Retiring in Sanur from Australia: costs, visas and daily life

Who Sanur suits, and what to weigh up

Sanur suits you if you want a quieter beach town where you can walk most places. A paved path runs about 5 km along the beach, from Mertasari in the south to the main beach at Jalan Hang Tuah, Indonesia’s tourism ministry says. Offshore reefs keep the water inside them shallow and calm.

It’s also close to things. Sanur is part of Denpasar, about 15 minutes from the city centre and 20 minutes by taxi from the airport, the tourism ministry says. An international hospital opened in Sanur in June 2025.

Rent is the big cost. Our estimate for a month is about A$3,970 for a couple, the same as our figure for Bali as a whole, because Numbeo has no separate Sanur page. Smartraveller says medical care in Indonesia, Bali included, is below Australian standards. And the wet season, usually October to April, brings heavy rain.

What a month costs

A month in Sanur costs about A$3,970 for a couple and A$3,060 for one person, rent included. That’s our estimate. Numbeo has no page for Sanur, so we used its figures for Bali, the same base as our Bali page. We took 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.

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

How a month in Sanur compares

For a couple

Sanur, 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

Sanur, 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 Sanur 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.

The rent line may sit high for Sanur. Numbeo’s Bali rent is about 17.6 million rupiah a month (about A$1,480), while its page for Denpasar, the city Sanur belongs to, puts a central one-bedroom flat at about 6.4 million rupiah (about A$530). Short furnished lets usually cost more than long-term rent. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs sets Bali beside nine other places.

Against the Age Pension. After 12 weeks away, the most the Age Pension pays is the base rate. That’s about A$2,460 a month for one person and A$3,710 for a couple, before tax (from 20 September 2026). On our estimate the base rate on its own falls short of a month in Sanur, by about A$260 for a couple and about A$600 for one person, before health insurance.

Everyday prices. These are Numbeo’s Bali averages as updated on 24 October 2026, from 38 contributors over the past year. They’re island-wide figures, so use them as a guide.

Item	Price
Meal at a cheap local restaurant	50,000 rupiah (about A$4)
Three-course meal for two, mid-range	533,000 rupiah (about A$45)
Cappuccino	40,400 rupiah (about A$3)
Bottle of mid-range wine, from a shop	386,500 rupiah (about A$32)
Power, water and rubbish for an 85 square metre flat, a month	1.46 million rupiah (about A$120)
Home internet, a month	333,000 rupiah (about A$28)
One-bedroom flat outside the centre, a month	10.7 million rupiah (about A$900)
Three-bedroom flat in the centre, a month	55.7 million rupiah (about A$4,660)

What costs more than you’d expect. Health cover is the big one, and our estimate leaves it out. Wine is dear, as the table shows. A Bali retirement visa costs 7 million rupiah (about A$590) a year on the official e-Visa site. Leases are often paid a year ahead: on our rent figure that’s about A$17,740 in one go.

Renting long term. Smartraveller says that if you stay in a private rental rather than a hotel, you register when you arrive with the local neighbourhood office (Rukun Tetangga) and the police. The Bali page covers leases and what to check before you sign.

Visas for Australians

Sanur follows Indonesia’s visa rules. Smartraveller says you fill in the arrival card online within 72 hours before you travel, then apply for an e-Visa on Arrival (e-VOA) at least 48 hours ahead, or get a visa on arrival at the airport. Either costs 500,000 rupiah (about A$42) and gives 30 days. You can extend once, by up to 30 days, at the immigration office closest to where you’re staying, and you must do it within the first 30 days. Bali also charges a tourist levy of 150,000 rupiah (about A$13) per person.

A longer season. For 3 to 6 months, Indonesia’s official e-Visa site lists a 60-day tourist visa (C1), applied for before you travel and 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.

Staying a year or more. The official site lists two retirement visas for people 55 and over. The retirement visa (E33F) lasts up to a year, needs a guarantor and income of at least US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340), and costs 7 million rupiah (about A$590). The silver hair visa (E33E) lasts up to 5 years and adds US$50,000 (about A$72,260) in a state-owned Indonesian bank. Under 55, the Second Home visa has no age rule but asks for US$130,000 (about A$188,000) in the bank. That income test is more than the most a couple gets from the Age Pension.

None of these let you work, and Smartraveller says volunteering is illegal on a tourist visa too. The Bali page has the full visa table, the partner visa and the papers to get in Australia. Ask Indonesia’s embassy, the immigration office or a licensed visa agent in Indonesia about your own case.

Bali’s visitor rules sit beside 24 other countries in our table of how long Australians can stay as visitors.

Your Age Pension and Medicare in Sanur

Services Australia says your Age Pension keeps paying while you’re in Indonesia. 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. Indonesia has no social security agreement with Australia, so you claim the pension before you leave, while you still live here.

Services Australia can pay into an Australian account, or into an account in Indonesia in rupiah once you lodge its international bank account form (AUS178). Medicare never pays for treatment in Sanur, and none of Australia’s 11 reciprocal health care agreements is with a country in Asia. An Australian citizen who moves overseas can still use Medicare back in Australia for up to 5 years after leaving. Permanent residents lose their enrolment 12 months after they leave.

How long can you stay in Sanur? What changes at home

A visa on arrival covers 30 days and one extension takes you to 60. Past two months you need a C1 tourist visa from before you fly, or a retirement visa from 55. At home, the Age Pension rules change at 6, 12 and 26 weeks away wherever you are.

Eight weeks fits on a visa on arrival and one trip to the immigration office, and June to August sits in Bali’s drier months. Stay more than 183 days in any 12 months and Indonesia can count you as a tax resident. Our guide to how long pensioners can travel overseas sets out each row.

Health care and insurance

Sanur has its own international hospital, and Denpasar’s hospitals are a short drive away. You pay for all of it, and Smartraveller says the standard of medical facilities, including critical care, is lower than in Australia, Bali included.

What is where. The Australian Consulate-General’s Bali medical page wasn’t loading when we checked on 26 October 2026, so this comes from the British government’s list of medical facilities in Indonesia, updated 9 July 2026. It lists every one of these with English-speaking staff:

Type	Where	What the list says
Private hospital	The Sanur Special Economic Zone, Sanur Kaja	Emergency and general medicine
Private clinic	Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai, Sanur Kauh	Emergency and general medicine
Public hospital	Jalan Diponegoro, central Denpasar	All specialties
Hospital	Renon, Denpasar	All specialties
Private hospital	Denpasar	All specialties; evacuation and repatriation

The hospital in the economic zone opened in June 2025, Indonesia’s Cabinet Secretariat reported. More private hospitals are listed in Kuta and Nusa Dua, further south.

Paying. Smartraveller says hospitals expect a family member or friend to guarantee payment in writing before they treat you, and generally want confirmation of insurance and a deposit too. The Australian Government won’t pay for treatment or evacuation. For an ambulance call 118, or 119 for medical emergencies.

When care means a flight. Smartraveller’s page on retiring overseas says a medical repatriation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ask an insurer whether a policy pays to move you to Singapore or home, and how it pays a hospital in Bali.

Other risks. Rabies is present throughout Indonesia and spread mainly by dogs, cats, monkeys and bats, Smartraveller says. Dengue occurs in Bali. If you dive, Smartraveller suggests checking where the nearest decompression chamber is before you go.

Medicines. Some medicines legal in Australia are illegal in Indonesia, including some 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, and carry each medicine in its original pack with a doctor’s letter. Our guide to taking PBS medicines overseas covers the Australian side.

Which cover. A season away usually means travel insurance; see travel insurance for long stays for age limits and trip caps. Living there means international health insurance, priced on your age and health. If you’re not sure which fits how you’d go, book a free planning session on Zoom.

Where Australians live

There are no official figures on where Australians live in Sanur. The town runs north to south along the beach, with Jalan Danau Tamblingan as its main street and Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai along its western edge, Wikivoyage says. These are the parts it names, with what the tourism ministry and the medical list add.

Area	What it’s like	Getting around	Hospital	Airport
North Sanur (Sanur Kaja)	The main beach at Jalan Hang Tuah, the harbour for boats to the Nusa islands, and the economic zone	The beach path; taxis and ride-hailing	The private hospital in the economic zone	About 20 to 30 minutes by taxi
Central Sanur (Sindhu and Batujimbar)	Shops and restaurants along Jalan Danau Tamblingan, a market and the night market	Walkable; bicycles for hire	A short drive to the hospital in the north	About 20 to 30 minutes
South Sanur (Semawang and Mertasari)	Where the beach path starts, with places to eat on the beach and a temple at Mertasari	The beach path north; taxis	A short drive north	About 20 to 30 minutes
Sanur Kauh, by the bypass	The inland side of the main road	Busy road; taxis and ride-hailing	The private clinic on the bypass	About 20 to 30 minutes

North Sanur has the harbour at the end of Jalan Matahari Terbit, where boats leave for Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and the Gili Islands, Wikivoyage says. It also has the main beach at Jalan Hang Tuah, where the beach path ends, and the hospital.

Central Sanur is the stretch along Jalan Danau Tamblingan. The tourism ministry puts the night market at its northern end, where it meets Jalan Pungutan. Wikivoyage finds walking in Sanur pleasant and lists bicycles for hire from about 30,000 rupiah a day (about A$3).

South Sanur is where the 5 km path begins, at Jalan Mertasari. Wikivoyage mentions the beachfront places to eat at Semawang and the temple at Mertasari.

Sanur Kauh sits on the inland side of Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai, the main road to the airport and the south. The private clinic on the medical list is here. Visit a street at night and in the wet season before you sign a lease.

Renting or buying a home

Foreigners can rent in Sanur but can’t own land anywhere in Indonesia. Under the Basic Agrarian Law, freehold is for Indonesian citizens, so an Australian can hold a lease, or with a stay permit a house on a right of use (hak pakai) under a 2021 regulation. In Bali that house must cost at least 5 billion rupiah (about A$419,000). Buying through an Indonesian nominee is void. The Bali page sets out the leases, the right of use and the risks, and the person to ask is a property lawyer or notary (PPAT) in Bali who acts for you.

Tax: there and at home

Indonesia’s tax office says a foreigner becomes tax resident by spending more than 183 days there in any 12 months, or by living there and intending to stay. Australia and Indonesia have had a tax treaty since 1992. At home, a foreign resident for Australian tax loses the tax-free threshold, and Australian income such as rent is taxed at 30% from the first dollar (2025-26). The Bali page explains the rates and the treaty. Talk to a registered tax agent in Australia and a tax adviser in Indonesia before you go.

Money and banking

Your pension is paid in Australian dollars and your rent is in rupiah. At the RBA’s 12-month average rate, Numbeo’s Bali rent of about 17.6 million rupiah is about A$1,480 a month; if the Australian dollar fell 10%, the same rent would cost about A$1,640. Smartraveller says to change cash only at authorised money changers, use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres, and declare more than 100 million rupiah (about A$8,380) when you arrive or leave. The Bali page covers bank accounts for foreigners.

Day to day

Language. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language. A little goes a long way with landlords, markets and offices.

Getting around without driving. The beach path and the main street cover a lot on foot. For longer trips Smartraveller suggests licensed metered taxis, reputable rideshare apps or a driver who knows the roads, and says traffic can be extremely congested. Check that the car and driver match what the app shows. From Sanur, the tourism ministry puts Kuta at about 30 minutes and Ubud at about 45.

Driving and scooters. You need an International Driving Permit or an Indonesian licence as well as your Australian licence, for the right class of vehicle, motorbikes included. Smartraveller says your insurer may refuse a claim if you ride unlicensed.

Boats to the islands. Fast boats leave Sanur for Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. Smartraveller says boat travel in Indonesia can be dangerous and operators may not meet international safety standards. In August 2025 a fast boat bound for Nusa Penida capsized in Sanur Harbour, and two passengers and a crew member died. It suggests checking the boat’s safety equipment and the weather before you board.

Safety. Smartraveller advises a high degree of caution for Indonesia overall (updated 21 October 2026). It warns of drink spiking and methanol in drinks, including in Bali, and of rough seas and strong rips at Bali’s beaches. Drug penalties include death.

The weather, month by month. Sanur is hot all year. Rain is what changes, with most of it falling from November to March:

Month in Denpasar	Average high	Average low	Rain	Rain days
January	33.0°C	24.1°C	345 mm	27
February	33.4°C	24.2°C	274 mm	22
March	33.6°C	24.0°C	234 mm	20
April	34.4°C	24.8°C	88 mm	9
May	33.1°C	24.1°C	93 mm	8
June	31.4°C	23.5°C	53 mm	6
July	30.4°C	23.0°C	55 mm	4
August	29.6°C	22.5°C	25 mm	4
September	31.4°C	22.9°C	47 mm	8
October	33.6°C	23.7°C	63 mm	12
November	32.7°C	23.5°C	179 mm	16
December	33.0°C	23.5°C	276 mm	22

Figures: BMKG, Indonesia’s weather agency, for Denpasar, published by the World Meteorological Organization. Our Bali page uses the airport’s figures from Japan’s weather agency, so a few months differ a little. Sanur is part of Denpasar. Smartraveller says the wet season usually runs from October to April, and BMKG said in September 2026 that a strong El Niño would push the start of the 2026 to 2027 wet season back to December in most of Bali.

Nyepi. On Nyepi, the Day of Silence, Bali shuts down for 24 hours, the airport included, and you stay home without lights or noise. In 2027 it falls on Monday 8 March.

Making friends. Something weekly, such as a language class or an early walk on the beach path, means the same faces each time. If you’re going alone, see retiring overseas single.

Getting there and coming home

Fly straight to Denpasar. BITRE’s June 2026 figures show scheduled non-stop flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Cairns, Canberra, the Gold Coast, Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast. Flights take about 3 and a half hours from Perth and about 6 and a half from Sydney, on Flightmapper’s schedules. Sanur is then about 20 to 30 minutes by taxi, and Wikivoyage puts a prepaid taxi at around 250,000 rupiah (about A$21).

Sanur is on the same time as Perth. It’s 2 hours behind Brisbane, and 2 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in our winter, 3 in daylight saving. Routes change, so check from your city when you book, and don’t plan to fly on Nyepi.

Sanur for over 50s, 60s and 70s

What changes with age in Sanur is mostly the visa at 55 and how health care and insurance suit you later on. The beach path is flat at any age.

In your 50s

Bali’s two retirement visas, the E33F and the silver hair E33E, start at 55. Before then, a long stay means the C1 tourist visa or the Second Home visa, which has no age rule but asks for US$130,000 (about A$188,000) in an Indonesian state bank. The ATO says super generally opens at 60 once you retire, or at 65 if you’re still working, so in your 50s the money comes from savings or income.

In your 60s

From 60, super can be part of the picture if you’ve retired; a licensed financial adviser can talk about your own. Age Pension age is 67, and with no social security agreement you claim while you still live in Australia, up to 13 weeks before you turn 67. Both retirement visas ask for income of at least US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340), which is more than the most a couple gets from the Age Pension in Australia.

In your 70s

Sanur is flat, with a 5 km beach path and a hospital in town, which helps as walking gets harder. Of the 34 annual multi-trip policies in CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 31 reach 70, so ask how long a single trip each allows at your age. Our guide to travel insurance for over 70s has the details. Perth is about 3 and a half hours away.

75 and over

Insurance is the hard part now. In CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 65 of 76 single-trip policies reach 75 and 58 reach 80, and international health insurers set their own age limits for new members. Cover that includes evacuation matters, because Smartraveller says a medical repatriation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Your first steps

One order that works, from a first visit to living there. A month or a winter away needs only some of these steps. The right order for you depends on your health, your home and your money.

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 part of an Australian winter in Sanur, in an area you could rent long term. See trying before you move.
3. Come back in the wet season, around January, and see how your street copes with the rain.
4. Talk it over with your family early, including who would fly over if you got sick. See talking to your family.
5. Put your own numbers against the pension after 12 weeks away, with health cover, visa fees and a year’s rent up front. See living overseas on the Age Pension.
6. Find out what health cover you can get at your age, evacuation included. See international health insurance by age.
7. See your GP, and check each medicine with the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra. See retiring overseas with a health condition.
8. Work out what happens to the house, and whether it counts for the pension while you’re away.
9. Choose a visa from the official e-Visa site, then get your police check and any apostilles in Australia. See our visa guides.
10. Rent short first, and sign a lease once you know the street. Have the lease checked by a notary or lawyer in Bali.
11. Register with the neighbourhood office and the police when you move into a private rental.
12. Tell Services Australia you’re going, and set up how your pension will be paid. See taking your Age Pension overseas.
13. Keep a plan for coming home: where you’d live, and how the pension and Medicare restart.

Questions people ask

Is Sanur a good place to retire?

It suits a slower pace. Sanur is flat, with a 5 km beach path, calm water inside the reef and a hospital in town, and Perth is about 3 and a half hours away. Rent is the big cost, and Smartraveller says medical care in Bali is below Australian standards.

How much does it cost to live in Sanur?

Our estimate is about A$3,970 a month for a couple and A$3,060 for one person, rent included (October 2026), before health insurance. Numbeo has no Sanur page, so this uses its Bali figures, and its rent for Denpasar is far lower.

Sanur or Ubud: which is easier for retirees?

Sanur is flat and by the sea, with a hospital in town and the airport about 20 to 30 minutes away. Ubud is inland and hilly, with small hospitals, and Sanur is about 45 minutes away, Indonesia’s tourism ministry says. Our Ubud page has its costs and areas.

Is there a hospital in Sanur?

Yes. A private international hospital opened in the Sanur Special Economic Zone in June 2025, and a private clinic is on the bypass. Denpasar’s public hospital and other hospitals are a short drive away.

Is Sanur good for over 70s?

It can be. It’s flat, the beach path runs about 5 km, and there’s a hospital in town. Insurance gets harder with age, so check what cover you can get, evacuation included, before you book.

Can over 55s retire in Sanur?

Yes, on one of Bali’s retirement visas, which start at 55. The retirement visa (E33F) and the silver hair visa (E33E) both ask for income of at least US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340). Neither lets you work.

Can I get travel insurance for Sanur at 80?

Yes, though the choice is smaller. In CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 58 of 76 single-trip policies reach 80. Smartraveller says travel insurance must cover all medical costs, evacuation included, so declare every condition.

What is the weather in Sanur by month?

Hot all year, with average highs from 29.6°C in August to 34.4°C in April in Denpasar, on BMKG figures. August is the driest month, and January the wettest, with about 345 mm of rain.