12 Surprising Things Nobody Tells You About Living in Bali
Thinking about joining the digital nomad scene and moving to the beautiful island of Bali in 2024? Or maybe you’re just planning to pass through for a few months while backpacking across Southeast Asia. Either way, I thought you might find it helpful to know what it’s REALLY like living in Bali.
After spending two months in Bali during my journey across Southeast Asia, I’ve compiled a list of 12 surprising things I wish I had known when planning my trip. Here’s what to expect, from both the pleasant and the unpleasant surprises.
What Living in Bali Is Really Like (TL;DR Summary)
Interested in knowing what living in Bali is REALLY like, but don’t have time to read through all the details? Here’s a TL;DR summary of all the pleasant and unpleasant surprises you can expect living in Bali.
Click the links in the list below for more details on each surprising thing I learned.
1. Bali’s Beaches Are a Little Overrated
I thought I would rip the bandaid right off and come out with my most controversial take first. Regardless of what you’ve seen on social media or read on other travel blogs, I feel a responsibility to tell you the truth. Most of the beaches in Bali are not that great unless you’re just there for surfing or sunsets.
If you read my article on where to stay in Bali, this take likely isn’t that surprising to you. If you haven’t, I’ll briefly recap. First, most beaches are littered with trash, especially during and right after rainy season. And second, many of the popular beaches aren’t great for swimming thanks to the surf. If you’re thinking of living in Bali BECAUSE of its beaches, I think you’ll be a little disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to say the beaches are bad. Many are beautiful to view from a distance, especially those in Uluwatu. But having traveled to roughly 40 countries, and having seen many of the best beaches in the world from Brazil to Turks and Caicos, I can tell you that the beaches on Bali are just nothing special.
2. Bali’s Most Beautiful Scenery Is Off the Beaten Path
Close your eyes and picture the beautiful scenery of Bali. What do you see? Well, I’m no mind reader, but I’m willing to guess you see layers of lush, green rice fields. Or maybe you see cascading waterfalls cutting right through the jungle? Whatever you picture when you think of Bali, rest assured the beautiful scenery won’t disappoint you! But the biggest mistake many visitors to Bali make is that they don’t branch out and then complain when what they see doesn’t live up to expectations.
Here’s a fair warning: unless you arrive at sunrise, every waterfall, temple, and rice field near the busy areas of Ubud and Canggu will be flooded with tourists. But head an hour or two east or north to places like Sidemen and Munduk and enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery without the crowds.
When it comes to waterfalls and temples, I still recommend showing up early no matter where you are in Bali. A couple-hour drive doesn’t deter the masses from lining up for Instagram pics at some of North Bali’s famous waterfalls. But if you’re after endless rice field terraces or stunning views of Mount Agung towering over the jungle, you can enjoy these without crowds any time of the day in East or North Bali. I go into detail about where to enjoy the beautiful scenery without crowds in my Bali Area Guide.
3. Living in Bali Is Getting More Expensive
“Bali” and “expensive” in the same sentence? I know, crazy right? Yes, living in Bali is still much cheaper than in many parts of the world. But it’s also getting quite a bit more expensive. Inflation doesn’t just exist in the US after all.
Some things even cost as much as back in the US. For example, In Ubud, I couldn’t find a yoga studio offering a drop-in class for less than $10. And I am pretty shocked by how expensive coffee is in parts of Bali. This is not a complaint, but just to make you aware so you aren’t as surprised as I was by the costs of certain things. If you’ve traveled to other parts of Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam, you might get a little bit of sticker shock at times.
4. You Can Still Live Comfortably for Pretty Cheap
Yes, I know, I just talked about how expensive things are getting in Bali. But I’m here to tell you that you can still live very comfortably for pretty cheap. This is especially true if you are staying long-term and can negotiate cheaper prices. I spent $3,500 living in Bali for two months, and that included round-trip flights to Lombok and East Java.
Mind you, I was staying in humble homestays for the most part and I ate local food for almost all of my meals. But I certainly wasn’t struggling or roughing it. I had air conditioning everywhere I stayed, most of my meals were really delicious, and I pretty much did everything I wanted to. But of course, if you want to live in a fancy villa, eat Western food, and hit day clubs a few times a week, you can expect living in Bali to cost significantly more.
To make this real, you can get an hour-long full-body massage for the equivalent of $8. That is not a typo folks. You can really treat yourself living in Bali. You can also find some really nice homestays for dirt cheap if you plan to move around a bit and don’t want to settle into a longer-term rental.
5. Bali Is Suffering from Overtourism
Over the past decade, Bali has become one of the most popular destinations in the world. Any mostly for good reason! But with this popularity comes a price: overtourism. And with overtourism, comes issues like awful traffic, damage to the ecosystem, constant construction, rising prices, and a LOT of trash.
From 2012 to 2018, the number of international visitors to Bali doubled from three to six million. And 2023 is on pace to match 2018 levels. I expected parts of Bali to be crowded, I just didn’t realize the extent of it until I arrived.
The crowds are one thing, but the bigger issue I encountered living in Bali was all of the trash. You will find piles of trash along roads, near tourist attractions, on the beaches… Just about everywhere honestly. Part of the problem is due to rapid overtourism outpacing infrastructure improvements. There just seems to not be anywhere to put the trash. Indonesia is still a developing nation after all.
But part of the problem is cultural mindset differences towards littering. I can’t tell you how frequently I saw locals just routinely discarding trash on the sidewalk. Not to mention witnessing someone dump their restaurant trash into the ocean on Gili Air. Gili Air is technically not Bali, but the attitude towards littering is no different.
6. You Will Witness the Best of Humanity Living in Bali
Of course, not all Balinese turn a blind eye to littering. You’ll see many locals fighting the good fight and doing their best to help clean up.
And not just locals, there are various expats from all over who are doing their part. Just check out the work that Gary Bencheghib is doing in Bali to see for yourself. I strongly encourage you to check out his Instagram or TikTok. Not just to see how bad the trash problem has gotten in Bali, but to see how much of a positive impact he is having on the environment.
While I didn’t get a chance to see Gary, I did witness various others wading through rivers picking trash out. I also met some really great people while doing my own volunteering at Shelter for Lombok Dogs (yes, I know, not quite Bali but close enough). Sometimes expats and tourists get a bad rap, and rightfully so. But you will also see another more positive side of tourism in Bali as well, with plenty of like-minded people looking to help.
7. Bali Belly Is a Common Problem
If you do any research ahead of your trip, you’re likely to encounter stories of the infamous “Bali Belly.” So, maybe it’s a stretch calling it a surprise. But I do think it’s worth calling out in this list. But the frequency at which people experience food poisoning in Bali is the surprising part to me. It’s estimated that 30-50% of travelers to Bali are affected by Bali Belly.
If you’re eating local food and you haven’t spent much time in this part of the world, you may be a little shocked at how poor hygiene is at restaurants. You can expect to see the people who prepare your food not wearing gloves. You’ll see flies landing on the ingredients your meal is about to be prepared with. Or if you’re lucky, you never SEE any of this, but I can assure you it is happening. Add this to dirty tap water and you have a recipe for gastrointestinal disaster.
In my two months of living in Bali, I only had stomach issues a couple times. And surprisingly, the one time I experienced all the symptoms of Bali Belly, I was technically not in Bali as I was on Gili Air Island. Bet let me tell ya, food poisoning is not fun. Thankfully, I came prepared with azithromycin to help knock it down. I typically wouldn’t take an antibiotic for a stomach bug, but the issues here in Bali are frequently caused by nasty bacteria that can take multiple days for your system to rid itself of. I was mostly back to normal in under 48 hours.
8. Authentic Indonesian Food Is Delicious
It’s tempting to seek out the comforts of home when you’re in a strange place, especially when it comes to food. And places like Canggu, Seminyak, and Ubud are full of trendy, instaworthy Western restaurants. But you’d really be missing out if you ignored all of the delicious Indonesian food.
Indonesian food is not quite on the level of many other Asian countries, but don’t let that deter you. It’s pretty tough to compare cuisines from anywhere in the world with places like Japan and Thailand after all. Between local staples like nasi goreng (fried rice with sunny side up egg) and nasi campur (think of this like Balinese tapas) to the famous babi guling (suckling pig), there are plenty of options to whet your appetite.
9. You’ll Be Solicited Very Frequently Living in Bali
This next one certainly isn’t specific to Bali, but I certainly didn’t expect to be solicited as frequently and aggressively. Here is a typical “conversation” you will have with almost every man you pass standing by a car on the side of a road:
Man: “Yesssss? Taxi?”
Me: “No thank you.”
Same man: “Hello, mister? Taxi, yes?”
Me: (ignores man and continues walking)
Same man: “Where you go today? Maybe tomorrow? Yes?”
Me: (walks a little further until I can’t hear him anymore)
And here is a typical “conversation” you will have with a group of women anytime you are within shouting distance of a spa:
Group of 3 women: “Massage? Massage? Massage?”
Me: “No thank you.”
One of the women: “Hello, mister? You want massage?”
Me: (ignores them and continues walking)
Other two women: “Massage? Massage?”
Me: (walks a little further until I can’t hear them anymore)
You eventually learn to tune it out, but it can be incredibly annoying at first. Especially when you realize that nobody takes “no” for an answer for any sales pitch.
10. Balinese People Are Incredibly Warm and Welcoming
Had I done more research, I probably wouldn’t have been so surprised by this one. But I was very pleasantly surprised by how nice the people in Bali are. I only learned how friendly the Balinese people are after experiencing myself. Balinese people have a reputation as being some of the warmest and most welcoming in the whole world, and they live up to it!
Having traveled to nearly 40 countries across multiple continents, I can tell you it is a very mixed bag on how locals treat and react to tourists. For example, the São Paulo, Brazil locals were incredibly warm, welcoming, and curious. On the other end of the spectrum, many locals I encountered in Bordeaux, France were pretty cold to tourists. If you’re just passing through, maybe this doesn’t matter so much to you. But, if you’re living in Bali for a bit, the warm and welcoming nature of the Balinese people can really improve your experience.
11. Wildlife Will Find Its Way into Your Home
If the idea of having geckos and ants as roommates is troublesome to you, you may want to think twice about staying in Bali long-term. It’s pretty inevitable, regardless of where you are staying. I shared almost every room with at least a few small geckos, and I got so used to seeing ants everywhere that I stopped noticing them after a few weeks. I also came across plenty of small spiders, but nothing like some of the nightmares I’ve seen posted on social media.
The biggest surprise I got was in Sidemen. When I arrived, I found two colorful tokay geckos above my door, each around a foot in length. They never really came near me, but they’re known for being aggressive if threatened and packing a painful bite. Apparently, some refer to them as the “pitbull of the gecko world.” They’re also incredibly loud and will scare the crap out of you at 2 AM when they decide to call out. In fact, during the Vietnam War, American soldiers referred to them as “F*ck You Lizards.”
12. There Are Expats From All Over the World Living in Bali
Maybe this last one won’t surprise you all that much, but I think it’s still worth mentioning. You will meet people from ALL over the world living in Bali.
It’s not just a bunch of Aussies and Americans like I expected it to be. In fact, I think I encountered 10 European expats/visitors for every American I met. I even met people from parts of South America too. And of course, you’ll meet plenty of people visiting from other parts of Asia too. Consistently listed among the best places in Asia for expats, Bali is a great place to meet new people, make new friends, and build a global network!
Closing Thoughts
Bali is truly an amazing place to visit and live! But it’s important to go in with the right expectations so you aren’t disappointed.
I hope you found this article on what living in Bali is REALLY like to be helpful. Love my advice? Completely disagree with me? Leave a reply below and let me know your thoughts!
