Retiring in Bali from Australia: costs, visas, pension and health cover (2026)

Who Bali suits, and what to weigh up

Bali suits you if being close to home matters. Non-stop flights take about 3 and a half hours from Perth and about 6 and a half from Sydney, so flying back for a birthday or a check-up is easy. Quieter towns such as Sanur suit a slower pace. The dry season lines up with the Australian winter.

Rent is the big cost in Bali. On our estimate it makes Bali dearer than the other Asian places we cover. Medical care is the other worry: Smartraveller says medical facilities, including for critical care, are of a lower standard than in Australia, and that includes Bali.

Foreigners can’t own land in Bali, so a home there is leased or held on a right of use. Smartraveller suggests a trial move of 6 to 12 months before you commit, which in Bali takes in a wet season as well as a dry one.

What a month costs

Our estimate for a month in Bali is about A$3,970 for a couple and A$3,060 for one person, rent included. We started with Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent), added a one-bedroom city-centre rent, then added 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple we multiplied the living costs by 1.8. Everything is converted at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 11,938 rupiah). Health insurance is not included. Numbeo updated its Bali figures on 15 October 2026.

A month in Bali	Couple	One person
Rent, one-bedroom flat in the centre	A$1,480	A$1,480
Living costs (food, transport, bills)	A$1,570	A$870
Eating out, local trips and extras (30%)	A$920	A$710
Total	A$3,970	A$3,060

How a month in Bali compares

For a couple

Bali, our estimate

A$3,970

Comfortable in Australia

A$6,580

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$4,040

About A$2,610 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

For one person

Bali, our estimate

A$3,060

Comfortable in Australia

A$4,680

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$2,680

About A$1,620 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

Not built the same way: Australia's figure (ASFA Retirement Standard, comfortable, June quarter 2026) assumes you own your home and includes health insurance; our estimate for Bali includes rent and leaves health insurance out. Age Pension: the most paid in Australia from 20 September 2026; living overseas for good, the base rate is about A$3,710 a month for a couple and A$2,460 for one person.

Numbeo’s Bali rent is far above its figure for Denpasar, the island’s capital, where a one-bedroom flat in the centre is about A$530 a month (15 October 2026), so the rent line here sits high. Short furnished lets usually cost more than the long-term rent in this table. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs compares Bali with nine other places.

What costs more than you’d expect. Health cover sits outside our estimate, and between 55 and 80 it can be one of your biggest bills. Wine is dear: Numbeo puts a mid-range bottle at 386,500 rupiah (about A$32) in a shop (checked 21 October 2026). Western-style cafes charge close to Australian prices; Annette, who moved at 55, mentions an A$18 salad in her account of the first year. And each year brings the retirement visa fee of 7 million rupiah (about A$590) and flights home for the birthdays you don’t want to miss.

Renting long term. Annette paid a year’s rent upfront, and she writes that this is how leases work in Bali. On our rent figure, a year in advance would be about A$17,740 in one go. Before you sign, see the place, ask what the rent covers and who pays for repairs, and have the lease checked by a notary or lawyer in Bali. Smartraveller says that in a private rental you register on arrival with the local neighbourhood office (Rukun Tetangga) and the police, and stay permit holders report any change of address to immigration.

Against the Age Pension. In Australia, the most the Age Pension pays is about A$2,680 a month for one person and A$4,040 for a couple. After 12 weeks away it drops to the base rate: about A$2,460 a month for one person and A$3,710 for a couple, before tax (rates from 20 September 2026). On our estimate, the base rate on its own doesn’t cover a month in Bali, whether you’re single or a couple.

Visas for Australians

Visiting. Smartraveller says you fill in the All Indonesia arrival card online within 72 hours before you arrive, and warns of fake websites that charge a fee for it. You can apply for an e-Visa on Arrival (e-VOA) online at least 48 hours before you travel, or get a visa on arrival at some airports and seaports. Either costs 500,000 rupiah (about A$42) and gives 30 days, which you can extend once by up to 30 days at the immigration office closest to where you are staying. Bali also charges a tourist levy of 150,000 rupiah (about A$13) per person, separate from the visa.

A longer winter. For 3 to 6 months, the official e-Visa site lists a tourist visa (C1), applied for before you travel: 60 days, extendable, for 1 million rupiah (about A$84). It asks for a bank statement showing at least US$2,000 (about A$2,890) over 3 months. It doesn’t say how many extensions you can get.

Staying longer, by age. Indonesia’s official e-Visa site lists these longer stays (checked 21 October 2026):

Visa	Who it is for	What it needs	How long
Second Home visa (E33)	The official page sets money tests, not an age	US$130,000 (about A$188,000) in a state-owned Indonesian bank in your own name within 90 days of arriving, or property worth US$1 million (about A$1.4 million); fee 13 million rupiah (about A$1,090)	Up to 5 years, extendable
Retirement visa (E33F)	55 and over	A guarantor (sponsor), bank statements showing at least US$2,000 (about A$2,890) over the last 3 months, and income of at least US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340); fee 7 million rupiah (about A$590)	Up to 1 year
“Silver hair” visa (E33E)	55 and over	At least US$50,000 (about A$72,260) in a state-owned Indonesian bank and income of at least US$3,000 a month; fee 13 million rupiah (about A$1,090)	Up to 5 years, extendable

For both retirement visas, the income test is more than the most a couple gets from the Age Pension in Australia. Some websites still quote an age of 60 or an income of US$1,500 a month (about A$2,170); neither matches the official site as we checked it. Our guide to retirement visa age rules by country compares Bali with other places. Currency figures are at the RBA’s 12-month average rate (A$1 = 11,938 rupiah = US$0.6919).

What the visa allows. Each of these visas comes with a limited stay permit, often called a KITAS. The official E33F listing says you can’t work for pay from anyone in Indonesia or sell goods or services, and you must enter within 90 days of the visa being issued. Whether letting a villa counts as selling a service is a question for the immigration office or a licensed visa agent there. You’ll read that it needs health insurance, a lease or a local domestic worker; none is on the official list we read on 21 October 2026. Indonesia’s immigration law allows a permanent stay permit (KITAP) for older people on a limited stay permit. But the 2023 regulation that says who can switch lists Second Home holders, after 3 years in a row, and not retirees.

A partner under 55. The age limit applies to the person applying. A younger husband or wife can come on a spouse visa (E31B), which the official site lists for the spouse of a retirement, second home or similar permit holder. It costs 6 million rupiah (about A$500) for 1 year. It needs proof of US$2,000 (about A$2,890) for living costs, a copy of your permit and your marriage certificate, translated into Indonesian by a sworn translator unless it’s in English. If you’re partners but not married, ask what applies to you.

Documents to get in Australia before you go. The official retirement visa lists don’t ask for a police check, but an agent or office may. The AFP national police check costs A$57, and the AFP says most online checks arrive within a few days, and you can ask for a hard copy as well as the digital one. DFAT legalises Australian public documents, such as a police check or a birth or marriage certificate, with an apostille. It costs A$105 a document from 1 January 2026, at a passport office by appointment or by mail, and DFAT says processing times vary. Indonesia joined the apostille convention on 4 June 2022. A JP can certify copies for use in Australia, but DFAT says copies for use overseas need a notary public.

Ask Indonesia’s embassy or immigration office, or a licensed visa agent in Indonesia, what counts as income, what the guarantor needs and which documents they want certified. Read up on visa agent and property scams before you pay anyone.

Your Age Pension and Medicare in Bali

Your Age Pension keeps paying in Indonesia, though some extras stop over time. Services Australia says after 6 weeks away the Energy Supplement stops and your Pensioner Concession Card is cancelled. After 12 weeks the Pension Supplement stops completely (since 20 September 2026). After 26 weeks your rate can be reduced if you lived in Australia less than 35 years between age 16 and pension age. Our guide to the 6, 12 and 26-week rules explains each step.

Indonesia is not a social security agreement country, so you must claim the pension before you leave, while living in Australia. If you move for good, you get the base rate only from the day you leave: A$29,520.40 a year single, A$44,506.80 for a couple.

Medicare never pays for treatment in Indonesia. If you are an Australian citizen and move overseas, you can still use Medicare for treatment back in Australia for up to 5 years after you leave, and visits home do not restart that clock. After that, you re-enrol when you move back. For permanent residents, Medicare enrolment ends 12 months after leaving. None of Australia’s 11 reciprocal health care agreements is with a country in Asia. More in our guide to Medicare when you live overseas.

Health care and insurance

Hospitals in Indonesia, Bali included, want a guarantee of payment before they treat you. Smartraveller says they expect a family member or friend to guarantee payment in writing, and generally want confirmation of insurance and a deposit as well. Your insurance needs to cover all medical costs overseas, including evacuation, because the Australian Government will not pay, Smartraveller says. Dengue occurs in Bali too.

What’s close by, and when it means a flight. Bali’s main public referral hospital, run by the Ministry of Health, is in central Denpasar. The ministry’s hospital register lists private hospitals in Kuta, Kerobokan, Nusa Dua and Jimbaran, small hospitals in Ubud, and the regency’s public hospital in Singaraja in the north. A large international hospital opened in the Sanur Special Economic Zone in June 2025. Smartraveller says psychiatric care is limited. Needing more care than Bali has can mean a flight to another country or home to Australia, and Smartraveller’s page on retiring overseas says a medical repatriation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rabies is present throughout Indonesia, mostly spread by dogs, cats, monkeys and bats; the vaccine isn’t available everywhere, so a bite can mean travelling for treatment.

Your medicines. Some medicines that are legal in Australia are illegal in Indonesia, including some used for ADHD and every cannabis-based product, even with a prescription. Smartraveller says to check with the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra well before you go. It also says to carry medicines in their original packs with a pharmacy receipt and a doctor’s letter, and to expect a food and drug authority form on arrival. Buying a prescription-only medicine in Indonesia without a prescription from an Indonesian doctor is illegal. Our guide to taking PBS medicines overseas covers the Australian side.

Which cover. A winter away usually means travel insurance, either for one long trip or as annual multi-trip cover. One question is how long a single trip it allows at your age; our guide to travel insurance for long stays covers age limits and trip caps. Living there means international health insurance instead. Insurers set their own age limits for new members, so ask, and ask about evacuation and existing conditions. If you’re not sure which cover fits how you’d go, book a free planning session on Zoom.

Where Australians live

Area	What it’s like	Getting around	Hospital	Airport
Sanur	Calm beach town east of Denpasar	Flat, with a 5 km beachfront path	International hospital in Sanur	About 20 minutes
Ubud	Inland, among rice terraces	Hilly, narrow footpaths	Small hospitals in Ubud	About 1 and a half hours
Canggu	Busy, built-up west coast	Heavy traffic, few footpaths	Private hospitals in Kerobokan	About 1 hour
Seminyak	Upmarket strip north of Kuta	Walkable in parts	Private hospitals in Kuta and Kerobokan	About 30 minutes
Nusa Dua	Resort enclave in the far south	Quiet roads inside the enclave	Private hospitals in Nusa Dua	About 30 minutes
Jimbaran	Bay and fishing village by the airport	Some hills behind the bay	University and private hospitals in Jimbaran	About 15 minutes

Driving times are rough; traffic stretches them. Further away, Lovina and the north is a quiet coast near Singaraja. It has a public hospital, but the private hospitals and the airport are a long drive south.

Sanur is on the south-east coast, with a paved beachfront path about 5 km long and quieter streets than the west coast. Indonesia’s tourism ministry puts it about 20 minutes from the airport by taxi.

Ubud sits inland among rice terraces and galleries. Its own hospitals are small, and Denpasar is about an hour’s drive away.

Canggu and Seminyak are the busier west coast. You can walk much of Seminyak; Canggu, further north, is crowded with scooters.

Nusa Dua and Jimbaran are in the far south. Nusa Dua is a resort enclave reached along the Ngurah Rai bypass; Jimbaran, on its bay, is about 15 minutes’ drive from the airport.

Renting or buying a home

Foreigners can’t own land in Bali. Indonesia’s Basic Agrarian Law keeps freehold (hak milik) for Indonesian citizens, so what an Australian can hold is a lease or a right of use.

Leasing. A lease is a private contract between you and the owner, for the years and the price you agree; we found no official maximum term. A notary (PPAT) can check that the person signing owns the land.

A right of use (hak pakai). With a stay permit, a 2021 government regulation lets you hold a house on hak pakai or a flat on strata title. On state land the right runs for up to 30 years, can be extended by up to 20, then renewed for up to 30. A house must be one plot per person or family, no larger than 2,000 square metres. In Bali it must cost at least 5 billion rupiah (about A$419,000), and a flat at least 2 billion rupiah (about A$168,000). It can pass to an heir who also holds Indonesian immigration documents. If you stop qualifying, for example when your visa ends, you have 1 year to sell or transfer it.

A company. A foreign-owned company (PT PMA) can hold a right to build. For property businesses the minimum investment is over 10 billion rupiah (about A$838,000), land and buildings included. Since May 2026 Bali has also stopped new registrations by foreign investors in 18 business types, owned or leased real estate among them, Antara reported.

Nominee deals are void. Some foreigners have bought land in an Indonesian friend’s or partner’s name. The Basic Agrarian Law says any transfer of freehold to a foreigner, direct or indirect, is void: the land falls to the state, and money already paid can’t be claimed back. In February 2026 Bali also made a bylaw, Regional Regulation 4 of 2026, that bans transferring land ownership through a nominee. Bali’s legal database lists it as in force.

Smartraveller says property disputes happen in Bali, and advises legal advice and checking an agreement can be enforced in Indonesia before you sign. Bali’s government has also been cracking down on unlicensed villa rentals since 2025. The person to ask is a property lawyer or a notary (PPAT) in Bali who acts for you, not the seller. Our guide to keeping, renting or selling the family home covers the Australian side.

Tax: there and at home

Indonesia’s tax office says a foreigner becomes tax resident by living there, by spending more than 183 days there in any 12 months, or by being there in a tax year and intending to stay. Residents pay 5% on the first 60 million rupiah (about A$5,030) of taxable income a year, and the rate rises in steps to 35% above 5 billion rupiah (about A$419,000). A four-year concession that taxes some foreigners only on Indonesian income is limited to certain skilled workers and researchers.

Australia and Indonesia have had a tax treaty since 1992. Its pensions article says a pension paid to a resident of one country is generally taxed there, but the country the pension comes from may also tax it, up to 15% of the gross amount. How that works for the Age Pension, super or rent from a house in Australia depends on the details.

On the Australian side, if the ATO treats you as a foreign resident, you lose the tax-free threshold. Australian income is then taxed at 30% from the first dollar up to A$135,000 (2025-26 rates), with no Medicare levy. Sell your Australian home while you’re a foreign resident and there’s no capital gains tax main residence exemption, apart from narrow life events. Our guides to whether you pay tax in Australia when you retire overseas and foreign resident tax rates go through both. Talk to a registered tax agent in Australia and a tax adviser in Indonesia before you go; the answer turns on your own income and assets.

Money and banking

Services Australia can pay your Age Pension into an Australian bank account, or into an account in Indonesia, in rupiah, once you lodge its international bank account form (AUS178). If you live overseas long term, it pays every 4 weeks.

Each bank sets its own rules for foreigners. Indonesia’s financial regulator said in 2015 that visitors could open a foreign-currency account with a passport alone. The first deposit had to be at least US$2,000 (about A$2,890), and the balance could go up to US$50,000 (about A$72,260). For a rupiah account, ask the bank what it needs from someone on your visa: your passport, stay permit, a local address or a tax number.

To move money there’s your Australian bank, a currency transfer service or a multi-currency card; compare the rate and fees on the amount you’d send, such as a year’s rent. Smartraveller says to change cash only at authorised money changers, use ATMs at banks or shopping centres because of card skimming, and declare more than 100 million rupiah (about A$8,380) when you arrive or leave. Bank Indonesia says licensed changers show its licensed-changer logo.

Your pension is paid in Australian dollars, so it stretches further when the rupiah weakens and buys less when it strengthens. Our costs use the RBA’s 12-month average, which smooths those swings out.

Day to day

Language. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language. Even a little helps with landlords, markets, tradespeople and offices.

Getting around without driving. Smartraveller says traffic can be extremely congested, and suggests licensed metered taxis, reputable ride-share apps or a driver who knows the roads. In its 16 October 2026 update, it said fuel delivery delays were causing long queues at petrol stations in parts of Indonesia, Bali included, which can affect transport and traffic. It also notes daily caps on subsidised fuel purchases.

Driving and scooters. You need an International Driving Permit or an Indonesian licence as well as your Australian licence, and it must cover the type of vehicle, motorbikes included. Smartraveller says your travel insurer will refuse a claim if you’re unlicensed or hold the wrong class of licence. Australians have been seriously hurt and killed on motorbikes and mopeds in Bali, and after an accident a foreigner is often assumed to be at fault and expected to pay everyone involved.

Safety beyond health. Smartraveller’s advice for Indonesia overall is to exercise a high degree of caution (updated 16 October 2026). In Bali it mentions bag and phone snatching by thieves on motorbikes, theft at villas, drink spiking, and deaths from methanol in drinks, local arak and cocktails included.

Drug penalties include death, and cannabis products are illegal even on prescription. Indonesia’s revised criminal code penalises cohabitation and sex outside marriage, acted on only after a complaint from a spouse, parent or child.

Floods and landslides come with the wet season, and volcanic eruptions can close airports at short notice. Drink boiled or bottled water, and if you stay more than 90 days with a phone bought outside Indonesia, register it with Indonesian customs within those 90 days.

The weather, month by month. It’s warm all year at Denpasar’s airport, with the average temperature between 26°C and 28°C every month. Rain is what changes (Japan Meteorological Agency normals, 1991 to 2020):

Month	Rain (mm)	Average temperature
January	351	27.9°C
February	290	28.0°C
March	231	28.0°C
April	107	28.1°C
May	95	27.8°C
June	68	27.2°C
July	28	26.5°C
August	36	26.3°C
September	59	26.8°C
October	64	27.6°C
November	131	28.2°C
December	327	28.0°C

Smartraveller says the wet season usually runs from October to April. Indonesia’s weather agency, BMKG, said in September 2026 that a very strong El Niño would push the start of the 2026 to 2027 wet season back to December in most of Bali.

Nyepi and other holidays. Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence, falls on Monday 8 March 2027 on Indonesia’s official holiday list. For Nyepi 2026, Bali’s government stopped all land, sea and air transport for 24 hours from 6 am and switched off mobile data. Residents and visitors had to stay home without lights or noise; emergency services kept running. Hindu holy days such as Galungan and Kuningan are optional days off for Hindus, and Annette writes that when there’s a holiday, paperwork stops.

Household help. Lyrella’s parents, who moved to north Bali at about 80, have a housekeeper six days a week and say they could afford care at home there if they needed it. Pay is agreed between you and the worker. As a guide to local wages, Bali’s minimum wage for 2026 is 3,207,459 rupiah a month (about A$270); Denpasar’s and Badung’s are a little higher.

Making friends. A language class or a walking group gives you the same faces each week. Smartraveller says volunteering is illegal on a tourist visa, so check yours first. If you’re going alone, see retiring overseas single.

Getting there and coming home

Non-stop flights reach Denpasar from several Australian cities, including Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. Flights take about 3 and a half hours from Perth and about 6 and a half hours from Sydney and Brisbane. Routes change, so check when you book, and don’t plan to fly on Nyepi (8 March 2027), when the airport shuts.

Bali is on the same time as Perth. It is 2 hours behind Brisbane, and 2 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in our winter, 3 in daylight saving.

Your first steps

One order that works, from a first look to living there:

1. Ask for help first. Book a free planning session on Zoom, or contact our team. Once we understand your situation, we can point you in the right direction.
2. Spend a dry season and a wet season in Bali, in a place you could rent long term. Our guide to trying it before you move sets out the options.
3. Put your own numbers against the pension: what you’ll get after 12 weeks away, and a year in Bali with insurance and visa fees. See living overseas on the Age Pension.
4. Talk it through with your family, including who would fly over if you got sick. See talking to family.
5. Work out what happens to the house, and how it counts for the pension while you’re away. See does the house count while you are away.
6. See your GP, check each medicine is legal in Indonesia, and get a doctor’s letter. With an ongoing condition, read retiring overseas with a health condition.
7. Get insurance quotes for the way you’ll live there, evacuation included. Our guide to international health insurance by age lists what to ask.
8. Order your police check, apostilles and certified copies, then apply for the visa. Our visa guides cover the age rules.
9. Tell Services Australia you’re going and check what happens to your payments. See taking your Age Pension overseas.
10. Find a long-term rental and have the lease checked before you sign. Our guide to the long stay covers living somewhere on a lease.
11. Keep a plan for coming home: where you’d live, and how the pension and Medicare restart. See coming home.

Questions people ask

Can I retire in Bali from Australia?

Yes, if you meet a visa’s money tests. Indonesia’s official e-Visa site lists two retirement visas for people 55 and over and a Second Home visa with no age limit, each with an income or bank deposit test. Without one, a visitor stays up to 60 days at a time on a visa on arrival with one extension.

How long can Australians stay in Bali?

30 days on a visa on arrival or e-VOA, extendable once by up to 30 more days. A C1 tourist visa, applied for before you go, gives 60 days and can be extended. A year or more takes a retirement, silver hair or Second Home visa.

Can I live in Bali on the Australian pension?

The pension keeps paying in Indonesia, into an Australian account or a rupiah account there. On our estimate the base rate alone falls short of a month in Bali, single or couple, and the retirement visas ask for income of about A$4,340 a month.

How much do you need to retire in Bali?

Our estimate is about A$3,970 a month for a couple and A$3,060 for one person, rent included, before health insurance. On top of that comes a year’s rent upfront if your lease asks for it, and the yearly visa fee.

Can an Australian buy a house in Bali?

Not freehold. With a stay permit you can hold a house on a right of use (hak pakai) for up to 30 years, extendable. In Bali the house must cost at least 5 billion rupiah (about A$419,000), or a strata flat at least 2 billion rupiah (about A$168,000). Buying through an Indonesian nominee is void under the Basic Agrarian Law.

Do I pay tax in Bali if I live there?

You’re an Indonesian tax resident if you spend more than 183 days there in any 12 months, or live there and intend to stay, and residents pay 5% to 35%. Australia may still tax some Australian income, under rules set by the 1992 tax treaty. A registered tax agent here and a tax adviser there can work out your position.

Can I open a bank account in Bali without a KITAS?

Possibly a foreign-currency one. Indonesia’s financial regulator said in 2015 that visitors could open one with a passport alone, with a first deposit of at least US$2,000 (about A$2,890) and a balance of up to US$50,000 (about A$72,260). Beyond that each bank sets its own rules. Your Age Pension can stay in your Australian account meanwhile.

Is it safe to retire in Bali?

Smartraveller advises a high degree of caution in Indonesia overall. In Bali the risks it names are roads and scooters, theft, drink spiking and methanol, and severe drug laws. For older people the bigger issue is health care, which Smartraveller says is below Australian standards, so insurance that covers evacuation matters.