, foreign citizens can open a deposit in a local bank only if they have a kitas or kitap visa. Rumor has it that if you have certain connections in some banks, you can negotiate with the manager, and he will approve the application without the necessary documents. It's illegal, so no guarantees.

Friends who have accounts in local banks say that the service is good, Internet banking is convenient and works without failures. I use Russian cards.

There are many banks in Bali, and locals actively use them. Judging by the billboards offering any goods on credit, the service is in demand. Basically, cars, scooters and equipment are taken on credit.

In Bali, it is best to withdraw money from ATMs, which are located in bank branches.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Transport

Personal transport in Bali is absolutely essential. There is no public here at all, and walking is impossible. Over the past year, sidewalks have been laid in tourist areas, but since the traffic is very dense, there are a lot of cars and scooters, often scooter drivers just ride on the sidewalks.

In addition, Bali is very hot and humid, and the distances are long. More comfortable to drive.

Renting a simple Honda or Suzuki scooter costs 600,000 rupees ($45) per month. You can rent a car from 3 million rupees ($225) per month. You will not be asked for any documents, rights, or collateral - they work on their word of honor. You can also drive without a license, and if the police stop you, then 200,000 rupees ($15) will solve any problem.

Gasoline costs 7,450 rupees ($0.56) per litre. You can park anywhere, as long as you do not block the road: on beaches and parking lots in tourist areas, it costs 2,000 rupees (0.15) per bike and 5,000 rupees ($0.38) per car.

The roads in Bali are good, but there are a lot of bikes and cars. During peak hours, from 8 to 10 am and from 4 to 7 pm, the main streets are almost completely closed, traffic jams are 9-10 points.

Cork from motorbikes. I took this photo at 17:00 local time.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Instead of developing their service, the Balinese are trying to boycott competitors.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

But there is a very convenient Go-Jack application - instead of a taxi, you can order a scooter there. You can call a driver to take you somewhere, or pick up the package and deliver it to the right address, or generally buy according to the list in a store or restaurant and bring everything to your home. Services cost 10-30 thousand rupees ($0.75 - $2.25) depending on the distance of the trip. I most often order food delivery from a fish restaurant in another area through Go-Jack. It costs me 12,000 rupees ($0.9) and saves about an hour.

In the Go-Jack app, you can order food delivery, house cleaning, and even a massage.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Medicine

There are two types of hospitals in Bali: for tourists and for locals. The first is clean and tidy, but expensive. Secondly, it looks creepy, but in general they treat the same, but cheaper.

I will give an example from life. My friend sprained his finger on his hand, there was no insurance. First we arrived at a decent hospital "Bali-med". They took a picture, it turned out that there was no fracture and the operation was not needed, you just need to pull and insert the joint into place. We were billed 5 million rupees ($375). In two more hospitals, "Prima Medica" and "Kashih-ibu" - the same thing. As a result, we went to the Sanglah emergency room, where they anesthetized the finger, inserted it and took another picture, and we paid 180,000 rupees ($13.5) for this.

My friend had gynecological inflammation. She was misdiagnosed. She was saved only by the fact that she urgently got ready and flew to Russia for treatment.

Crime

If you are not a tourist and have been living in Bali for a long time, there are more chances that the police will help. But you still need connections.

One day two laptops were stolen from my house. I speak good Indonesian, the police understood me perfectly, but they refused to accept the application without a certified translator. His services cost me 1.5 million rupees ($113). The next day, I saw that they were trying to log into my account. I even found an IP address and a provider, came to the police with this data, but they told me: “Sorry, we don’t have a technical specialist now, relax and go home.” This was the end of the matter.

A police station where you will be helped only for money.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Products and food

Eating in Bali can be both expensive and cheap - it depends on your budget. There are many small stalls on the streets where for 15,000 rupees ($1.13) you can eat a large portion of fried rice, vegetables or chicken. The traditional meatball soup is called bakso and also costs about 10,000 rupees (0.75). But it's all very low quality food.

In cafes and restaurants, the average bill for a dish and drink is 100,000 rupees ($7.5) per person.

It is better to buy fruits and vegetables in markets and tents, and meat and chicken in stores, it is safer. There is one big fish market in Bali, they have the freshest and cheapest seafood, but I have to drive 40 minutes to get there, so I buy fish in the supermarket.

There are many imported goods in Bali, but the prices are often unreasonably high, especially for cheeses and nuts. Alcohol is also expensive due to high excise taxes. Since 2015, the tax on strong alcohol is 150% of the price per liter. Bottle of whiskey in the shop Jameson costs 745,000 rupees ($56). Prices are rising fast. Four years ago, milk cost 9,000 rupees ($0.68), today - 29,000 ($2.18).

In the supermarket, the prices for basic products are as follows:

loaf - 25,000 rupees ($1.88)
liter of milk - 29,000 rupees ($2.18)
1 kg of potatoes - 20,000 rupees ($1.5);
a dozen eggs - 30,000 rupees ($2.25);
1 kg of sugar - 12,500 rupees ($0.9);
a pack of butter - 40,000 rupees ($3);
1 kg of chicken thighs - 56,000 rupees ($4.2);
1 kg of tuna fillet - 165,000 rupees ($ 12.4);
1 kg of salmon fillet - 300,000 rupees ($22.5).

There are many vegetarians in Bali. I don’t consider myself one of them, but it’s so hot here that I really don’t feel like eating meat. Healthy and environmentally friendly food has been at the height of fashion for several years now, and they make good money on it. On the one hand, it's funny when an eco-shop sells for 100,000 rupees ($7.5) a reusable glass straw for drinks, which says that it charges the liquid with positive energy. On the other hand, it is good if there is less plastic on the island.

Imported cheeses.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Fruit in Bali has a huge selection all year round, and everything is cheap.
Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Leisure and entertainment

The whole of Bali is a huge entertainment center. There are natural attractions here, such as a volcano, as well as temples, zoos, spa centers, shops, clubs, surf schools, safari parks - the list is endless.

If I want to rest, I go to some beautiful place with an overnight stay. The price of the issue is only rental housing, usually you can meet 200,000 rupees ($15) per person. Usually I go to the beach in the north of the island, to the rice fields in Ubud or to the botanical garden in the foothills of the Kintamani volcano.

I go to a gym that costs 150,000 rupees ($11.25) a month. This is a small room at the hotel. Nearby there is a large sports complex Finns Recreation Club with a pool, sauna and group classes, the subscription costs 800,000 rupees ($60) per month. One yoga session in the studio costs an average of 100,000 rupees ($7.5), a manicure - 160,000 rupees ($12), a movie ticket - 50,000 rupees ($3.75).

Climate

There are two seasons in Bali: wet and dry. From December to March, it rains almost every day, sometimes long, sometimes short and powerful, showers. At this time, the rivers wash all the garbage into the ocean, and it is washed ashore by the tides, so the west coast is dirty, swimming is unpleasant.

The most pleasant weather in Bali usually occurs in July and August. Air temperature +28 °C and sunny.

Photo from the personal archive of Irina Krokhaleva

Language

All employees of the tourism sector speak tolerably English, albeit in a simplified version.

Everyone here speaks Indonesian, although it only became the official language of Indonesia in 1954. Each island also has its own historical dialect. There are few rules in the language, and they are simple. A vocabulary of 100 words is enough to solve any everyday problem.

I can’t talk about politics or literature, but at the everyday level I can easily explain everything I need.

Generally

Despite all these difficulties and disadvantages, it is much more pleasant for me to live in Bali than in Russia. I earn less here, but I also spend much less time on work, and more time on life.

It's like in a village: everyone knows everyone, fresh air, no tall buildings and constant urban race, the rhythm of life is slow. On the other hand, there is any entertainment here, as in a metropolis. From here it is easy and inexpensive to travel around Asia. Tickets to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Thailand or the Philippines cost around $300 round trip.

In conclusion, I want to tell two telling stories about the Indonesian mentality.

History first. For the event it is necessary to print banners on flags, time is running out. We find a printing company, dialogue:

There are many orders, we will make it in 7 days.

For a long time. Let's pay twice as much, and you will do it for 5?

Let's pay twice as much, and we will definitely do it for 7?

The second story. Five surfer friends stayed on the coast in a small guest house. Breakfast is prepared by the owner himself, you have to pay for it separately. Four friends woke up, ordered an omelet and had breakfast. The fifth overslept and came when everyone had finished eating. He goes to the kitchen to ask for another omelet, and the owner looks at him and says: Already closed, because I'm tired("Already closed, I'm tired").

The local way of life is very specific, it cannot be changed. If you put up with it and accept it, it becomes really good in Bali.

Sit back, you'll be interested. Now we will tell you some great stories about how Russians cheat Russians abroad. We just warn you right away - we won’t name real names here, since we don’t pursue the goal of making Balisha a field for rainbow shits. The article is more so that you know what to be afraid of. So let's go.

Alas, there will be no subtle beautiful scams and complex schemes in the style of Ostap Bender. Our compatriots are still far from the maestro of fraud - they lack the elegance of strategy and the beauty of execution. But they do their job.
We tell you what types of expats-scammers can be found in Bali.

The simplest types of Russian-Balinese swindlers

In Bali, scammers, as well as all over the world, look very decent. Much more decent than the author of this article. Deftly masquerading as intellectuals, they are able to “wipe out” any beautiful story. They often trump with their wealth and a lot of successful projects. Often, they attribute non-existent successes to themselves and pass off rental villas as their own real estate or an ordinary cafe as their own. They can tell how exhausted they are with local residents when buying land neighboring island and that their employees are very different from the Somali maids they had in Miami and London.

Due to the fact that many in their story believe, over time, such nonsense is reinforced by articles on the Internet about the owner of a coffee shop, or a respectable successful businessman and his chain of restaurants. To the poor, pale-skinned visitor, sunlight so obscures the eyes that it becomes easy and unconstrained to believe in it. But why is it all?

View Helper. In nature, invisible, friendly and not very dangerous

Pomogayki are a special kind of Balinese Russians. They probably exist all over the world. They are extremely friendly and altruistic. They do everything for free, they know everyone on the island, they will answer all questions, help you rent transport, a house, go to a restaurant and buy good souvenirs. Then, however, it turns out that you rented a house 4 times more expensive, transport too, and you received a good commission for souvenirs.

The helper virus in Bali is literally in the air, like the Guru virus (but more on that later). And even decent-looking people suddenly try to drag you into the store of unprecedented "designer" products. And only six months later, in a casual conversation, it turns out that you received a commission.

Bali is such a small village where sooner or later, everything secret becomes clear.

By the way, the helper can even meet you “for free” at the airport. Amazingly kind person, right? And pretending to know everyone on the island is not at all difficult - just say “Hello, Ketut” to everyone, for example. Considering that in Bali every second Ketut is a high probability that you will guess right. And in general, Balinese people are very smiling and always respond to greetings in the same way.

Kind Two - Realtors or a Great $5,500 Screwdriver Set

Realtors are a special kind of people. There are only a few good realtors. The rest are like a pack of vicious dogs. They begin to salivate in anticipation of a quick profit even before your arrival on the Island. There are many stories about realtors. But in general, the scheme of deception is the same everywhere. They tell you the price is many times more expensive than the real one. They also add to this the “lure” of such a plan: “don’t worry, in Bali the owner of the villa pays the commission for the villa.” But for some reason, it doesn’t occur to tourists that the owner of the villa has already included this commission in the cost of the house.

But that's not all. Russian realtors in Bali are so beautiful that they manage to throw each other in the same way. For example, our friends were looking for a villa. We agreed that they were looking for them from Moscow, and we go on the spot and see if the house is normal or not. And what do you think?

First, they didn't want to show us this villa! They explained that we would then retake it.
Secondly, the villa was rented by realtors in pairs. Boy and girl. Only then the girl, secretly from her own partner, the boy, offered the same villa for less money.

And here's the real story with the names changed. Quoting the narrator:

“There is a girl Olya on the island, a realtor for VIPs. And so her friends came to the island and asked Olya to find a home for them. Finding a home is easy, because for the most part, signs for rent hang on the houses. And now Olya brings them to see Villa. The owner was present at the villa.

When everything was inspected, shaking hands, they come to the door and the owner asks a friend - well, as agreed, 2 weeks - 5,500 dollars. The dude is shocked, because Olya named him a price of 11 thousand dollars. And so he takes her, takes her aside and says - I understand everything, I'm ready to pay 20% for your services, but we are fucking friends, and I asked you to help, hoping for your honesty. At the same time, the owner of the House is fully confident that he rents it for 5500!”

As you can imagine, being able to make $5,500 at a time changes people a lot. Even if they were once your friends. So, better use our article on how. By the way, it's free.

View 3 - Guru and "make me feel good" button

The fact that Bali is an island of spiritual practices is no secret to anyone. But the problem is that scammers flock to these spiritual practices like shit. The feeds of the Balinese communities are full of invitations to trainings, courses, seminars, schools, councils and other nonsense presented under the sauce “we will teach you to live differently or how to become an awesome dude right after our awesome super-meditation and pumping all the chakras at the same time, while rubbing magic crystal while reciting special mantras and don't forget to buy special charged beads from us for only a thousand dollars."

Because of these scammers, unfortunate tourists are not able to determine where the real teacher is, and where is Vasya from Syktyvkar, who decided that he is now a white magician.

In most cases, scammers present their practices as a tribute to society, saying “you can do it for free, but leave money as you see fit.” The only problem is that they do it, most often, due to the elementary lack of a work visa, without which any commercial activity on the Island is prohibited. And, plus everything, this is an old method of manipulation and pressure on conscience. That is, our human consciousness is so arranged that we will leave the money anyway. Especially if there are other people nearby. And people will. Classes are collective.

So our advice to you - before you go to the next women's training, the authors of which promise you diamonds, princes and boobs of the fifth size, make sure that it is not Anya from distant Mukhasransk who conducts it, who never has anything to do with such a delicate matter as psychology had, but a real specialist. And in this situation it is better not to listen to people in communities, but to check the information yourself. Because the public in Bali is specific, and it is easy to fall for such nonsense. And people's brains are littered so effectively that then these adherents are ready to bite your throat for such, for example, a simple question, "Tell me, what is your experience, education, and do you have the right to such activities." So, be careful and separate the lies from the truth.

View Four – Intelligent friend tour guide

This is such a small kind of scam, which can sometimes be found among compatriots. For example, they sell you a surfboard for one price. Surf is given to you immediately. And when you bring money, they say that the board costs more. Conscience pressure scam. Again, old trick.

Or even more vile. A decent-looking person, according to the classics of the genre, splurges, pretends to be your friend and, under this sauce, invites you to go to the mountains for the weekend. For friendly gatherings to visit Balinese friends. You and your good friends. And everything seems to be normal, and no catch. In addition to the fact that a couple of visiting, unsuspecting tourists are going to these gatherings with you. Tourists are told that you are tourists too. You drive different cars. And in the morning you are informed that you should have paid for this cult trip. Only 200,000 rupees per person. Manipulation, pressure on conscience. Thank you for the discount. It turns out that tourists were charged twice as much, they were also asked to pay for a car and gasoline.

The mood is spoiled, and terribly ashamed of such compatriots in front of tourists, excellent, as it turned out, guys from Kyiv.

So, beware of such “friends”. And then they will invite you to dinner, and then you won’t pay for tea and cookies.

The fifth type is a decent employer. Do you want to live and work in Bali?

Another type of intelligent and personable scammers. They can talk about how great it is to invest in a new amazing project. To take money from you, and then not return it for years.

Or, for example, the owner of a restaurant or a real estate company, according to the classical scheme, will tell you about his achievements and solvency. Act as a benefactor and offer you a job. So after a few months of work, getting their pennies for seeding, the salary suddenly becomes non-existent. Do not flatter yourself, it simply was not laid on you. On you and on a bunch of other employees. Don't try to return. An adult "businessman" will remove you from Facebook friends and forget about you. But that's not even scary. And the fact that you can drop everything and go to Bali, believing such a person. Or spend a lot of your time, earn money for him, and stay on the street yourself.

What else to watch out for

We will say the obvious things, but just in case, we recall. When you are taken on excursions, they are brought to restaurants and shops along the way. As a rule, in such places everything is many times more expensive. Save yourself the temptation to buy some crazy stuff for crazy money.

Exclusive. New Russian friends in Bali can offer you to buy exclusive cosmetics, extra virgin coconut oil, handmade jewelry, life-giving juice, charged energy beads or a designer python bag. Do not rush to buy all this. Look around. Most likely, all the same you can find in numerous Balinese shops. And to discover with horror that an exclusive for $1,000 actually costs $200. And it's not exclusive at all.

Of course, we are here to scare you with all sorts of horrors. So let's dilute this post a little with rays of goodness and light. Sometimes in Bali, indeed, come across good people. They are. And we know them personally. There are even more or less honest realtors, and adequate helpers. And some designers really sell exclusive stuff, not consumer goods. mass production. Sometimes an intelligent friend, indeed, can turn out to be intelligent and invite you for a walk or an excursion just like that. We personally do this. We believe others are doing the same.

Sometimes friends remain friends even when $5,500 tempts them. We believe, believe you too.

And don't be upset if you get into trouble on the island. Send it to us to warn others. And stay human.

p.s. If you have your own story, leave it in the comments so that others know what to fear. The only thing is that we will delete all names and transitions to personalities, since we ourselves are not judges and are against such schemes. And this article is written solely for the sake of benefit.

The Indonesian island of Bali is home to 4 million people. From capital airport in Denpasar, tourists and downshifters go to the resort of Kuta or the green and mountainous Ubud. Every year the number of visitors increases by 10%. Tourists travel to the island for thousands of temples for surfing, diving and evergreen forests. The Village found out how much those who live on the coast spend on living indian ocean and drinks kopi-luwak in the morning.

IDR 1.5 million

about 6,500 rubles

Minimum wage

Up to IDR 2 million

about 8,700 rubles

low income

Up to IDR 5 million

approximately 21,700 rubles

Average income

From 10 million Indonesian Rupiah

approximately 43,500 rubles

High income

Housing

from 1 to 20 million Indonesian rupiah per month (4,400 - 87,000 rubles)

The most inexpensive option for Bali is called kos, or pondok. This is a small square room with a low ceiling and with all amenities, except for the kitchen. The kitchen here will be one for all. Rental prices start from one million rupees per month. For a slightly larger amount of 1.7 million rupees (about 7,400 rubles) in a spit or pondok there will already be a small gym and a swimming pool.

The next option, homestay, will cost from 2.5 million rupees per month (about 10,800 rubles). The room will be larger, the ceiling will be much higher. At the same time, inside the room there is a small kitchenette where you can cook breakfast, and outside there will definitely be a spacious veranda or balcony. The pool or seating area in a homestay is usually located in a shared yard.

Renting a mini-hotel or villa in Bali will cost from 10-20 million rupees per month (up to 87 thousand rubles). The cost entirely depends on the area, the proximity of the ocean and the season, and the owners allow the joint rental of such housing.

Electricity in Bali is almost always paid separately, but it is included in the rental price of hotels and villas. They pay regularly for electricity on the island: meters with an advance payment system are installed everywhere. No money - no light.

Transport

Buses

2 thousand rupees (9 rubles) per ticket

The main transport in Bali is the bus - it can take you to almost anywhere on the island. The bus ride is traditionally long due to traffic, but the price matches the quality.

Rent and gasoline

about 1 million rupees per month (4,400 rubles)

The most optimal and popular way to travel in Bali is a personal scooter. Simple and everyday Vario and Scoopy can be rented for an amount of 800 thousand rupees per month (about 3,500 rubles), a modern and solid Kawasaki will cost 2 million rupees (8,700 rubles).

It is best to rent a scooter from an operating company that cooperates with many large and small rental agencies. Another plus is Russian-speaking managers. Prices from such companies are usually lower than “on the corner at Ketut”, and the bikes themselves are always new and undergo monthly maintenance.

The cost of gasoline in Bali is low and starts at 6.5 thousand rupees (about 28 rubles) per liter, and a new car can be rented for about 8 million rupees per month (about 35 thousand rubles). For example, a 2016 Toyota Avanza Automatic will cost so much.

Taxi

from 50 thousand rupees per trip (about 220 rubles)

In Bali, there is a popular taxi Blue Bird with blue cars, expensive and conservative. A trip on it will cost from 200 thousand rupees (about 870 rubles). A ride on Uber or Grab is cheaper - from 50 thousand rupees (about 220 rubles), but there are problems. Blue Bird squeezes foreign competitors from all sides, so calling an Uber to the airport or to a popular nightclub will not work - drivers will simply not be allowed to drive up.

There is also a motorcycle taxi in Bali, which is very efficient and convenient. A trip to Go-Jek will cost 20 thousand rupees (about 87 rubles), you can go to Grab for 8 thousand (about 35 rubles). The first company oppresses the second, as in the case of a taxi.

Food

from 800 thousand to 1.35 million rupees per month (3,500 - 5,900 rubles)

Food prices in supermarkets are similar to Russian ones. French Carrefour and popular local chains of convenience stores Alfamart, Indomaret, Mini Mart and others operate in Bali. On the shelves you can find almost any familiar product, with the exception of milk, kefir or sour cream. And Balinese products are delicious and emphatically natural.

Alcohol in Bali is quite expensive: a bottle of beer costs from 25 thousand rupees (about 108 rubles), a bottle of local wine - from 170 thousand (about 740 rubles), strong alcohol - from 250 thousand (about a thousand rubles).

Locals and confident expats eat in warungs: it's easier and more economical than cooking lunch and dinner at home. A typical meal in Bali consists of rice and various additions: vegetables, tofu, tempeh, eggs, noodles, potatoes, chicken, beef or simple seafood. It will cost 10-15 thousand rupees (up to 65 rubles). Appearance establishments hardly pulls on the top three, but the food is very tasty. The cost of breakfast in European-style establishments starts from 75 thousand rupees (about 330 rubles), lunch and dinner are even more expensive.

Entertainment

Clubs

from 25 thousand rupees (about 110 rubles) for entry

All the main and noisy entertainments of Bali are concentrated in the areas of Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu. At the same time, you can live anywhere: in 15–20 minutes by bike it is easy to get, for example, from Jimbaran to Kuta. Night life and illegal pleasures in Kuta are somehow connected with Legian Street. You can drink coffee in a music bar for 100 thousand rupees (about 430 rubles), go to a performance by a famous DJ in a huge night club for 200 thousand rupees (about 860 rubles) and drink a cocktail there for 150 thousand (about 650 rubles). You can lose control and easily lose something of value.

Restaurants

from 100 thousand rupees for a dinner for two (430 rubles)

Conventionally, restaurants in Bali can be divided into three groups. The average check in the usual restaurants with national Italian, Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Russian, Argentinean, Mexican or Indonesian cuisine starts from 100 thousand rupees for two (about 430 rubles). Dinner in original establishments with molecular Korean desserts or Australian steaks will cost at least 600,000 rupees (about 2,600 rubles). Places like a bar with a doorman and flowing Moët & Chandon champagne will require a check of 1 million rupees for two (about 4,350 rubles).

Surfing

from 100-150 thousand rupees (430-650 rubles) per day

Surfing is one of the things people come to live in Bali for. Studying theory at school and training with a coach, including analysis of mistakes, will cost from 250 thousand rupees (about 1,090 rubles) per lesson. It is quite possible to comprehend the basics in three or four lessons, and it is advisable to do this in a Russian school like Surf Discovery.

You can rent a surfboard for 100-150 thousand rupees per day (430-650 rubles), purchase - for 1 million or more.

Coffee

from 230 thousand rupees (about 1,000 rubles) per pack

Another popular entertainment on the island is called coffee ambulance. At any time of the day, the Balinese deliver real kopi-luwak to their homes and arrange a tasting of the most expensive coffee in the world. Often