Indonesia does not necessarily have the reputation of being one of South East Asia’s cheapest travel destinations. When compared to countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia it can seem like Bali’s beaches are far from affordable for travellers on a budget. But it can be easy to save money in Indonesia, you just need to know how.

The problem is that it’s very easy to spend a lot of money in Indonesia. There is cheap food readily available but there are also expensive options that can be very tempting.

Bargaining and haggling is a must if you want to save money in Indonesia. But many people don’t know what you can and cannot bargain for.

If you’re not careful your budget backpacking trip will suddenly turn into an expensive vacation.

The prices given as examples in this article might seem really low when converted into Euros. It’s hard to think of a €6 meal as expensive when compared to European prices. But if you’re eating out every day they add up and it makes a large difference if you’re spending €6 or €1 on a meal three times per day. Keep that in mind when calculating costs for your Indonesia trip.

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Living on a €25/day budget

€25 per day is not a lot and it won’t get you far in most countries. In Indonesia, however, it is perfectly possible to see tourist attractions, eat out for every meal of the day and even go out for some drinks with friends. All for €25 including a hotel or hostel.

Will it be the most luxurious hotel in the world? Probably not.

But it will still be clean and centrally located and will help you save money on your trip to Indonesia.

How to save money in Indonesia: Before your trip begins

1. Book your accommodation in advance

Backpacking often means you’re being spontaneous and booking hotels as you go. Although this gives you a lot of freedom, it is not always budget-friendly.

In South-East Asian islands, you won’t have a problem finding a hostel or hotel on arrival, without having a reservation. However, you will not have a lot of leverage when negotiating a price for a room. Most of the time it will be take-it-or-leave-it and you will be forced to accept whatever rates you are given.

Especially if you have a time constraint you should always pre-book your accommodation as far in advance as possible. This will get you the best prices and help you save a lot of money in Indonesia.

Your nightly accommodation will be your biggest expense every day. If you can find a hostel for only €5 per night you have a lot more money left for other activities.

Read our best/worst time to go to Bali guide for more information or our guide on how much money you need for a week on the island.

2. Don’t blindly book hostels instead of hotels

Contrary to popular belief: Hostels are not always cheaper than hotels in Asia.

If you are travelling with a partner you will almost always find a double room in a budget hotel at a better price than two dorm beds.

Make sure to compare different accommodation options and do your research. If you book around 6 months in advance you will almost always find a double hotel room below €10 in most Indonesian tourist locations.

3. Wait before you book

Hotel prices in Indonesia rise and fall regularly. It can be advisable to wait for a few days and check back regularly to see if prices stay the same.

Clear your browser history and cookies to make sure websites are not saving your search history and increasing the rates. Sometimes you can get different rates by using a browser in incognito mode.

4. Prioritise hotels with breakfast included

You will be eating out for almost every meal on your trip to Indonesia which can make it hard to save money. It will be a huge advantage if you do not have to worry about finding breakfast every morning.

Traditionally Indonesians have the same food for breakfast that they would have during the day as well. Western breakfast will be far more expensive which can make your daily expenses a lot higher than they have to be.

If you’re someone that is not willing to have fried rice at 8:00 AM every morning you should try to find a cheap hostel or hotel with breakfast included. This will not necessarily make the room more expensive. We have had a complimentary breakfast in hotels for as low as €6 per night.

5. Book your flights and other long-distance transport as soon as possible

Just like hotels, flights tend to only get more expensive as time goes by. Once you’ve decided your travel destinations and dates you should try to book your flights as soon as you can to get the best rates.

Once again, compare different websites and watch the prices for a few days to make sure you’re not overspending.

Other methods of transport such as long–distance trains can usually be booked on arrival, however, I prefer to book them online to have peace of mind as they do sell out sometimes.

Busses or car transfers rarely run out of seats in Indonesia and can be booked a few days before.

6. Do not book ferries or tours in advance

Boats and transport

You do not need to book ferries very far in advance in Indonesia. If you want to visit one of the popular islands you should book your transfer a few days before. Sometimes, you can even find a boat the morning of your departure.

You will have to bargain to get a good price otherwise you will be overpaying by a lot. You can usually get the price down by around 50% if you’re persistent.

Try to cut out as many middlemen as possible. If you’re booking a transfer through your hotel you will be paying a surcharge that goes directly to them. Although it may be convenient it’s not going to help you save money on your trip to Indonesia.

Try to book with a public boat office at the harbour or a travel agent. Research online roughly how much it should cost you and do not pay more.

Tours

The only tours you should ever pre-book are longer boat trips with sleep-aboard accommodation or private tours lasting more than a few days. And even those can be organised spontaneously if you need to.

Every other tour in Indonesia can be organised one or two days before and should not be booked online if you want to save money. You will be overpaying and will not be able to negotiate prices.

Try to find a WhatsApp contact number online if you are interested in a specific tour and message them for details.

It has never happened to me that I was unable to book a tour for the next day even if it was late at night. This applies for anything from snorkelling, a cooking classes, surfing, rafting, trekking and much more.

7. Take expensive items with you from home

Some personal care items can be quite expensive in Indonesia. This can include spray deodorant, female hygienic products, name-brand shampoo and most importantly sunscreen.

Especially on small islands, a small bottle of sunscreen will cost upwards of €10 which can really affect your budget.

Taking an extra bottle of sunscreen from home will help you save money during your time in Indonesia.

Want to save money and benefit the environment? Check out these 15 sustainable travel products available on Amazon.

How to save money in Indonesia: during your trip

8. Use public transport

While this may not be as useful on Indonesian islands, the larger cities tend to have more widespread public transport systems than can really help you keep your budget tight.

Yogyakarta, for example, has a very good bus system that lets you go from the airport to the popular Malioboro Street for just €0.20. Click here to read more on how to navigate the system.

Fast boats and speed boats are widely advertised to tourists but they tend to be expensive. There are almost always public boats which operate on the same routes. They are usually a little slower but far cheaper. It’s worth asking around and going to the harbour to book to get the best price.

9. Bargain, haggle and negotiate

In Indonesia, prices are rarely fixed. Outside of official stores haggling is not only advisable it is a must.

Most importantly you need to negotiate for a better price if you are buying souvenirs, renting a scooter, booking a tour or transport service or renting a surfboard or beach umbrella. Never accept the first price you are offered for services like these even if fixed prices are displayed.

As a rule of thumb, you should only pay between 50% and 60% of the original price. Make sure to research online and ask other travellers to find out what they are paying.

You have the best chances of getting a good deal when you buy multiple items or rent something for a longer time. For example, if you rent a scooter for a week you can get a much better price than if you only take it for one day.

Be careful not to be rude though. It can be easy to get caught up in the fun of negotiating and forget that most of the people you are bargaining with are depending on this income to support whole families.

It is usually not acceptable to haggle for food prices (fresh produce at local markets excluded), in supermarkets and convenience stores, with metred taxis and for any form of public transport.

10. Compare prices

Indonesia can be insanely cheap but you have to know where to go. In popular tourist locations like Kuta in Bali, you will find restaurants charging upwards of IDR 100,000 (~ €6.40) for a dish and IDR 60,000 (~ €3.90) for a large Bintang. However, if you walk around for a while and explore some less crowded side streets you will discover more budget-friendly options for IDR 20,000 (~ €1.30) for a meal and IDR 30,000 (~ €1.90) for a large Bintang.

The point is, never settle for the first thing you see. Prices vary so much that it can take a while to get a feel for what is acceptable and what is overpriced.

Unfortunately, average prices are very dependant on the location. Less touristy areas such as Yogyakarta are cheaper while small islands tend to be more expensive.

Comparing prices is also important for services such as renting a scooter, snorkelling equipment and surfboard rentals as well as private transport.

While one vendor will not be willing to negotiate their prices at all, the next might give you the same surfboard for half the price. The differences are extreme.

For a transfer from Gili Air to Lombok Airport the advertised price is IDR 200,000 (~ €13) per person. After asking at four different “offices” in Gili Air we couldn’t find anyone who offered a better price or was willing to give a discount. For some reason, the fifth one gave us the tickets for only IDR 140,000 (~ €9.15).

Don’t be discouraged just because a place seems expensive. A little digging will uncover cheap prices no matter where you are in Indonesia.

Visiting Indonesia soon? Save this image to have all the important info!

How to save money in Indonesia: Food and drinks

11. Eat at a warung

Warungs are small local restaurants that you’ll be able to find all across Indonesia. These little hole-in-the-wall places will be by far your best bet at finding cheap food.

Depending on where in Indonesia you are you should be able to find a meal from IDR 10,000 and IDR 25,000 (~ €0.65 and 1.60€). While some warungs offer Western options such as burgers and sandwiches most of the time the cheapest food will be local food.

If you’re on a budget while travelling through Indonesia your best friends will always be Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Mie Goreng (fried noodles). They are offered almost everywhere and if you order them as a vegetarian dish they will usually be very cheap.

Another good option is street food if you can find any. This mostly applies to areas with fewer tourists in larger cities. Look out for places where workers eat and don’t be afraid to try something new.

12. Convenience stores aren’t necessarily cheap

Small convenience stores such as Indomaret, FamilyMart and Circle K are everywhere in Indonesia. Unfortunately, they aren’t necessarily cheap. Prices can vary widely and items such as beer, sunscreen and water can actually be more expensive in such stores than local ones especially in tourist locations. 

If you can, try to find local supermarkets even if that means you have to go a little further out of the city centre. In general, it will be rare to find a beer in Indonesia that is significantly cheaper in a convenience store than in a cheap bar. Similarly bottled water can be priced very similarly to restaurants.

Never buy blindly from convenience stores without checking first if the prices are actually justified.

13. Alcohol will kill your budget

Assuming you enjoy drinking beers and cocktails every once in a while, your budget will be significantly affected. Although alcohol is definitely not extraordinarily expensive in Indonesia, it is not as cheap as other South–East Asian countries. 

As it is the case with food, there are either very expensive options or very cheap ones. If you’re not careful you can end up spending all your money on drinks especially if you’re heading to fancier bars.

Just make sure to look out for those smaller bars and restaurants with cheaper prices and make use of any happy hour you can find. Most bars will offer two-for-one drinks or reduced prices which can really make a difference.

It really pays off a lot to compare menus of different places and finding a cheap bar that you like early on in your trip. That way you can have a place to pregame on a budget and then head out to more expensive locations later on.

If you’re looking to get your money’s worth of drinks in Bali check out LXXY and their all-you-can-drink-offer. The price is unbeatable.

14. Watch out for tax and service

Unfortunately, a lot of the time the price you see on a menu is not what you’ll be paying at the end. Many bars and restaurants add an additional “tax and service” surcharge which can be anything from 10% to 21% on top of listed prices.

Not every place will do this but nothing is worse than thinking you’re getting a good deal on food and drinks and then paying more than you expected, especially on a larger bill.

Restaurants are required to state this charge on their menu but they often hide it at the very bottom or end so it can be very easy to overlook.

Usually the nicer the restaurant the higher the surcharge. Warungs will rarely charge tax and service.

15. Split large waters and beers

If you are travelling with a friend or partner the best thing you can do is to buy a large water or beer bottle instead of two small ones.

The price of a 1.5-litre bottle of water in Indonesia is around IDR 10,000 (~ €0.65) in most restaurants in tourist locations. A small one with only 0.5 litres will cost IDR 5,000 (~ €0.32) which makes it a far better deal to get the large.

Similarly, a large Bintang with 620 ml will cost around IDR 35,000 (~ €2.25) while two small ones with 330 ml each will cost upwards of IDR 25,000 (~ €1.60) each. If you’re two people you can buy one large beer at a time and pour it into two glasses which will save you a lot of money and ensure your beer won’t be getting warm while your drink.

16. Refill your water bottles to save money in Indonesia

Ideally, you should not even be buying bottled water regularly. As awareness of plastic pollution increases more and more restaurants and hotels are starting to offer free water refills.

Especially on Indonesian islands refill stations are becoming so frequent it is now possible to rely on them exclusively. Ask around in larger hotels and restaurants or research online to find these.

If you’re not travelling with a refillable water bottle it is possible to simply refill single-use plastic bottles. You should be careful though and replace them after a while to avoid bacteria growth.

By refilling water bottles you are not only saving money on your trip to Indonesia you are also helping reduce waste and benefiting the environment.

How to save money in Indonesia: Other tips and tricks

17. Rent a scooter

It is undeniable; a scooter is the fastest, most convenient and cheapest way to get around Indonesia at least for short distances. In places such as Bali, you can get a scooter for as low as IDR 50,000 (~ €3.30) per day.

Taxis are unreliable and far more expensive. Uber does not exist in Indonesia, and as online ride-hailing apps such as Grab and Gojek are increasingly unable to operate in popular tourist areas it can be difficult to find a ride sometimes.

Double-check no-gojek zones in places like Bali airport, Nusa Penida, Canggu, Padang Bai, Sanur, Nusa Lembongan, Tanah Lot Temple, Labuan Bajo, Seminyak, Nusa Dua, Kintamani, Ubud, Uluwatu, Lovina, Amed and Kuta Lombok.

In addition to that traffic is quite bad in Indonesia across the board which makes a scooter the only vehicle that can escape the congested roads. Keep in mind that you should never ride a scooter if you do not have a valid international drivers license. If you have never ridden one before, Indonesia is not the place to learn how to.

Safety is always more important than saving money and if you are feeling unsafe in any way it is worth investing a bit more to avoid putting yourself and others in danger.

That being said, scooters are ideal for day trips or exploring a place at your own pace. Haggle when you rent one and never accept a scooter that comes without a fully functional helmet. 

18. Avoid expensive tours

If you visit a popular tourist destination in Indonesia you will be flooded with offers of tour packages of all kinds. These can be anything from snorkelling to hiking to a volcano, visiting temples or simply sightseeing. 

In my experience, nine times out of ten these tours do not tend to be worth it. You can do most of the things you want to see by yourself which has a number of benefits.

Not only will it be cheaper if you organise your own transport but you can also explore these places at your own pace and make your own itinerary. Of course, this requires more research but if you’re trying to save money on your trip to Indonesia this will be your best option.

My first choice would always be renting a scooter and making your own route. If you don’t feel comfortable with this or are unable to, the next best option will be to get a driver for one day. While this will be slightly more expensive it can be worth it if you’re travelling in a larger group. Most drivers can even fit up to seven passengers in their cars.

Depending on where in Indonesia you are you should be paying between IDR 300,000 and IDR 600,000 (~ €19.60 and €39.30) for a driver for twelve hours. The islands tend to be more expensive.

When are tours actually worth it?

The only time I think it is useful to book a tour is either for places that you will be unable to see by yourself like a remote snorkelling spot or really anywhere where you might need a guide such as a longer hike or a jungle expedition. 

In some locations such as the Gili Islands, the best snorkelling can be done right from the beach so there is no need to book an expensive tour. I have participated in multiple snorkelling tours here and have never snorkelled at a spot that would not have been reachable from land. Click here to find out where exactly you can snorkel with green sea turtles right from the beach year-round.

19. Don’t fall for scams and tourist traps

You need to be aware of where your money is going and who you are giving it to at all times. Always question why someone random is talking to you and don’t accept free food, drinks or services from people you do not know.

Do not buy souvenirs from walking beach vendors who will overcharge you by a lot. Do not give your baggage to anyone when you enter or exit boats, trains or busses.

Someone lifted one of our bags out of a boat once and then asked for IDR 50,000 (~ 3.30€) for his services. It’s important to remember that it is very hard to refuse payment when the “service” has already taken place. 

Only use metre taxis and never agree to a fixed price. You will not be getting a good deal and risk scams and misunderstandings with the sum you agreed on.

Always check ATMs before you insert your credit card and PIN. ATM skimming usually happens through outside-modifications made to the machine such as a false keypad, a pinhole camera or an attachment over the card reader. If an ATM seems dodgy do not insert your card.

Have you heard about the batik scams in Yogyakarta? Find out how to avoid them here.

20. Don’t buy a sim card at the airport

You will overpay a lot if you buy a sim card at an airport. No matter what a shop attendant might tell you, I can guarantee that you will be paying double or even triple of what you’ll find nearly anywhere else.

Research online of what the average price for data should be. Almost everyone sells sim cards in Indonesia so you will not have trouble finding one.

21. Spend money on the important things

Most importantly don’t forget to enjoy your time in Indonesia and don’t get too caught up in saving money. Sometimes it’s important to go to that expensive rooftop bar or eat a fancy seafood dinner or splurge on those Sunrise Borobudur tickets.

In the end, it’s the memories that count and it’s pretty difficult to make memories when you’re afraid to spend money. You’ll have cheaper days and you’ll have more expensive ones as well and that’s ok. As long as you spend money on what’s important to you you’ll have the trip of a lifetime.

Being on a budget means that you will have to compromise. You won’t always be able to go to the fanciest bars and sometimes you’ll be eating fried rice for a week. These little ways of saving money will, however, make the difference you need to make your trip to paradise affordable.

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If you have any questions or feel like something is missing from this post, please leave a comment below or contact me.