- A two-bedroom villa in Ubud for personal use runs roughly $7,500–13,000 a year. A fully serviced three-bedroom rental villa in Canggu runs about $24,000–26,000 a year (Bali Villa Hub, 2026).
- 2026 minimum wages: Badung Rp3.79M, Denpasar Rp3.50M, Gianyar Rp3.32M, province-wide Rp3.21M (Bali governor's decree of 23.12.2025). Plus THR, the mandatory thirteenth salary.
- Electricity for a two-bedroom villa runs Rp1.5–3M per month at R-1 tariff Rp1,444.70/kWh and R-2 Rp1,699.53/kWh, plus a 3–5% street lighting levy.
- PBB (land and building tax) is Rp500,000–3,000,000 a year: an effective rate around 0.1% of assessed value against a 0.5% ceiling.
- Budget 1–3% of property value per year as a repair reserve — the line owners forget most often.
The purchase price is a one-time conversation. Running costs are a conversation that lasts as long as you own the villa. Staff, electricity, the pool, taxes, insurance and the repair reserve absorb 30–50% of a rental villa's gross revenue — and they are what turns a promised 15% a year into a real 6%. Here is a reference guide to owner expenses with 2026 figures. Conversions use roughly Rp17,800 to the dollar (mid-August 2026).
The cost map: what an owner actually pays
Owner expenses fall into four groups. You pay the first two monthly, the third annually, and the fourth whenever something breaks — and in the tropics, something always breaks.
- People: cleaning, gardener, security, site manager, the thirteenth salary.
- Utilities and servicing: electricity, water, internet, gas, pool, garden, pest control.
- Annual obligations: land and building tax, insurance, rental licences, accounting, village contributions.
- Capital: repair reserve and replacement of furniture, appliances and linens.
Staff: what a villa team costs
The starting point is the regional minimum wage (UMK), signed by the Governor of Bali on 23 December 2025 and effective from 1 January 2026.
| Region | 2026 UMK, per month | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Badung (Canggu, Seminyak, Uluwatu) | Rp3,790,000 | ≈ $213 |
| Denpasar | Rp3,500,000 | ≈ $197 |
| Gianyar (Ubud) | Rp3,320,000 | ≈ $187 |
| Tabanan | Rp3,290,000 | ≈ $185 |
| Bali province (UMP) | Rp3,210,000 | ≈ $180 |
In practice a two-bedroom villa does not need five people. The standard market setup — cleaning three times a week, a weekly gardener and night security — costs $200–400 a month. A dedicated site manager (mandor) who meets contractors and watches the building's condition adds $150–300 a month (Bali Villa Hub, 2026).
THR, the thirteenth salary paid before the religious holiday, is mandatory under Indonesian labour law. Budget one full month of pay per employee per year.
Utilities: electricity, water, internet
Electricity. PLN tariffs for 2026: category R-1 (1,300 and 2,200 VA) at Rp1,444.70 per kWh, R-2 and R-3 (3,500 VA and above) at Rp1,699.53 per kWh. A regional street lighting levy (PPJ) of 3–5% sits on top.
Typical bills: a two-bedroom villa with air conditioning runs Rp1.5–3M a month ($84–169). A four-bedroom rental villa runs Rp5–10M and up. Rental properties on commercial tariffs pay more: $600–1,200 a month for three bedrooms with the AC running constantly.
Water. Three routes: the PDAM municipal network, your own well with a SIPA permit, or tanker delivery at $10–30 per 1,000 litres. In the dry season delivery frequency doubles. Which to choose and how to permit a well: water and utilities at a Bali villa.
Internet and gas. Fibre runs $30–80 a month. Cooking gas costs Rp200,000–300,000 a month.
Pool, garden, equipment
The pool is the most unforgiving line item: one skipped week of servicing in the tropics means green water and a cancelled booking. A service company charges $60–120 per weekly visit. If your own staff run the pool, chemicals and consumables cost Rp100,000–200,000 a month (Bukit Vista, August 2026). Pool economics are covered separately, and garden upkeep in our landscaping article.
Pest control runs $50–100 per visit, usually monthly. Air conditioners need cleaning every 2–3 months — skip it and your electricity bill climbs while the compressor dies early.
Taxes, licences and contributions
| Item | Amount | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| PBB — land and building tax | Rp500,000–3,000,000 (effectively ≈0.1% of assessed value, 0.5% ceiling) | annual |
| Rental tax, Indonesian resident | 10% of gross revenue | monthly |
| Rental tax, non-resident | 20% withholding, often 10% under a double tax treaty | on payment |
| Tourist rental licences | $300–1,000 | annual |
| PT PMA accounting and reporting | $1,500–3,000 | annual |
| Village and banjar contributions | $30–200 | annual |
| Insurance | $150–400 for basic cover | annual |
Rental tax applies to gross rent, not profit — a common modelling error. What legal short-term renting requires is covered in our article on rental permits; purchase and holding taxes are here; what a policy does and does not cover is in our insurance guide.
The repair reserve: the line owners forget
The tropics are an aggressive environment. Humidity, salt, UV and termites age a building faster than a temperate climate does. A working benchmark is 1–3% of property value per year for upkeep and replacement. On a $139,000 villa that is $1,400–4,200 a year.
What it covers: repainting and timber treatment every 2–3 years, linens and mattresses in a rental villa every 2–4 years, air conditioners and water heaters at 5–7 years, a pool pump at 3–5 years. Plus unpredictable reactive repairs — $2,000–5,000 a year based on service company experience (Bali Villa Hub, 2026).
The management company
If the villa is rented out, add the management fee: 15–25% of gross revenue on the Bali market, up to 30% with some full-service operators, plus booking platform and payment fees.
Management is the one large line that scales with revenue rather than with the building, which is why it moves net yield the most: on $30,000 of gross annual revenue, the gap between a 20% and a 5% fee is $4,500 in the owner's pocket. How fees are structured and what a package should include: our article on management companies. DOMA charges 5%.
Two annual budgets: personal use and rental
| Item | 2BR, Ubud, personal use | 3BR, Canggu, rental |
|---|---|---|
| Staff | $2,800–4,400 | $6,000–9,000 |
| Electricity, water, internet, gas | $1,700–3,200 | $8,400–15,000 |
| Pool, garden, pest control | $900–1,800 | $2,000–3,500 |
| Taxes, licences, insurance, contributions | $300–900 | $1,500–3,500 |
| Repair reserve and reactive repairs | $1,400–4,200 | $3,000–7,500 |
| Annual total | $7,500–13,000 | $24,000–26,000 |
The right-hand column matches an independent estimate: a $250,000 rental villa in Canggu runs $2,000–2,200 a month all-in, while a $150,000 Ubud villa for personal use averages about $800 a month over the year (Bali Villa Hub, 2026). Management fees are excluded from the table — they are a percentage of revenue, not a fixed sum.
How costs eat the yield
Gross yields in strong Bali areas run 10–18% a year. Net, after everything above: around 4–6% self-managed and 10–15% professionally managed (Magnum Estate, 03.06.2026). The difference is not the building — it is operations: occupancy, dynamic pricing, distribution and cost control.
The practical rule: when comparing two offers, ignore the promised percentage and check whether the seller shows the cost side line by line. A model with no repair reserve and no THR is not a model, it is a slide. A full worked example sits in the economics of an Airbnb villa, and the components of yield are here.
Bottom line
Bottom line: running a two-bedroom Bali villa costs roughly $7,500–13,000 a year for personal use, and $24,000–26,000 for a three-bedroom rental. The most underestimated lines are the mandatory thirteenth salary, the repair reserve and tax on gross rather than net rent. Work out the costs before you work out the yield — the gap between 15% on a slide and 6% in reality almost always lives here.
Run the numbers with costs included in our calculator — two minutes.
This material is informational and does not constitute a public offer. Tariffs, rates and market ranges come from open sources as of the publication date and change over time.
FAQ
How much does it cost to run a villa in Bali per month?
A two-bedroom villa in Ubud for personal use costs roughly $600–1,100 a month including staff, utilities and servicing. A fully serviced three-bedroom rental villa in Canggu runs $2,000–2,200 a month (Bali Villa Hub, 2026).
What should I pay villa staff?
Start from the 2026 regional minimum wage: Badung Rp3.79M, Denpasar Rp3.50M, Gianyar Rp3.32M per month. A standard villa team (cleaning several times a week, gardener, night security) costs $200–400 a month on the villa services market. Add THR, the mandatory thirteenth salary paid before the religious holiday.
What taxes does an owner pay every year?
PBB, the land and building tax, at Rp500,000–3,000,000 a year for a typical villa. On rental income: 10% of gross rent for Indonesian tax residents and 20% withholding for non-residents, often reduced to 10% under a double tax treaty.
What do pool and garden servicing cost?
A service company charges $60–120 per weekly visit. If your own staff handle the pool and garden, chemicals and consumables run Rp100,000–200,000 a month. Pest control is $50–100 per visit.
What does a management company charge?
The Bali market runs 15–25% of gross rental revenue, reaching 30% with some full-service operators. DOMA charges 5%. That gap converts directly into net yield.