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

Who Ubud suits, and what to weigh up

Ubud suits you if you’d rather have rice fields, art and temple dances than a beach. It sits in the middle of Bali, about 200 metres above the sea, and Wikivoyage says it’s cooler than the coast, sometimes cool enough for a jumper in the evening. There are dance or shadow puppet shows every night, it says, and it lists walks through the rice fields from the middle of town.

The trade-offs are getting around and health care. The town is hilly, footpaths are often blocked or broken, and the centre has a near-permanent traffic jam, Wikivoyage says. Ubud has clinics and small hospitals, but Denpasar’s bigger hospitals are a drive of 45 minutes or more. Smartraveller says medical care in Indonesia, Bali included, is below Australian standards.

What a month costs

A month in Ubud costs about A$3,110 for a couple and A$2,200 for one person, rent included. That’s our estimate. Numbeo’s Ubud page has rents and prices but no monthly total for living costs, so we used Ubud’s own one-bedroom rent with Numbeo’s living costs for Bali, the figure on our Bali page. We added 30% for eating out, local trips and extras, and for a couple 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 Ubud	Couple	One person
Rent, one-bedroom flat in the centre	about A$820	about A$820
Living costs (food, transport, bills)	about A$1,570	about A$870
Eating out, local trips and extras (30%)	about A$720	about A$510
Total	about A$3,110	about A$2,200

How a month in Ubud compares

For a couple

Ubud, our estimate

A$3,110

Comfortable in Australia

A$6,580

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$4,040

About A$3,470 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

For one person

Ubud, our estimate

A$2,200

Comfortable in Australia

A$4,680

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$2,680

About A$2,480 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 Ubud 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 puts a central one-bedroom flat in Ubud at about 9.75 million rupiah a month (about A$820). Its figures for Ubud come from 21 people over 18 months, and it says some are estimated, so treat them as a guide. Short furnished lets usually cost more than long-term rent. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs compares Bali with 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 that leaves about A$600 a month for a couple and about A$260 for one person, before health insurance.

Everyday prices. Numbeo’s prices for Ubud, updated 2 October 2026 (the bills and internet rows match its Bali-wide figures):

Item	Price
Meal at a cheap local restaurant	50,000 rupiah (about A$4)
Three-course meal for two, mid-range	350,000 rupiah (about A$29)
Cappuccino	35,800 rupiah (about A$3)
Bottle of mid-range wine, from a shop	250,000 rupiah (about A$21)
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	7.29 million rupiah (about A$610)
Three-bedroom flat in the centre, a month	34.7 million rupiah (about A$2,900)

What costs more than you’d expect. Health cover is the big one, and our estimate leaves it out. Getting around adds up too: Ubud has no metered taxis, Wikivoyage says, and a taxi from the airport is about 300,000 rupiah (about A$25) plus a 30% surcharge for trips out of town. 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, which on our rent figure is about A$9,800 in one go.

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

Visas for Australians

Ubud 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, 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.

None of these let you work, and Smartraveller says volunteering is illegal on a tourist visa. The Bali page has the 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 case.

Our table of how long Australians can stay as visitors puts Bali’s rules beside 24 other countries.

Your Age Pension and Medicare in Ubud

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. With no social security agreement between the two countries, you claim the pension before you leave, while you still live in Australia.

The pension can go into an Australian account, or into an Indonesian one in rupiah once you lodge Services Australia’s international bank account form (AUS178). Medicare never pays for treatment in Ubud, 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 Ubud? What changes at home

A visa on arrival covers 30 days and one extension takes you to 60. Longer means 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.

An extension means a trip to the immigration office, so ask where the nearest one is before you go. 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

Ubud has clinics and small hospitals. For anything serious, expect the drive to Denpasar, 45 minutes or more. Smartraveller says the standard of medical facilities in Indonesia, including critical care, is lower than in Australia, and that includes Bali.

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) and the Indonesian Ministry of Health’s hospital register:

Type	Where	What the source says
Private clinic	Jalan Suweta, central Ubud	Emergency and general medicine; English spoken (British list)
Small hospitals	In and around Ubud	Listed on the Ministry of Health register
Private hospital	Saba, on the Gianyar coast	All specialties; evacuation and repatriation (British list)
Public hospital	Jalan Diponegoro, central Denpasar	All specialties (British list)
Private hospital	Sanur, about 45 minutes away	Emergency and general medicine (British list)

The tourism ministry puts Sanur about 45 minutes from Ubud by road. Traffic changes every drive time, and Smartraveller says it can be extremely congested.

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

Monkeys and rabies. About 700 long-tailed macaques live in Ubud’s Monkey Forest, the tourism ministry says. Wikivoyage warns they climb on people and grab bags and sunglasses, and says there’s a first aid clinic near the entrance for bites. Rabies is present throughout Indonesia, and Smartraveller says to avoid direct contact with monkeys, dogs, cats and bats. Ask your GP which vaccines you need, rabies included.

Medicines. Some medicines legal in Australia are illegal in Indonesia, including some for ADHD and every cannabis-based product, even with a prescription. Check each one with the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra well before you go, Smartraveller says. 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. Living there means international health insurance, priced on your age and health. Smartraveller’s page on retiring overseas says a medical repatriation can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so ask what a policy pays to move you. If you’d like help working out where to start, book a free planning session on Zoom.

Where Australians live

There are no official figures on where Australians live in Ubud. Ubud is the centre and a ring of villages around it. These are the areas Wikivoyage describes, nearest first.

Area	What it’s like	Getting around	Health care	Airport
Central Ubud	The palace, the market and the main streets: Jalan Raya Ubud, Monkey Forest Road and Jalan Hanoman	Walkable but crowded; footpaths often blocked; heavy traffic	The clinic on Jalan Suweta	An hour or more by road
Campuhan and Kedewatan	West of the centre, with hotels above the Ayung and Wos river valleys and the Campuhan Ridge Walk	Hilly; a car or a hotel shuttle into town	The clinic in town	Similar to the centre
Pengosekan and Nyuh Kuning	Quiet villages about 3 km south of the centre, with cafes and traditional homes	Local drivers or a scooter	The clinic in town	Similar to the centre
Peliatan and Mas	Villages to the east and south; Mas is a craft village	Local drivers; main roads busy	The clinic in town; the hospital at Saba further on	Similar to the centre
Tegallalang	About 9 km north-east, known for its rice terraces and busy with visitors	A car	A longer drive to town	Further than the centre

Central Ubud has the most within walking distance, and the most traffic. Wikivoyage describes a near-permanent jam where Jalan Raya Ubud meets Monkey Forest Road, by the market and the palace, and mentions loud nightclubs in the centre.

Campuhan and Kedewatan are to the west, above the rivers. The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a paved path of about 2 km.

Pengosekan and Nyuh Kuning are quiet villages to the south, Wikivoyage says, about 3 km from the centre.

Out of town, a house among the rice fields is quieter, but it means a driver for most trips. Wikivoyage says many hotels outside the centre run free shuttles into town; for a long stay, ask whether yours does.

Renting or buying a home

Foreigners can rent 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). 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 our guide to overseas property and visa scams lists the warning signs. 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. Numbeo’s central Ubud rent of about 9.75 million rupiah is about A$820 a month at the RBA’s average rate; if the Australian dollar fell 10%, it would cost about A$910. 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 and drivers.

Getting around without driving. Wikivoyage says there are no metered taxis in Ubud. Ride-hailing apps work in central areas, though some local drivers put up signs saying they’re banned, and a short trip with a local driver should cost under 20,000 rupiah (about A$2). Smartraveller suggests licensed taxis, reputable rideshare apps or a driver who knows the roads, and says to check the car and driver match the app. Bicycles are hard work on the hills, Wikivoyage says, and drivers rarely look out for cyclists.

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. Smartraveller says your insurer may refuse a claim if you ride unlicensed.

Things to do. Wikivoyage lists dance and shadow puppet performances every night, from about 75,000 rupiah (about A$6). The tourism ministry names several art museums in and around Ubud.

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 theft from bags. Drug penalties include death.

The weather, month by month. The WMO publishes no figures for Ubud, so these are BMKG’s figures for Denpasar, to the south on the coast. At about 200 metres up, Ubud is cooler than this, Wikivoyage says. Rain falls mostly 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, 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. Smartraveller says the wet season usually runs from October to April, and Wikivoyage says January and February bring the heaviest rain in Ubud.

Nyepi. On Nyepi, the Day of Silence, Bali shuts down for 24 hours, the airport included. In 2027 it falls on Monday 8 March.

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

Getting there and coming home

Fly 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.

From the airport, Ubud is an hour or more by road: Indonesia’s tourism ministry puts Sanur 20 minutes from the airport and Ubud 45 minutes from Sanur. Wikivoyage puts an airport taxi at about 300,000 rupiah (about A$25) plus a 30% out-of-town surcharge, and lists a shuttle bus from Ubud to the airport for about 110,000 rupiah (about A$9). Allow for traffic on the way back to a flight. Ubud is on the same time as Perth, 2 hours behind Brisbane, and 2 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in our winter, 3 in daylight saving.

Ubud for over 50s, 60s and 70s

The visa rules change at 55. After that, what changes with age in Ubud is how the hills and the distance to a big hospital suit you.

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 come into it if you’ve retired; a licensed financial adviser can look at 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. On our estimate the base rate leaves about A$600 a month for a couple in Ubud before health insurance. Both retirement visas ask for income of at least US$3,000 a month (about A$4,340), more than the most a couple gets from the Age Pension.

In your 70s

Ubud asks more of your legs than Sanur does. It’s hilly, footpaths are often blocked or broken, and bicycles are hard work, Wikivoyage says. Denpasar’s bigger hospitals are 45 minutes or more away, so living near the centre and the clinic helps. Of the 34 annual multi-trip policies in CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 31 reach 70; our guide to travel insurance for over 70s covers trip caps by age.

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. A house out among the rice fields means a driver for every trip, which matters more if you stop driving.

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. Stay a month in the dry season, in the area you’d rent in, and walk it daily. See trying before you move.
3. Come back in January or February, the wettest months, and see how the roads and your street cope.
4. Time the drive from your street to Denpasar’s hospitals, at a busy hour.
5. Talk it over with your family early, including who would fly over if you got sick. See talking to your family.
6. 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.
7. Find out what health cover you can get at your age, evacuation included. See international health insurance by age.
8. See your GP about your medicines and a rabies vaccine. See retiring overseas with a health condition.
9. Work out what happens to the house, and whether it counts for the pension while you’re away.
10. Choose a visa from the official e-Visa site, then get your police check and any apostilles in Australia. See our visa guides.
11. Rent short first, have any lease checked by a notary or lawyer in Bali, and register with the neighbourhood office and the police.
12. Tell Services Australia you’re going. 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 Ubud a good place to retire?

It suits you if you want art, rice fields and cooler evenings more than a beach. The hard parts are the hills and traffic, and the drive of 45 minutes or more to Denpasar’s bigger hospitals. Smartraveller says medical care in Bali is below Australian standards.

How much does it cost to live in Ubud?

Our estimate is about A$3,110 a month for a couple and A$2,200 for one person, rent included (October 2026), before health insurance. Numbeo puts a central one-bedroom flat at about A$820 a month.

Is Ubud cheaper than Sanur?

Our estimates can’t settle it. Ubud’s figure, about A$3,110 a month for a couple, uses Numbeo’s Ubud rent. Sanur’s, about A$3,970, uses Numbeo’s rent for Bali as a whole, because Numbeo has no Sanur page, and that may sit high. Compare real listings for the months you want before you decide.

Is there a hospital in Ubud?

Ubud has a private clinic with emergency care and small hospitals on the Ministry of Health register. A private hospital at Saba on the Gianyar coast and Denpasar’s hospitals handle more serious cases.

Is Ubud good for over 70s?

It depends on your walking. Ubud is hilly, with broken and blocked footpaths, and Denpasar’s bigger hospitals are 45 minutes or more away. Living close to the centre and the clinic helps.

Can over 55s retire in Ubud?

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

Can I get travel insurance for Ubud at 75?

Usually, though the choice narrows: in CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 65 of 76 single-trip policies reach 75. Smartraveller says travel insurance must cover all medical costs, evacuation included.

What is the weather like in Ubud?

Warm all year, and cooler than the coast because it sits about 200 metres up, Wikivoyage says. Rain falls mostly from November to March, with the heaviest in January and February.