How Much Money Do I Need for 3 Weeks in Bali? (Full Cost Breakdown)

Bali is one of those destinations where you can travel on a shoestring budget or splash out in luxury all in one place. If you’re wondering “how much money do I need for 3 weeks in Bali?”, this post will give you a detailed, real-world answer.

I spent 3 weeks (20 days/19 nights) in Bali, keeping track of every single expense. Below, I’ll break down exactly what I spent, where I stayed, what I ate, and how you can adjust your budget depending on your travel style.

👉 Total cost (excluding flights): 1,305 CHF (~$1,300 USD / €1,300 EUR). Note: All prices are from my 2022 trip. I’ve heard from friends that prices have gone up since then, for a updated picture make sure to check out the official website or Google Maps reviews of the mentioned places!

👉 Average per person per day: 69 CHF (~$70 USD / €70 EUR)

Important to note: We were traveling in a group of 3 people! This is especially important in regards to the accommodation and transportation costs, because these costs might come out more expensive if you’re traveling in a smaller group!

My Travel Style: “Comfortable but Not Excessive”

For context, this trip was what I’d call comfortable, but not excessive.

Accommodation: We stayed in boutique 3–4 star hotels. No hostels, but also no luxury resorts.
Food: We ate out for all meals, mixing local warungs with some nicer, more touristy beachfront restaurants and clubs
Drinks: Enjoyed the occasional cocktail or beer, but none of us are heavy drinkers.
Activities: Did all the activities we wanted, but avoided overpriced “luxury” packages.

All in all, this was very much a vacation-style trip (think comfort, relaxation, variety), not a strict backpacking adventure.

Overall Bali Budget Breakdown

Here’s the big picture of my spending in Bali:

Category	Total (CHF)	Avg/day (CHF)
Accommodation	509	27
Food & Drinks	396	21
Transport	197	10
Activities	146	8
Other costs	57	3
Total	1,305	69

💡 At the time of my trip (2022), 1 CHF ≈ 1 USD ≈ 1 EUR. If you’re budgeting in USD or EUR, just read the CHF amounts as-is. Disclaimer: I’ve heard from friends that prices have gone up since 2022. If you’re interested in specific costs, check official websites or Google Maps reviews for updated prices!

Accommodation in Bali

Since we wanted to see as much of Bali as possible, we switched hotels every few days. We stayed in Ubud, Sanur, Nusa Penida, Seminyak, Uluwatu, Legian, Gili Trawangan, and Kuta.

Average nightly rate: 26 CHF per person

We were visiting in late August until mid-September. I’d say this is outside of the main summer holiday weeks, but still in the dry, busy season.

Here’s the full breakdown of where we stayed and what we thought:

Ubud – Honeymoon Guesthouse

Absolutely stunning property! Calm, peaceful, and close to the center but tucked away enough to avoid the noise. Beautiful pool and gardens.
💰 30 CHF per person/night, incl. breakfast
✅ 10/10 would recommend!

Sanur – Parigata Resorts and Spa

We only stayed one night here since our ferry to Nusa Penida was leaving from Sanur. The hotel was nice, but we didn’t spend much time there.
💰 20 CHF per person/night, no breakfast

Nusa Penida – La Colina Bungalow

Super basic bungalows up on a hill. The view is amazing, and the hosts are very kind, but without scooters the location is tricky.
💰 17 CHF per person/night, incl. breakfast

Seminyak – Horison Ultima

We loved Seminyak as a location (I’d choose it over Kuta/Legian anytime), but the hotel itself was just okay—nothing special.
💰 20 CHF per person/night, no breakfast

Uluwatu – Dreamland View

Didn’t love this one. Very basic, far from everything, and not ideal without scooters.
💰 29 CHF per person/night, no breakfast

Legian – Rama Residence Padma

Fantastic! Loved the rooftop pool and delicious breakfast. Definitely one of our favorites, even though it was pricier.
💰 42 CHF per person/night, incl. breakfast

Gili Trawangan – Villa Almarik Resort

Such a great spot—right on the beach, but still walking distance to the ferry pier. Pricier, but worth it.
💰 38 CHF per person/night, incl. breakfast

Kuta – Harper Kuta

Not my favorite. The hotel was fine and very central, but Kuta itself was too crowded and hectic for me. Breakfast was chaotic because of the crowds.
💰 18 CHF per person/night, incl. breakfast

Villa at Honeymoon Guesthouse — Our villa at the Honeymoon Guesthouse – so serene 🙂

Transportation Costs in Bali

One important thing to know: Bali is not walkable. You’ll need scooters, taxis, or drivers to get around.

Since none of us felt comfortable renting scooters, we used private drivers and Grab (the Bali version of Uber) to get around.

Private driver (full day in Ubud & Nusa Penida): 15 CHF pp/day × 4 days = 60 CHF total. We booked our private drivers either through Klook or Booking.com Taxi Service. Pro Tip: You could make the first booking online, and then if you liked the driver you can ask him for his number directly and negotiate a fixed price for the other days of your trip! 😉
Grab/taxis between towns: 3–5 CHF per person per ride (~33 CHF total for ~10 rides). Important: The less people you are, the more expensive this option becomes!
Ferry to Nusa Penida: 20 CHF pp return (booked via 12Go)
Ferry to Gili Trawangan: 77 CHF pp return (booked with Golden Queen via our hotel, I don’t recommended them, we had a very bad experience!!)

Activities & Experiences

Bali has plenty of free activities (beaches, hiking, exploring villages), but we also paid for some fun experiences.

Cretya Day Club (Ubud): 40 CHF pp for entry + daybed + shared food/drinks (so worth it!)
Sundays Beach Club: 30 CHF incl. entry + food
Surfboard rental: 5 CHF per hour (haggle for longer rentals)  We absolutely hated this process, there’s tons of people trying to scam you into super high rental prices unfortunately…
Massages: 10 CHF for 30–60 minutes (best deal ever!) at Honeymoon Guesthouse and Ambiente Spa
Bike rental on Gili T: 10 CHF/day  this is a must do activity on Gili T!
Gili T snorkeling tour: 10 CHF for 3–4 hours (gear included, lunch extra)  I think we got quite a good deal here because we booked pretty last minute!
Temples and cultural sites: 1–5 CHF entry fees

👉 Total for activities: 146 CHF (~8 CHF/day)

💡 If you want to save, skip the day clubs—they’re fun, but definitely the priciest and least traditional activities.

Instagram worthy moments at Cretya Day Club

Food & Drink in Bali

We ate out for all meals and tried a bit of everything: local warungs, beach restaurants, rooftop spots, and international cuisine.

Average food spend per person per day: 21 CHF

Meal	Total (CHF)	Avg/day	Avg/meal
Breakfast	32	2	6
Lunch	115	6	8
Dinner	169	9	9
Drinks/snacks	80	4	5

💡 Since most of our hotels included breakfast, that line looks cheaper than it is. The Average/meal is more representative!

For lunch and dinner, 8–9 CHF per meal is an average across everything from local eateries to fancier spots. This was mainly for one main course and a softdrink, no appetizers and usually no alcohol. The drinks/snacks category was mostly for beers and cocktails, 5 CHF for a cocktail or two beers sounds about right.

We didn’t splurge, but we also never held back if we liked a place.

Check out my 34 Best Restaurants in Bali (2025 Ultimate Foodie Guide) for a full review of all the restaurants we visited!

Warung Gauri — Traditional Indonesia Dish

Other Costs

Usually I’d skip this “random” category over, but in this case I believe the costs are all still worth mentioning.

Visa on Arrival: 33 CHF (in 2022, may have changed since)
Laundry: 5 CHF per person for a full load at the Honeymoon Guesthouse
Sunscreen & mosquito spray: 18 CHF (more expensive to buy in Bali, if you can bring enough supply for your whole holiday from home)

Total: 57 CHF

My 3 Biggest Expenses

Just for fun, here are the top three individual costs of my trip (excluding hotels, since they’d obviously take the top spots):

Ferry to Gili Trawangan – 77 CHF
Most expensive transport, and not worth it with the company we chose. But Gili T itself? Absolutely worth it.
Cretya Day Club – 40 CHF
Pricey by Bali standards, but one of my favorite experiences of the trip.
Visa on Arrival – 33 CHF
Essential cost for most travelers.

Can You Visit Bali for Cheaper?

Definitely!! My average was about 70 CHF/day, but you could easily cut it down to 50 CHF/day if you:

Stay in cheaper guesthouses (<20 CHF/night)
Eat mostly at warungs (local restaurants), or alternatively even cook your own meals
I hate to say it because I’m not a fan of scooter rentals, but they would be cheaper as opposed to hiring private drivers
Stay longer in fewer places, that way you reduce transportation costs further
Skip day clubs and stick to beaches, temples, and hikes

Going down to 50 CHF/day is possible, but you’ll definitely start heading more towards a backpacker experience than a “vacation” experience.

Do You Need Cash in Bali?

YES. Many places like temples, surfboard rentals and small shops are cash-only.

Tips:

ATMs can be scarce, and withdrawal limits are common. Pro Tip: Don’t wait until you run out of money to stock up again!
Ask your hotel which ATMs are safe.
I used Revolut for withdrawals (no hidden fees).

Final Thoughts

So, how much money do you need for 3 weeks in Bali?

👉 For a comfortable holiday with hotels, eating out, activities, and transport, budget around 1,300 CHF (~$1,300 USD / €1,300 EUR) per person (excluding flights) should be plenty. That works out to ~70 CHF/day!

You can definitely do it cheaper, or go all out with luxury if that’s your style – upwards only the sky’s the limit 🙂

💬 Would you travel Bali on a budget, or treat yourself to more luxury? Share your thoughts in the comments — I’d love to know!