How Much I Spent in Indonesia

I get a lot of questions about how much it costs to travel in Southeast Asia. I’ve written about how much I spent in two months in Southeast Asia, but because I get so many country-specific searches and questions from people working on a travel budget, I thought it would be helpful to give a breakdown of my expenses by country. My time in Indonesia was by no means extensive, but I spent two weeks between Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands, and Java. Here’s how it all worked out.

how much I spent in Indonesia

Total Indonesia travel expenses

  • $217: Lodging for 14 nights, average $15.50 per night.
  • $113: Ferries, buses, and other transportation. No flights.
  • $169: Activities
  • $25: Visa
  • $450: Food, alcohol and other miscellaneous purchases

The total comes to $974, so $69.57 a day.

Prices are listed in US dollars. I was traveling with a friend at this point, so lodging costs are based on two of us staying in one room.

Activities include snorkeling, a pedicure, visiting rice terraces, Mt. Bromo and Borobudur, a cooking class, and two local dance shows.

The food and miscellaneous amount is extremely high. This includes things like laundry, toothpaste, a sarong, postcards (which never made it to their recipients), expensive but necessary after-sun lotion, bug spray, lots of ice cream, and quite a bit of splurging on nice meals and fancy drinks in Bali. Heavy emphasis on the nice meals and fancy drinks.

You can do this for so much less! We splurged on a nice hotel in Seminyak for a couple nights, we spent more on food by eating out at nice restaurants, and I stocked up on toiletries because I knew I had a long stretch without having to get on a plane. Take out the food and miscellaneous line, and you’re left with just $524, or $37.43 per day plus whatever you spend on food.

Indonesia is a little more expensive than many other countries in Southeast Asia, but it’s still cheap than traveling in places like Europe or Australia. If you’re on a tight travel budget, save money by looking for a room once you’re on the ground, watch what you spend on food and drinking, and always negotiate on things like transportation.

To view all posts about travel spending click here.