By Kim, FX Consultant

I'm so used to helping customers sort their money before a Bali holiday, so when I finally took my own trip to Bali recently, I couldn't help but notice all the money moments up close: the exact situations customers ask me about every day, now happening to me instead!

Here's what I actually spent, what caught me off guard, and what I'd tell anyone travelling to Bali about building a realistic Bali travel budget.

Staying safe with your money in Bali

POV: You're in Bali and the store needs all your card details...

First surprise: at a lot of mini marts, your card is accepted but tap and go isn't. Instead, you hand your card over the counter so someone can key in the details manually. The first time it happened, I froze for a second…handing over your card to a stranger, even briefly, feels like a scam waiting to happen.

It's usually completely fine. But it's the kind of moment where you want to know your card has proper safety nets behind it, rather than hoping for the best. Having a dedicated travel card (I used a Travel Money Oz Currency Pass, ofc) took a lot of that anxiety away, since it's not linked straight to my everyday bank account.

The one thing I was very paranoid about: ATM skimmers

I'd heard enough stories about ATM skimmers in Bali that I became that person. Checking every machine for loose panels or anything that looked tampered with before inserting my card. Slightly excessive? Maybe. But it became a habit that cost nothing and gave a lot of peace of mind.

The bigger reassurance was using a card that isn't tied directly to my main bank account. If something ever did go wrong at an ATM, the damage is contained to the funds loaded on that card – not my entire savings.

As a Type B person who loses everything, this feature saved me

I am, by nature, extremely disorganised. I misplaced my card more times in two weeks than I have in the past two years at home. Every single time, my first instinct was that it’s been stolen, followed thirty minutes later by finding it at the bottom of my bag.

The lock/unlock feature on my Currency Pass genuinely saved me. The second I couldn't find it, I locked it from the app on my phone, kept looking, and unlocked it again once it turned up. No panic, no cancelling cards, no ruined afternoon.

Cash vs card in Bali: What actually worked for me

Girl math says cash is free, right?

Cash is still king in a lot of Bali – especially at warungs, markets, and smaller transport operators. I withdrew Indonesian Rupiah in Australia before leaving, which made the first few days so much easier, since currency exchange stores are everywhere in Bali and it's really hard to tell which ones are legit and which ones aren't worth the risk.

And yes, by ‘girl math’ logic, anything I paid for in that pre-withdrawn cash felt basically free. I stand by this logic and will not be taking questions!!

I thought reloading my card before Bali was going to be a whole thing...

My friends were using a well-known international card the whole trip, and every time they topped it up, they were charged a fee. Every time. When I loaded mine (as long as I did it a couple of days ahead) there was NO FEE at all. I also had a physical card, which meant less relying on my phone battery in the middle of Ubud.

How much cash do you really need in Bali?

This was the hardest question to answer before leaving, and the one I got asked the most once I got back. Rough online cost guides help, but what actually made a difference was the Holiday Budget Calculator on the Travel Money Oz website, plus their brochure, which gave a much clearer picture of real prices on the ground. It’s a good starting point if you're still building out your own Bali trip budget.

Here's what I spent, day to day:

Getting around

• Gojek/Grab bike: Rp 7,000 – Rp 25,000 (depending on area and time of day)
• Gojek/Grab car: Rp 40,000 – Rp 150,000

Food and drink

• Nasi goreng at a local warung: around Rp 20,000
• Mid-range restaurant meal (entrée, drink, main): Rp 300,000 – Rp 400,000
• Bintang: Rp 40,000 – Rp 75,000
• A standard glass of wine: Rp 165,000 – Rp 225,000
• Bottled water: around Rp 10,000
• Pocari Sweat (600mL): around Rp 16,500

Markets 

Prices vary wildly depending on where you are. Canggu and Seminyak are busy and priced accordingly, while Denpasar and Sanur have much lower prices for near-identical items – if you know where to look. Case in point: I was quoted Rp 2,600,000 for a small bag in one spot, then found the same bag the next day, one street over, for Rp 400,000. So, it pays to shop around! 

Accommodation

• A 3-bedroom villa in Seminyak/Canggu, split four ways: roughly AUD $120 per person for 3 nights/4 days
• Hostels: anywhere from AUD $2–3 a night to around AUD $20 a night for something fancier, depending on location