Thirty days, four bases
The shape of the month, and why three moving days beat twelve.
Four beds in a month, and one of them sits on a road that ends at the sea. Canggu for the coffee and the first week of admin. Ubud for the valley and the water temples. Amed for a reef you swim to from the sand. Uluwatu for the cliff and the last week. Twenty-nine nights split seven, eight, seven and seven, with a boat day to Nusa Penida dropped in where the weather looks kind. 2
The shape matters more than the sights. Four bases across 30 days means three moving days instead of twelve, and one scooter you keep the whole time instead of a fresh rental in every town. That single choice takes the month's transport line down to about $84. 5, 7
Prices here were read on 25 September 2026, most from the operator's own page and the rest from the dated sources listed at the end, in the currency each one shows. Rupiah converts at Bank Indonesia's JISDOR reference rate of Rp17,917.00 per US dollar, set the same day. Euro figures use the Federal Reserve's H.10 rate of USD 1.1464 per euro for 18 September 2026. 7, 9
- 01Canggu7 nights
Land here and do the admin while you are still jetlagged. Collect the month's scooter, find the laundry, sort a SIM, ride quiet lanes before you meet a highway. Beach mornings, a working cafe in the afternoon, and the island's easiest week for a first-timer.
→ Ngurah Rai Airport to Canggu by car. Ask your villa for its own fixed fare in writing. - 02Ubud8 nights
The valley week, and the extra night. Tegallalang's terraces in the morning light, Balinese dance in town most evenings, and a day that begins at Tirta Empul with nothing else booked. Ubud is where the month slows down.
→ Canggu to Ubud, an easy scooter leg or a short car hire with the bags. - 03Amed7 nights
Black sand and one coast road. The fishing fleet goes out before dawn and comes back while you are still on your first coffee. The reef starts a few fin kicks off the beach, so the week is built around water.
→ Ubud to Amed by private car or shuttle, east through Karangasem. Take the car, not the scooter, with luggage. - 04Uluwatu7 nights
The Bukit, the limestone peninsula at Bali's southern tip. Cliff paths, reef breaks, and a temple that opens to 7 p.m. with the Kecak at six. Finish here because the airport run on the last morning is short.
→ Amed to Uluwatu by private car, the longest leg of the month. Leave early and make a day of it.
With less time: With two weeks, keep Ubud and Uluwatu at five nights each and put the other four in Canggu. Amed rewards a full week or a separate trip; three nights there buys two dives and a lot of road.
What does 30 days in Bali cost before beds and food?
The lines you pay whatever your style: two government fees, a month of wheels, three tickets and one boat.
The fixed part of a Bali month is small: about $149, or near $5 a day. Two payments at the door, one scooter on a monthly rate, the temple and dance tickets, and a return crossing to Nusa Penida. Everything above that line is a choice you make. 3, 4, 5, 1, 6, 2, 7
| Line | What it covers | Price, IDR | Price, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa on arrival (e-VOA) | 30 days, extendable once for the same fee | 500,000 | 28 |
| Bali tourist levy | Once per person per trip, paid through Love Bali | 150,000 | 8 |
| Scooter, Honda Vario 150 | One month, delivery, two helmets, phone holder | 1,500,000 | 84 |
| Uluwatu temple and Kecak | Entry 60,000 plus the 6 p.m. dance 150,000 | 210,000 | 12 |
| Nusa Penida fast boat | Return from Sanur at the cheapest listed fare | 234,000 | 13 |
| Tirta Empul entry | One adult, visit only | 75,000 | 4 |
| The fixed month, one adult | 2,669,000 | 149 |
Converted at Bank Indonesia's JISDOR rate of Rp17,917.00 per US dollar on 25 September 2026 and rounded to the dollar. The scooter line is Canggu Scooter Bali's published monthly price for its cheapest model. Beds, food, fuel, diving, surf lessons and flights all sit outside this table. 7, 5
Table view: Where the fixed $149 goes
| Item | Value (USD) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Scooter, one month | $84 | 56% |
| Visa on arrival | $28 | 19% |
| Nusa Penida return boat | $13 | 9% |
| Uluwatu temple and Kecak | $12 | 8% |
| Bali tourist levy | $8 | 5% |
| Tirta Empul entry | $4 | 3% |
The scooter is more than half of it, and it is the one line a monthly rate shrinks. Renting the same Vario by the day for 30 days costs IDR 2,700,000, about $67 more. Source: 5, 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 7
Then the beds, which move by a factor of three. Outpost asks US$849 for 28 nights of Ubud coliving plus 15% tax and service, about $976 all in, or $35 a night with a private ensuite room and coworking access. Villa Moana in Canggu quoted US$575 for one night in late September 2026, rising to US$661 at peak. Six people splitting that villa pay about $96 each. 10, 11
| Base | Named place | Rate as published | Cost, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canggu | Villa Moana, 6 bedrooms, whole villa | USD 575 to 661 a night, tax and service in | 96 to 110, split six ways |
| Ubud | Outpost Nyuh Kuning, coliving and coworking | USD 849 for 28 nights, plus 15% | 35 |
| Ubud | Outpost Penestanan, coliving and coworking | USD 1,149 for 28 nights, plus 15% | 47 |
| Amed | Villa Bukit Segara, Luxury Seaside Guesthouse | EUR 125 a night, plus 15% | 165 for the room, 2 to 4 people |
| Amed | Villa Bukit Segara, whole 8-bedroom villa | EUR 7,350 a week, plus 15% | 87 at 16 people |
| Uluwatu | Two cliff properties opened 25 September 2026 | None | By written quote |
Euro figures convert at the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of USD 1.1464 per euro for 18 September 2026. Villa Moana's calendar moves night to night, so treat that band as a dated snapshot. Villa Bukit Segara's site carries a 2019 copyright footer, so confirm the rate in writing. Uluwatu rates come by quote. 9, 11, 8
Do you want a driver or a scooter?
Two named prices settle most of this question.
A whole month on a scooter costs less than two days with a private car and driver. Canggu Scooter Bali rents a Honda Vario 150 at IDR 1,500,000 a month, about $84, delivered with two helmets and a phone holder. Villa Bukit Segara in Amed offers guests a car and driver at 50 euros a day, about $57. Two of those days and the month's scooter is paid for. 5, 8, 7, 9
| Model | Day, IDR | Week, IDR | Month, IDR | Month, USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Vario 150 | 90,000 | 550,000 | 1,500,000 | 84 |
| Yamaha N-Max | 125,000 | 800,000 | 2,000,000 | 112 |
| Honda PCX | 150,000 | 900,000 | 2,200,000 | 123 |
| Yamaha X-Max 250 | 250,000 | 1,600,000 | 3,500,000 | 195 |
Rates are marked 'start from' and include delivery, two helmets and a phone holder. The same shop lists a Daihatsu Ayla at IDR 350,000 a day, about $20, and a Toyota Avanza at IDR 400,000, about $22, with monthly car rates by message only. Converted at Rp17,917 per US dollar, 25 September 2026. 5, 7
Pick by the road and by your licence. Canggu's lanes and Amed's single coast road suit two wheels. The run from Ubud out to Amed, and the long haul from Amed down to the Bukit, are car legs: luggage plus a cross-island road turns a moving day into a slog. Hire a driver for those two transfers and ride everything else. 5
Canggu: land here and learn the bike
Start in Canggu, because the first days of a month abroad are mostly admin. Collect the scooter, find the laundry, sort a SIM, sleep at the wrong hours. The rental shop here delivers the bike to your door with two helmets and a phone holder, which is the most useful thing that happens in week one. 5
Canggu is also the priciest sleep of the four bases once you want a whole villa. Villa Moana's own calendar put a six-bedroom house at US$575 for 24 September 2026, US$635 the next night and US$661 the night after, tax and service included. Split six ways that lands at $96 to $110 a head. Taken alone, it is a different holiday. 11
- Week one is for the paperwork. The e-VOA at IDR 500,000 and the Bali tourist levy at IDR 150,000 are two separate payments through two separate systems, and both land on every foreign visitor. 3, 4
- Take the monthly scooter rate on day one. IDR 1,500,000 for a month against IDR 90,000 a day: the monthly deal wins from day 17 onward, and you skip four handovers. 5
- Leave the long rides for the end of the week, once the traffic makes sense from the saddle and the bike feels familiar.
- Price the desk before you price the room if the month is a working one.
If you plan to work through the month, Canggu for remote workers prices the coworking and the rent. For what to carry, the one-bag packing list for the tropics covers a humid month in a carry-on.
Ubud: eight nights, two temples and the temple's own rules
The extra night goes here, because every good thing in Ubud is a half day out.
Ubud gets the eighth night because nothing here is quick. The valley walk before breakfast. Tegallalang's terraces in the morning light, when the irrigation channels catch the sun. Dance most evenings in town. Then a day that starts at a water temple north of Ubud and ends with nothing booked.
Tirta Empul charges IDR 75,000 for an adult and IDR 50,000 for a child aged 5 to 12, with children under 5 admitted free, on a fee set on 1 January 2025. The temple opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. A sarong comes with the ticket, and wearing it is the temple's own requirement of every visitor. 6
A monthly room changes the arithmetic of a long Ubud stay. Outpost's Nyuh Kuning coliving starts at US$849 for 28 nights plus 15% tax and service, which works out near $35 a night for a private ensuite room with coworking at all its Bali locations. Penestanan starts at US$1,149, about $47 a night. Airport pickup with a SIM card is US$52.50 more on the same page. 10
MMT's Ubud temples guide carries the dress code and the rest of the fees, temple by temple.
Amed: seven nights on the east coast
Amed is the week the plan stops being a plan. One road along the shore, black sand that holds the heat, and a fishing fleet drawn up above the tide line each morning. The reef begins a few fin kicks off the beach. Most of the week happens in the water, and the rest of it happens sitting down.
Named Amed prices arrive in euros, which is its own small surprise. Villa Bukit Segara, a beachfront villa built in 2010, lists a Luxury Seaside Guesthouse room at 125 euros a night for two to four people, a Master Bedroom at 150 and a Family Room at 200, each before 15% tax and service. The whole eight-bedroom house runs 7,350 euros a week for 16 to 18 people, about $87 a head a night. 8, 9
Diving is why most readers come east. MMT prices the dives in scuba diving in Amed and builds a whole month around them in Amed for a diving month. The Amed guide covers the villages, the transfers and where to sleep on which bay.
Uluwatu: the temple, the Kecak and the last week
Two tickets, two prices, one sunset. Finish the month here.
Finish on the Bukit, the limestone peninsula at Bali's southern tip. Pura Luhur Uluwatu stands on the cliff edge and opens 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Entry is IDR 60,000 for a foreign adult and IDR 40,000 for a foreign child, and that price includes the sarong and sash the temple asks every visitor to wear. Parking is charged separately at the gate, by vehicle type. 1
The Kecak and Fire Dance is a second ticket, sold apart from the first. IDR 150,000 for an adult and IDR 75,000 for a child aged 2 to 9. The performance runs 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., gates open at 4 p.m., and the site tells visitors to arrive before 5 p.m. because the amphitheatre fills on weekends, holidays and through peak season. 1
Arrive by 4:30 p.m.
Gates to the Kecak amphitheatre open at 4 p.m. and the seats fill early on weekends and holidays. Park first, then buy both tickets. 1
Pay the temple entry, IDR 60,000
The sarong and sash come with the ticket for a foreign adult. Parking is a third payment, charged by vehicle type at the gate. 1
Walk the cliff path before the show
The public grounds and the clifftop pathways stay open until 7 p.m. The hour before sunset is the reason to come early. 1
Take your seat for the 6 p.m. Kecak
IDR 150,000 an adult, IDR 75,000 for a child aged 2 to 9. One hour, finishing at 7 p.m. as the temple closes for the day. 1
Uluwatu rooms are priced by quote, not by published rate, so budget this week from a written figure rather than a website. Where to stay in Uluwatu sorts the areas, and a written quote sorts the price.
Is Nusa Penida worth a day from Bali?
Yes, as one day, from Sanur. The crossing takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on the boat and the sea, and at least 14 operators run it with departures listed from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. That makes it a day trip, and the return fare sits under $20 on every operator with a published price. 2
| Operator | One way, IDR | Return, USD |
|---|---|---|
| Starfish | 117,000 | 13 |
| The Angkal | 120,000 | 13 |
| Angel Billabong | 122,000 | 14 |
| Maruti Group | 133,000 | 15 |
| Semabu Hills | 140,000 | 16 |
| Sanjaya | 143,000 | 16 |
| The Tanis | 153,500 | 17 |
Fares are the 'start from' prices listed on a Sanur harbour booking page, which states that prices move without notice. These seven are the named operators with a published figure out of 14 or more on the route. Converted at Rp17,917 per US dollar, 25 September 2026, and rounded to the dollar. 2, 7
Two things decide whether the day works. The boat, booked the night before for a morning departure. And the transport on the island, arranged before you step off the pier. Sanur is a drive from both Canggu and Ubud, so an island day is a long day from either base. Take the first boat out and the last one back. 2
What should you book before you fly?
Three things need a date, and one of them stops the island.
Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence for Caka year 1948, fell on Thursday 19 March 2026. If your month touches Nyepi, it changes the plan before anything else does. The next date was not yet published in a circular on the research date; check the Bali Kesbangpol site closer to your trip. 12
Bali's provincial government issued a joint circular with the regional police, the military resort command and the Ministry of Religious Affairs' Bali office: all land, sea and air transport operators stop from 06:00 that Thursday until 06:00 on Friday 20 March. Broadcasters go off air for the same window. Mobile carriers switch off cellular data, with an exception kept for emergency communication. 12
Balinese Hindu households keep Catur Brata Penyepian through that day, and the same circular bars hotels, entertainment venues and tourist sites from running Nyepi-branded promotions. Visitors keep the day where they sleep, so stock what you need the evening before and put the travel either side of it. 12
- Pay the Bali tourist levy through Love Bali, IDR 150,000 per person, once per trip, kept apart from any visa fee. 4
- Confirm the e-VOA fee on Indonesia's own immigration portal. The figure here comes from a secondary summary, because the portal refused every direct read on the research date. 3
- Book the scooter at the monthly rate for pickup on arrival day, with the price agreed in writing. 5
- Get each long transfer quoted in writing, by car size and pickup time. 8
- Recheck the temple fees on the day you go. Tirta Empul's ticket was set on 1 January 2025 and Uluwatu's page was current in August 2026. 6, 1
- If your month touches Nyepi, book a room you are happy to sit in for 24 hours. 12
For the flights, MMT's airline loyalty hub sorts the programs by alliance. The Indonesia travel guide sets Bali beside the islands worth adding. And one-bag travel keeps the three moving days short.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one month in Bali cost?
The fixed lines come to about $149 for one adult: the IDR 500,000 e-VOA, the IDR 150,000 tourist levy, IDR 1,500,000 for a month on a Honda Vario 150, IDR 210,000 for the Uluwatu temple and Kecak, IDR 75,000 for Tirta Empul and IDR 234,000 for the return boat to Nusa Penida. Beds carry the rest. A 28-night Ubud coliving room runs $849 plus 15%, while a six-bedroom Canggu villa quoted $575 to $661 a night. 3, 4, 5, 1, 6, 2, 10, 11, 7
Is 30 days in Bali too long?
Thirty days suits four bases at a week each, which is the pace this page prices: Canggu 7, Ubud 8, Amed 7, Uluwatu 7. The visa runs exactly 30 days and extends once for another IDR 500,000, so the month fits the paperwork as well as the island. With two weeks, keep Ubud and Uluwatu and drop Amed to a separate trip. 3
Can one scooter cover the whole month?
For Canggu, Ubud town and the Amed coast road, yes. Canggu Scooter Bali's monthly rate on a Honda Vario 150 is IDR 1,500,000, about $84, against IDR 90,000 a day, so the month wins from day 17. Take a car with a driver for the two long transfers with luggage: Ubud to Amed, and Amed down to Uluwatu. 5, 7
Do I pay the Bali tourist levy as well as the visa?
Yes. They are two systems and two amounts. The visa on arrival or e-VOA is IDR 500,000 for 30 days. The Bali foreign tourist levy is IDR 150,000 per person, once per trip, paid through the Love Bali portal. Together that is IDR 650,000, about $36. 3, 4, 7
What do I wear to a Balinese temple?
A sarong and sash, and both temples on this route provide them. Uluwatu's IDR 60,000 foreign adult ticket includes the sarong and sash. Tirta Empul supplies a sarong with entry and requires it. Tirta Empul also states its own rule that women who are menstruating may not enter, so plan the visit with that in mind. 1, 6
How long is the boat to Nusa Penida?
Thirty to 45 minutes from Sanur, depending on the vessel and the sea. At least 14 operators run the route with departures listed from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. One-way fares start from IDR 117,000 with Starfish up to IDR 153,500 with The Tanis, so a return sits between $13 and $17. 2, 7
What happens in Bali on Nyepi?
The island stops for 24 hours. Transport, broadcast and cellular data all shut down from 06:00 to 06:00, so your arrival or departure cannot fall on that day and your room becomes your whole world for it. Buy food the day before. 12
Does the Tirta Empul ticket include bathing in the spring?
No. The IDR 75,000 ticket is Visit Only, for the courtyards and shrines. Bathing in the spring means booking the Melukat package separately at the gate, and the temple publishes no price for it, so ask before you commit to the day. 6
Sources & review date
Researched 2026-09-25. Prepared from primary sources, with a separate independent source review. Numbered notes in the text point to the sources below. Prices, entry rules and schedules change; use the linked authority for your dates.
- 1Uluwatu Temple entrance fee 2026 and what is included uluwatutemple.id · Accessed 2026-09-25
- 2Fast boat Sanur to Nusa Penida: operators, schedule and fares sanurharbour.com · Accessed 2026-09-25
- 3Visa policy of Indonesia, citing the Directorate General of Immigration Wikipedia · Accessed 2026-09-25
- 4Bali tourist levy 2026, citing the Love Bali portal Wego Travel Blog · Accessed 2026-09-25
- 5Scooter and car rental rates, Canggu Canggu Scooter Bali · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source
- 6Tirta Empul Temple entrance fee tirtaempul.com · Accessed 2026-09-25
- 7JISDOR, the Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate, 25 September 2026 Bank Indonesia · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source
- 8Accommodation, rates and guest transport Villa Bukit Segara, Amed · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source
- 9Foreign exchange rates, H.10 weekly release of 21 September 2026 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source
- 10Coliving: monthly stay and work packages Outpost · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source
- 11Rates calendar Villa Moana Canggu · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source
- 12Joint circular on the observance of Nyepi, Caka new year 1948, 2026 Badan Kesatuan Bangsa dan Politik Provinsi Bali · Accessed 2026-09-25 · Primary source