Bali Villa Electricity and Running Costs: What Tenants Pay

Bali villa electricity and running costs explained: PLN tariffs and tokens, water, gas, fiber internet and upkeep, with a worked 2026 bill example.

Bali villa electricity and running costs often come on top of the rent, so it pays to know them before you sign. As of October 2026, PLN, the state electricity company, charges IDR 1,444.70 per kWh at 1,300–2,200 VA and IDR 1,699.53 from 3,500 VA, plus a regional tax; at the higher rate, 800 kWh a month costs about IDR 1.36 million before tax. This guide covers electricity, water, gas, internet, garbage and upkeep, and who pays what.

Who pays for what in a Bali villa rental?

A common split in yearly leases: the tenant pays the utilities and day-to-day upkeep, and the owner keeps the villa habitable and handles major repairs. But advertised rent often leaves out electricity, internet, cleaning or maintenance, while some villas include services. So the lease should say who pays for each utility, pool and garden care, air-conditioner servicing, pest control, garbage, any banjar (village) contribution and PBB, the annual land and building tax. Our villa rental contract checklist shows how to write it down.

Bali villa electricity and running costs: how PLN charges

PLN (Perusahaan Listrik Negara) charges per kWh, at a price set by the size of the connection in VA (volt-amperes), shown on the meter. As of October 2026:

The energy ministry (ESDM) reviews them quarterly; as of early October 2026, no change had been announced for October to December. On top comes a regional electricity tax (PBJT, formerly the street-lighting tax PPJ). Each regency sets the rate, national law caps it at 10%, and PLN collects it: it is added to monthly bills and deducted from token purchases.

Prepaid tokens or a monthly bill?

A PLN meter is either prepaid (prabayar, which PLN calls Listrik Pintar) or postpaid (pascabayar), with a monthly bill for what you used.

• Tokens: buy credit for the villa’s meter in PLN’s official PLN Mobile app, through mobile banking, e-wallets or online marketplaces, or at an ATM. You get a 20-digit code: type it on the meter’s keypad and press enter; “BENAR” (correct) means it worked.
• Balance: the meter shows the kWh left and beeps when credit is almost gone.
• Fees and tax: each purchase carries a small admin fee, and the regional tax is deducted from the token, so an IDR 500,000 token gives fewer than the 294 kWh you get by dividing by IDR 1,699.53.
• Postpaid: bills can be paid in the PLN Mobile app. If the account is in the owner’s name, agree how you see and pay each bill, and settle the last one before you leave.

What size of connection does a villa need?

There is no standard size for a villa. Add up what may run at the same time: air-conditioners, the pool pump, the water pump, an electric water heater, the oven. If the power keeps cutting out when several run together, the connection is probably too small.

To raise it (tambah daya), the account holder applies in the PLN Mobile app or at a PLN office, with an ID card (KTP) and the customer number, after paying any earlier bills. PLN’s standard fees (December 2025) work out at IDR 969 per VA added when the new connection is 3,500 to 5,500 VA: about IDR 1.26 million from 2,200 to 3,500 VA and IDR 1.94 million from 3,500 to 5,500 VA. Above 5,500 VA, ask PLN for the requirements and cost. Going from 2,200 to 3,500 VA also means the higher rate, about 18% more per kWh, so agree in writing who pays for an upgrade.

What makes an electricity bill in a Bali villa high?

Anything that cools, heats or pumps: air-conditioners, the pool pump, an electric water heater, the water pump. You can estimate any appliance from the power on its label: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours = kWh. For air-conditioners and fridges, which cycle on and off, this gives an upper estimate.

A worked example for a villa on a 5,500 VA connection (IDR 1,699.53 per kWh); the power ratings and hours are assumptions, not measurements:

815 kWh × IDR 1,699.53 = IDR 1,385,117, so about IDR 1.39 million a month before the regional tax. Running one air-conditioner for another 10 hours a day adds 300 kWh, about IDR 510,000. At the 2,200 VA rate, 815 kWh would cost about IDR 1.18 million, but the two air-conditioners and the pump together draw 2,750 W, more than a 2,200 VA connection can carry.

To use less, cool only the rooms you use and keep them closed; have the air-conditioners cleaned regularly; ask the pool technician how many hours the pump really needs and set a timer; and switch off an electric water heater when not needed.

Power cuts: what to ask

On 2 May 2025, a blackout hit most of Bali from around 4 p.m., and PLN had restored power by 3:30 the next morning; the likely cause was a fault in the submarine cable link with Java. Ask whether the water depends on an electric pump, whether there is a generator or battery backup, where the fuse box is, and whether the gate opens by hand.

Water: mains, wells and drinking water

A villa gets its water from the mains (PDAM, the regency water company; in Badung, Perumda Air Minum Tirta Mangutama), from a well, or both. Ask which, and whether there is a pump and a tank, since a pump runs on electricity too. Mains water is billed per cubic meter, and the Badung company’s 2022 customer terms set an IDR 25,000 fine for a late bill and IDR 100,000 if the supply is cut off, so agree who pays and when. With a well, ask about the filter and how the water looks and smells.

Tap water in Bali is not safe to drink. Households buy drinking water, typically in 19-liter refill bottles (galon) at about IDR 20,000–35,000 each, depending on the brand and delivery.

Gas

If the stove or the water heater runs on LPG (bottled gas), you buy refills. From 15 August 2026, the state energy company Pertamina set its agent price for Bright Gas in Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara at IDR 218,000 for 12 kg and IDR 102,000 for 5.5 kg. Ask a local shop for its delivered price.

Internet in a Canggu villa: fiber, Starlink and mobile data

Fiber coverage depends on the exact address. Providers selling fiber plans in Indonesia include IndiHome (Telkom group), Biznet and MyRepublic. List prices on the providers’ websites in January 2026 included IndiHome at 75 Mbps for IDR 270,000 a month and MyRepublic at 100 Mbps for IDR 233,100 plus VAT; prices and availability in Bali may differ. Check whether a plan has a fair-usage limit (FUP).

Among our clients, the provider used most is GlobalXtreme, which sells fiber home internet in Bali. Its Lite home plan comes in 300 and 500 Mbps with unlimited data and no fair-usage limit, and the plans our clients use start at 300 Mbps for about IDR 300,000 a month (October 2026). Its website also advertised 300 Mbps for IDR 240,000 a month, so ask what tax and installation add, and check that it covers your street.

Starlink satellite internet is sold in Indonesia: in February 2026, plans started at IDR 479,000 a month (Residential Lite), plus the hardware. Check Starlink’s website for current prices and availability. A local SIM card with a data package is a useful backup.

Before you sign:

• Ask which provider and plan the villa has, whether it is fiber, whose name the account is in, and whether it is in the rent.
• Run a speed test and a video call at the time you work, and check Wi-Fi and mobile signal in every room.
• If you will sign up yourself, have the provider confirm coverage at the address first.

Garbage and village contributions

Ask who collects the garbage (for example the village or a private service), how often, and who pays. Some banjar (neighborhood units of the customary village) also ask residents for a contribution. Bali’s regulation on customary villages sets no amount, leaves the details to each village’s own rules, and asks everyone living in a village to help keep it clean. Write the answers into the lease; the banjar section of our guide to long-term villa rental in Bali explains more.

Villa maintenance in a tropical climate: owner or tenant?

Under the common split, day-to-day upkeep is the tenant’s and major repairs are the owner’s. The Civil Code makes the landlord carry out necessary repairs other than the tenant’s own, and the tenant pay for damage unless he proves it was not his fault. Write down where pumps and air-conditioners fall.

Owners: see our guide to renting out a villa in Bali.

Monthly running costs at a glance

Where no reliable figure exists, ask for recent bills.

For the rest of a monthly budget, see our guide to the cost of living in Bali. And ask us for recent bills of any villa in our rental listings, so you know the running costs before you sign.