Living in Ubud: Buying a Villa or Land in Greater Ubud

Living in Ubud or buying there? The villages, rice fields, river valleys and coast, drive times, hospitals and what to check before you buy in 2026.

Living in Ubud means rice fields, river valleys and temples close to home, about 1.5 hours from the airport by our rough estimate. This guide for buyers covers greater Ubud, from Penestanan and Sayan to Tegallalang, Payangan, the Green School area and the Gianyar coast: getting there, hospitals, and what to check before you buy, as of October 2026.

Where is Ubud, and what is living in Ubud like?

Ubud lies in the hills north of Denpasar. Greater Ubud spreads over the Ubud, Tegallalang and Payangan districts of Gianyar regency, plus Abiansemal in Badung and the Gianyar coast.

• Ubud town and Peliatan: the built-up center, with many shops, services and visitors.
• Penestanan, Sayan and Kedewatan: to the west, toward the Ayung river valley.
• Mas: south of the center, on the main road toward Denpasar.
• Tegallalang and Payangan: farther north and higher, more rural, with terraced rice fields.
• Abiansemal: southwest, in Badung, home to Green School.
• The coast: Saba and Keramas in Blahbatuh district, and Lebih farther east, near Gianyar town.

Bali’s provincial plan lists Ubud and its surroundings as a national tourism strategic area, yet much of Ubud district is zoned for farming, so the busy center soon gives way to rice fields.

Rice terraces, rivers and temples

The rice fields are watered through subak, a cooperative system of canals and weirs dating back to the 9th century, run by farmers’ associations around water temples. Since 2012 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Cultural Landscape of Bali Province, which includes the subak landscape of the Pakerisan watershed in Gianyar.

Rivers have cut deep valleys here; the Ayung runs along the west, below Sayan and Kedewatan. Riverbanks and ravine edges are protected strips in Bali’s spatial plans, which matters for any plot with a valley view.

Ceremonies are part of daily life: offerings, temple festivals and processions that can slow the traffic. The provincial plan protects the areas around important temples, such as Pura Pusering Jagat in Gianyar, and treats springs, river confluences and the sea as sacred. Each banjar (neighborhood association) sets its own rules, so ask whether residents contribute.

The Gianyar coast: Saba, Keramas and Lebih

Southeast of Ubud, the coast faces the open sea. Keramas is known for its surf, and Gianyar’s plan treats Lebih as a marine tourism area. Beaches are sacred too: communities hold ceremonies on the shore, such as melasti, the purification procession before Nyepi (the day of silence).

Everyday life and services

Ubud town, Mas and Peliatan have many shops and services; farther out, you drive for errands. Hill roads are often narrow and winding, and the center can be congested. When you view a property, check that a car can reach the gate, test the internet, and ask whether water comes from the mains or a well.

Getting there: drive times from Ubud

Our rough estimate by road outside rush hour; traffic, ceremonies and mountain roads can add a lot.

Healthcare and schools near Ubud

Gianyar’s regency hospitals include RSUD Sanjiwani in Gianyar town and RSU Payangan, which has a 24-hour emergency unit. Ari Canti Hospital is in Mas, the private Kasih Ibu Hospital is in Saba, and BIMC runs a medical center in Kedewatan. For Denpasar’s large hospitals, see our healthcare guide. In an emergency, call 119 or 112.

Green School Bali, at Sibang Kaja in Abiansemal, teaches Pre-K to Grade 12; our international schools guide covers its fees.

Buying property in Ubud: what to check

Hak Milik (freehold) is for Indonesian citizens only. Foreigners can take a long lease, hold Hak Pakai (right of use) for a house of at least IDR 5 billion in Bali, or use a PT PMA (foreign-owned company) holding HGB (right to build) for a real business; see buying property in Bali as a foreigner and buying land in Bali. Here you find village homes and villas, and plots among rice fields, on hillsides and near the coast. Prices vary by plot, so compare villas for sale in Ubud and land for sale in Ubud.

• Zone: Gianyar’s plan (Perda Gianyar 2/2023) and detailed plans (RDTR) for Ubud (Perbup Gianyar 7/2023), Payangan (Perbup 23/2023) and Tegallalang (Perbup 1/2024) set farming, housing, tourism and protection zones; the public works office (Dinas PUPR) publishes them on its KKPR validation site. It listed none for the coast villages in October 2026, so ask how the zone is checked there. Abiansemal falls under Perda Badung 4/2025 and Perbup Badung 6/2023.
• Rice fields: Gianyar’s plan protects food farmland, and Perda Bali 4/2026 (since about late February 2026) strictly controls conversion. Price a rice field as farmland, and if a subak canal borders the plot, ask who controls the water and the path.
• Rivers and ravines: for a river without embankments, the setback (Permen PUPR 28/2015) is 10–30 m in urban areas, by depth, and at least 50 m (small) or 100 m (large) outside them; ravine edges are protected too. Ask the public works office (Dinas PUPR) which applies to your plot, get the line in writing, and ask about erosion: a valley plot can lose much of its building area.
• Temples: the 1994 Bhisama (religious ruling) sets zones of at least 5 km around Sad Kahyangan and 2 km around Dang Kahyangan temples; ask the regency what may be built near a major temple.
• Coast: at least 100 m from the highest tide line (Perpres 51/2016).
• Access and permits: a public road wide enough for building trucks; for an existing villa, the PBG (building approval) and SLF (certificate of fitness for use).

Our office is in Tibubeneng in the southwest, and we sell villas and land across Bali, including greater Ubud.

Renting out a villa in Ubud

A monthly or yearly lease is a contract, and the owner owes a 10% final tax on the rent. Holiday stays are a licensed business: the zone must allow it, the villa needs a PBG and SLF, and the license must be held by an Indonesian person or company or a PT PMA. Since May 2026, Bali has closed OSS, the licensing system, to new foreign-owned applications in 18 business lines, including renting out property; ask a licensed consultant what is open today. Our guide to renting out a villa in Bali explains the rules. Our own long-term rentals are in the southwest; here we sell villas and land.

Who greater Ubud suits