- Sanur is the only Bali zone with a positive absorption balance for new room supply (+2.7 pp) and an 84.6% occupancy forecast for 2027 per the PT Hotel Investment Advisory report of 1 September 2026. Ubud sits at −8.1 pp with a 61.7% forecast. This is hotel data and a model forecast, not villa occupancy.
- Land in Ubud costs $250–750/m² (ADR, RevPAR, occupancy, net yield and supply, with an">DUVI, Q3 2026), in Sanur about $474/m² on average (LandLoom) and IDR 7.77M/m² by listings. The median finished 2BR villa in Ubud is $220,000, in Sanur a 2BR on a 27–29-year lease sells for IDR 3.4–5.7B, roughly $210,000–350,000.
- Rates and occupancy differ. Ubud gives a 2BR ADR of $165 at 60–65% occupancy for active villas and 87% for villas managed by DOMA partners. For Sanur the public nightly-rental sample is thin, 27 listings at a $139 ADR and 37% occupancy, and the district's model rests on long stays.
- The guest differs. People come to Ubud for yoga, retreats and nature year-round, to Sanur come families, older couples and medical travellers of the KEK cluster staying for weeks.
- Ubud is a buyer's market with wide choice and off-plan entry from $139,000. Sanur is a scarce secondary market with short remaining leases and almost no new projects. Both locations work, but for different scenarios.
In short, Sanur wins on the balance of supply and demand, Ubud wins on entry price, nightly rate and choice of properties. Sanur is the only zone in Bali where new room supply is absorbed faster than it is built, with a +2.7 pp balance and an 84.6% occupancy forecast for 2027. But that is hotel statistics, and Sanur's villa market is thin, secondary and short on lease terms. Ubud, by contrast, is under new-supply pressure at −8.1 pp, yet here the median 2BR villa is $220,000, off-plan entry starts at $139,000, the ADR is $165 and managed villas run at 87% occupancy. Below we compare both districts along six axes, run the numbers and say who each suits.
Two districts, two different economies
Ubud is the island's second-largest market after Canggu. Around 2,800 short-term rental listings, year-round demand for yoga, retreats and nature, land 2.5 times cheaper than Canggu, and a wide choice of new projects. All five DOMA projects are here, which is why for Ubud we know the numbers from our own reports rather than from listings.
Sanur is the most grown-up district in the south. A five-kilometre promenade, calm sea behind the reef, the fast-boat harbour for Nusa Penida, and since 2025 the KEK health special economic zone with the 255-bed Bali International Hospital. The market here is secondary, almost entirely leasehold, with isolated new projects. We covered the district in detail in Sanur in Bali, the only district where demand outpaces supply.
A comparison along six axes
| Axis | Ubud | Sanur |
|---|---|---|
| Absorption balance, 2027 occupancy forecast | −8.1 pp, 61.7%, 361 rooms under construction | +2.7 pp, 84.6%, 0 rooms under construction |
| Land | $250–750/m², $316/m² on average | about $474/m² on average, IDR 7.77M/m² by listings |
| 2BR villa | median finished $220,000, off-plan from $139,000 | IDR 3.4–5.7B (≈$210,000–350,000), 27–29-year lease |
| ADR and occupancy | $165, 60–65% for active villas, 87% for DOMA-managed | $139, 37% on a narrow 27-listing sample |
| Guest | yoga, retreats, month-long remote workers, year-round | families, couples 45+, KEK medical travel, long stays |
| Supply | wide, 55% of listings appeared since March 2026 | scarce, secondary, almost no off-plan |
Demand and supply, what the report shows
On 1 September 2026 PT Hotel Investment Advisory published its risk and absorption report by Bali district. The absorption balance shows whether demand keeps pace with new rooms. Sanur was the only zone in the black, +2.7 pp with zero new construction and an 84.6% occupancy forecast for 2027. Ubud scored −8.1 pp, 361 rooms under construction and a 61.7% base-case forecast, 47.7% in the downside case.
A caveat is mandatory here. This is hotel room stock and a model forecast, not villa occupancy. A pool villa and a hotel room compete for different guests. But as an indicator of supply pressure the data is useful. In Ubud rental supply grew 43% in a year on the AirROI polygon, and 55% of villas for sale were listed since March 2026, as we wrote in the article on villa supply in Ubud. It is a buyer's market where managed properties with a view win. In Sanur supply physically cannot grow, the district is built out and the 15-metre height cap prevents building upwards.
Sanur wins on the balance of supply and demand. Ubud wins on entry price, nightly rate and choice. This is not a district ranking but two different scenarios.
Land and villa prices
Land in Ubud costs $250–750 per m² per the DUVI index (Q3 2026), $316/m² on average per LandLoom. In Sanur the average is about $474/m² by the same source, and listings show IDR 7.77M/m². So an are in Sanur costs roughly one and a half times Ubud, but half of Canggu.
For finished villas the picture is this. The median 2BR leasehold in Ubud is $220,000 across 20 platforms (DUVI). Newer listings are cheaper, with a $267,000 median for properties listed since March 2026 against $354,000 for older listings, and entry into a project under construction, such as Mirador in Lodtunduh, starts at $139,000 for a 72 m² 2BR with a 29+10+30 lease. In Sanur a two-bedroom villa on Kibarer listings costs IDR 3.4–5.7B, which at roughly 16,300 rupiah to the dollar is about $210,000–350,000, and that is a leasehold with 27–29 years left and no fixed extension. A three-bedroom is IDR 3.8–9.5B. Off-plan in Sanur is isolated, and there is almost no free land for new projects.
Hence the first fork. For the same $220,000–250,000 in Ubud you buy a new villa with a long lease and an extension formula, in Sanur a secondary villa with under 30 years left. How to calculate cost per year of use and why it matters more than the sticker is covered in the article on villa lease terms.
Rate, occupancy and guest
Ubud gives a 2BR villa ADR of $165 a night per DUVI and a market RevPAR of $104 at 63% occupancy. Villas managed by DOMA partners hold 87% occupancy and a $144 RevPAR. The average rate across all Ubud listings is lower, around $113, because it includes rooms and guesthouses, which make up 41% of the district. Guests come year-round, seasonality is smoothed and there are no sharp troughs.
For Sanur the public nightly-rental data is thin. AirROI shows a $139 ADR and 37.1% occupancy on a narrow polygon of 27 listings, and those figures should not be over-read. The district's economics work differently. The guest is a family, an older couple or a patient with companions who live near the hospital for two or three weeks in any month. Long stays, mild seasonality, but a lower nightly rate. The model here is closer to long-stay or a hybrid than to a peak nightly ADR. For comparison, island-wide averages per AirDNA as of September 2026 are $132 a night and 57% occupancy.
Running the numbers
Take a 2BR villa in each district and calculate gross revenue from open data. We do not promise net yield, we only show the mechanics.
Ubud, a finished villa at $220,000. ADR $165 × 365 × 63% ≈ $38,000 gross revenue a year at market. At the 87% occupancy of managed villas revenue is ≈ $52,500. From the gross figure come platform fees of 12–17%, a management fee of 20–30%, PBB and lease taxes,">running costs of $7,500–13,000 and 10% tax, which leaves the market at 6–13% net per DUVI and villas handed over to DOMA partners at 12.8% in fact. Off-plan entry from $139,000 at the same rate improves the ratio but adds 12–18 months of construction without income.
Sanur, a secondary 2BR villa at ≈$276,000 (the middle of the IDR 3.4–5.7B range). On the narrow AirROI sample $139 × 365 × 37% ≈ $18,800 gross revenue a year, half of Ubud and clearly an underestimate, because the sample has few whole pool villas. Modelled as a hybrid with monthly stays at $2,500–3,500 a month and 80% occupancy, gross revenue comes to $24,000–34,000. This is an estimate from open platform data, not a fact. On top, account for the 27–29 years left on the lease with no extension, which on exit in 10 years becomes under 20 and carries a discount.
The conclusion from the numbers is simple. On open data Ubud gives higher revenue per invested dollar over a longer holding horizon. Sanur gives steadier occupancy and protection from new supply, but at a higher land price and a shorter lease. If your Sanur property has a year of statements, model on those rather than on this estimate.
Sources: PT Hotel Investment Advisory, "Bali Hotel Market Risk & Absorption Monitor 2026" (Bali Discovery, 01.09.2026), the DUVI index (issue 1, Q3 2026), LandLoom via Own Property Abroad (09.05.2026), Kibarer listings (06.2026), AirROI district reports (08.2025–07.2026), AirDNA island overview (16.09.2026), reports on villas handed over to DOMA partners.
Risks in each district
Ubud. Supply growth of 43% in a year presses on rates for properties without management and without a view. Zoning checks are mandatory, green plots are many, and Perda 4/2026 tightened rice-field protection. Water from boreholes and PDAM with interruptions in May and October. The beach is 40 minutes away.
Sanur. Short remaining leases in the secondary stock, often 25–30 years with no extension formula. Almost no freehold or new plots, so choice is narrow and bargaining weak. The coastal strip is under Perda 3/2026 setback rules. The differential-height proposal of up to 45 metres that Bali's DPRD has been discussing since May 2026 includes Sanur among its zones, and if adopted the empty pipeline will not stay empty. Nightly-rental data is thin, so do not over-read the ADR.
Who each suits
- Ubud suits an investor in managed short-term rental who wants entry from $139,000, a long 29+10+30 lease and a wide choice of new properties. Someone betting on year-round wellness demand and ready to compete on product quality in a growing market.
- Sanur suits someone buying for long-term rental or for themselves, who values steady occupancy and protection from new supply and is ready to pay for scarcity. A family that needs calm sea, schools and clinics, and an investor targeting the medical and retiree demand of the KEK cluster.
- Neither suits someone chasing a peak $200+ ADR and a location brand. That is Canggu, Seminyak and Uluwatu with their seasonality and 558 rooms under construction, compared in Ubud or Canggu.
Bottom line. Ubud and Sanur are two working but different scenarios. Sanur is the only district in Bali where demand outruns supply, with a medical cluster and zero hotel construction, which gives steady occupancy and protects the rate. But its villa market is thin, secondary, short on lease terms and one and a half times Ubud on land price. Ubud is under new-supply pressure, yet it gives entry from $139,000, a $165 ADR, 87% occupancy for managed villas and a long holding horizon. DOMA's projects are in Ubud, and that is a deliberate choice for a year-round demand scenario. If your inputs point to Sanur, we will say so and help you work through specific secondary-market properties. Write to us and we will model both options on your numbers.
This material is for information only and is not individual investment advice. Third-party forecasts are labelled as forecasts, yields are given as ranges from open data and are not a guarantee.
FAQ
Where is the yield higher, Ubud or Sanur?
Public yield data for Sanur villas is thin. For Ubud the market gives a 6–13 percent net yield per the DUVI index, and villas handed over to DOMA partners show 12.8 percent in fact. Sanur has a higher hotel occupancy forecast but a lower nightly rate and shorter leases in the secondary stock. Model the specific property, not the district.
Why is Sanur the only district with growing demand?
Two reasons. Not a single new hotel room is being built in Sanur, the area is built out and capped at 15 metres. Since 2025 the 41.26-hectare KEK health zone with a 255-bed hospital has been operating next door, generating demand outside the tourist season.
How much does a villa in Sanur cost compared with Ubud?
A two-bedroom villa on a 27–29-year lease in Sanur lists at IDR 3.4–5.7B, roughly $210,000–350,000. The median finished 2BR in Ubud is $220,000, with new-project entry from $139,000. For comparable money in Ubud you get a longer lease and a new house.
Can I buy a villa in Sanur off-plan?
Almost never. Sanur listings in 2026 show only isolated off-plan properties, there is little free land for new projects, and the market is almost entirely secondary with 25–32-year leases. In Ubud off-plan is a noticeable share of supply.