First of all, this post inspired by Sharon, feel free to check her post about How I Lived and Worked in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a Month. So Sharon, excuse me for ‘copying’ your outline. 🙂
Let’s start shall we?
Living in Bali (and also working from Bali) never really crossed my mind. A friend of mine once said that working in Bali wasn’t very fun because you always have the holiday mood when living on the island. So when you are working everything seems running slowly.
So yes, if you have been following my updates, since December 2015 I officially left Yogyakarta (for good? I don’t know… I might come back to Yogyakarta again one day), and moved to Bali. I stayed in Ubud for my first month in Bali. I am now staying in Canggu (maybe there will be a How I Lived and Worked in Canggu, Bali for a Month article in the future).
Ubud is definitely one of my favorite areas in Bali. The climate is cooler than the South of Bali and you get the village kind of feeling. Though in Ubud you also find traffic around the city center and a lot of cute cafes around.
WORK
I am a full-time blogger and I am earning money doing freelance writing (mostly about travel), travel consultancy and travel arrangements. All of the work that I do now is basically sourced from my almost-3-years-old blog. I’ve been trying to be able to earn money online so I can be based anywhere I want. It has not been easy and it is still a learning process for me. Sometimes I can hit my own targets (on how much money I want to earn in a month), and other times I miss it.
As a freelancer, I am trying my best to set my own working hours, which start from 9 am and last till 4 pm (taking 1-2 hours break in between). Though I don’t always commit to it I do try my best. Yes, discipline is a hard thing, but hey, that is the perk of being a freelancer right? You can work anytime you wanted to. And yes, sometimes I do get those urgent requests too.
I can work from anywhere basically, but a proper Internet connection is one of the most important things for me to get my work done. My favorite ‘working stations’ are cafes around the city center and also the villa (where I stayed for a month in Ubud). There are plenty of nice cafes around Ubud that are perfect for working. I love not so busy cafes with a proper Internet connection and good coffee and cakes (or good food).
The main bedroom at the Villa in Ubud
ACCOMMODATION
I rented a villa for a month through Airbnb and it cost around $900. I stayed with two other people so it made accommodation cost per person around $300 per month. Actually, with the villa, it was possible to accommodate up to 4 people. That would have certainly made the rental costs even cheaper.
The villa was located in Bentuyung village, 10-15 minutes drive to Ubud centre. I loved the villa for its location. Everyday, I open the front door of the villa and was greeted by the green rice fields, coconut trees, with squirrels jumping around them, and the volcano (though I am not sure if it was mount Batur or mount Agung). The terrace was a perfect spot to do Yoga in the morning.
The living room area and the door to the kitchen
Gorgeous sunset from the villa terrace
Can you see a volcano? Well it seems like more than one!
The center of Ubud can be quite expensive for accommodation, so the outskirts were perfect for me. Try to find a bit outside of the city center like in Suweta Street, Sri Wedari Street (where Seniman coffee is located), Tirta Tawar, Pengosekan, or even up in Penestanan or Kedewatan area.
If you are interested in living and working from Ubud, here are some good resources for finding an accommodation:
- Facebook Group: Ubud House Shares, Monthly Rentals and Sitting
and there is also another Facebook group: Ubud Community – here you can find info about general things around Ubud. For example like places to eat, etc. - Airbnb – Not an Airbnb member yet? Get a $25 credit by using this link.
- At Bintang Supermarket and Bali Buda (healthy grocery store and restaurant) announcement board
Motorbike is the best transport in Bali. This is my parking area at the villa.
TRANSPORTATION
Bali has not yet solved its public transportation problems. The best way to explore the island is by motorbike. If you can’t drive a motorbike maybe you can rent a bicycle. It might be a bit complicated if you can’t ride either.
A motorbike rental is USD 6-7 per day, but if you rent it for one month, it is as cheap as USD 43-50. The motorbike rental comes with 2 helmets. Unfortunately, raincoats are not included (worry not, raincoat costs USD 3-5 at the supermarket). When I rented a motorbike the guy only asks for my copy of ID card. I think it is mainly because he knew the guy who owned the villa I rented.
You can find monthly motorbike rental quite easily around the city center and also through the Facebook community above. Normally the rental company will ask (and keep) your original ID / passport as a warranty. However, I think you should avoid to give it. Alternatively, you can pay an agreed deposit if you don’t want to hand your passport over. Some are ok with a copy of your passport.
You should have an international driving license to drive in Indonesia. I never experienced a police check in Ubud, but they do have several random checkpoints outside Ubud, for example: from Ubud going towards Batur. The main way police catch tourists is a result of the one-way system around Ubud. A lot of tourists simply don’t realize they are going the wrong way though there are several big no entry signs. So be careful of the one-way roads, because you’ll always find a police officer waiting for you at the end.
Tasty food at Sari Organik, Ubud
FOOD (Eating Out)
Ubud is heaven for vegetarians and vegans. If you are a carnivore, don’t worry there are plenty of choices for you as well. Restaurants around Ubud central (Hanoman, Monkey Forest, and Raya Ubud street) are priced moderate to expensive. A meal can cost around USD 6-12 and drinks start from USD 3.
If you are looking for a cheaper choice, try to go to Gootama/Gautama Street. There are several nice restaurants with cheap – moderate priced food (USD 2.5 – 5 per meal).
Nasi Campur awesomeness for only USD 1.5. Fancy to try Indonesian food?
Here is my personal choice of favorite places to eat:
- Warung Made Becik (moderate): Jl. Tirta Tawar No. 6
- Melting Wok (moderate): Jl. Gootama No. 13
- Hujan Locale (moderate-expensive): Jl. Sri Wedari No. 5
- Warung Bahagia (cheap): Jl. Raya Pengosekan (after gas station if you are from Ubud city center) – Nasi Campur only
- Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku (cheap): Jalan Raya Kedewatan No.18 – Nasi Campur only
- Sari Organik (moderate): Jl. Subak Sok Wayah, Tjampuhan
- Warung Pulau Kelapa (moderate): Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Lungsiakan
- Puteri Minang (cheap): Jl. Raya Ubud No. 77
MISCELLANEOUS
There are several other expenses such as laundry (It is Rp 10,000 per kg, they will try to charge you Rp 18,000 per kg at first, equal with USD 0.7–1.3), toiletries, a tiny bit of shopping, gasoline (roughly full tank for my motorbike is around Rp 25,000, equal with USD 1.8), electricity (already included in most villa rentals), massage/pedicure or any body treatment, entrance fees to several tourist areas and some other more. All of these things will cost you around $60 a month.
Btw, my favourite great-service-with-an-inexpensive-price spa in Ubud is Rembulan Spa. The address is: Jl. Hanoman no. 1, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia (phone: +62 361 976694).
TOTAL COST
So my total costs for a month living in Ubud was roughly USD 557 for one person. It is USD 300 for accommodation, USD 22 for motorbike rental (USD 43 for 2 people), USD 175 for food, and USD 60 for miscellaneous expenses.
I limited myself to only going to a café and eating out once per day. I might have ate out twice a day on the weekend 🙂 The total cost of living in Ubud can be a lot cheaper if you find accommodation USD 250-400 for two people (and it is possible) and reduce the amount of eating out/café visit.
*Rate: 1 USD = Rp 14,000
This is why I don’t mind working from the villa
MY DAILY ROUTINES
I usually worked from the villa in the morning and then went out after lunch to a cafe (for a coffee or with a cake) to work. Then get a nice dinner before heading back home. Alternatively, I would go out around 8:30 am to a cafe and work from there until lunch time and then head back home to get lunch and continue to work at the villa. I only rarely stayed all day in the villa.
There are several cafes that I like to work from in Ubud:
– Dumara café – Jl. Raya Pengosekan
– Clear café – Jl. Campuhan
– Kue – Jl. Raya Ubud
– Kahiyang Coffee – Jl. Sri Wedari No 6
– Coffee and … – Jl. Monkey Forest
Other places for a great coffee include Seniman Coffee, Anomali Coffee, Vespa Café, Freak Coffee – though these four places get quite busy.
Picolo at Seniman Coffee Studio
Clear Cafe – Campuhan street. One of my favourite places to work in Ubud.
Is Ubud a Great Place for Digital Nomads?
Ubud is certainly a great place for digital nomads, freelancers, entrepreneurs and people working online. There is even the Hubud (Hub in Ubud), the first co-working space in Bali. Even before co-working spaces became popular in Jakarta, Hubud was already there. You get me, right?
Internet connection in Ubud is mostly ok and at several cafes it is fast enough. Though it might be a bit slow if you need to upload large files like video.
Ubud is a great place for a work-life balance. There are plenty of choices of restaurants that serve healthy food, healthy drinks, raw food, etc. On top of that, in almost every corner of the town you’ll find a Yoga studio. You also see people cycling, there are art galleries, dancing classes and many other interesting things. There are so many interesting places which are only 30-45 minutes drive from Ubud.
Tegenungan Waterfall
Gunung Kawi
Ok, the very last thing. It is not about Ubud.
One thing that I love about being a blogger is the community. We keep being inspired by other bloggers and who knows we become an inspiration for other bloggers, right? Thanks Sharon for giving the idea to write this piece.
So what do you think? Fancy living and working from Ubud? 🙂
If you are interested in booking accommodation for your holiday in Indonesia I recommend Airbnb. Book through this link to receive a $25 discount on your first booking. For hotel bookings I recommend Agoda for its low price and discounts.
Mein favorit post!!
Will be back reading again if going to work in Bali 🙂
See you (hopefully soon) in Bali, Felly! 😀
Great post,very useful 🙂 But I thought like for local people you can better prices. Like I know some foreigners who soend on renting cheaper-and have full house for themselfs and pool (included cleaning,wi-fi and etc.) and stay the same distance from Ubud center like you 🙂
Hi Ria,
Yes, the villa is a bit expensive, but we are happy with it (and that is the most important thing).
I am glad to hear that you found it useful. Thank you for stopping by.
FAVE!!! Can’t wait to read the series on Canggu!
2 more days and it will be one month living in Canggu. 😀 Definitely will write that piece. So do you spot your name in the article? *Checking if you really read my article. Bwahahahaaa.. :p
How s the feeling of eating in a resto every single day? dont you just love to go the market and cook urself considering the health issue and cleanliness of the restos in Indonesia ?
Hi Kak Feb,
It feels fine. To be honest, I don’t really put so much thought about eating out. I had several days not eating out at all and cooked easy food like pasta or tortilla. Oh, I also ate fruit almost every single morning (sometimes I had bread with butter/jam). Probably the other reasons I am not a big fan of cooking, but I do love to go to the market and do some grocery shopping. 🙂
Very berry nice post, that’s all I ever needed 🙂
Makes me wanna move out to Ubud! I wanna go to Rembulan Spa everyday! Hahaha 😀
Sounds like a good idea. 🙂 Definitely! I don’t mind to accompany you to Rembulan spa everyday.
eh.. been a while since my last visit here. Didn’t know you’re in Bali now. No wonder you asked for a meet up in Bali instead of Bajo, right? Hehe.. Keep being productive Je!
Hey Yessy! Nice to see you here. 🙂 Yes, lets meet up in Bali.
Thank you for stopping by!
Hi Firsta, I came across your blog today and i have to compliment you on your blog. It’s interesting and packed with information. I’m just curious though, how do you get income as a travel blogger? And i read that you do travel consultancy as well? What is that exactly?
-Sabrina from Malaysia (hello neighbour!!! :D)
Hi Sabrina,
I am earning money doing freelance writing/copywriting (mostly about travel), travel consultancy and travel arrangements (I already stated it in the article). Travel consultancy is where I charge a certain amount of money to people who are seeking advice and information for their travel plan to Indonesia.
Hahaha.. hello neighbour indeed! *waving from Indonesia*
Pernah ke Bali selama.. 5 bulan! Buat kerja juga. Sayangnya tempatku kerja (di villa Oberoi sana) hanya libur minggu doang. Senin – sabtu kerja full! Haha.
Ngekosku gila, di Denpasar! Jauh bangettt!! Untungnya aku ngekos berdua sama temen sekantor, jadi… ya diboncengin motor terus. Biaya jadi ngirit.
2009 gaji 1,6 juta sudah bisa hidup di sana. Sudah bisa nabung pula. 5 bulan sudah bisa kebeli laptop 5 jutaan. Trus pulang kerja freelancer sampe sekarang.
Demikian curhatku kali ini. HAHAHA
Hahahaa.. Thank youuuu sudah curhat! Wuiiihh keren banget. 5 bulan dengan gaji 1,6 juta/bulan dan bisa menyisihkan untuk beli laptop dengan harga 5 juta?? Berarti per bulan cuma habisin 600rb yaaa. Hebat banget nabungnya!
Excellent inspiring post. Thinking of moving to Bali.
Hi Vidyasagar, Thanks for stopping by. Jadi mau pindah ke daerah mana di Bali? 😀
I want to divemaster course later this year….
Where is the guide to make curly hipster hair?
Hey! Hahahahaha.. There are a lot of places to dreadlock your hair in Ubud. No guidance needed. :p
If only freelancing by writing vaguely humorous comments on articles paid as well as writing the actual articles themselves I’d be set for life in Ubud! Until then I’ll have to just keep it up as a hobby. 😛
It’s great to see you living the dream there though, no doubt you’ll be able to continue to inspire (whilst with the weather here I’ll merely continue to perspire instead. :S )
You can be a great writer! You are such a humorous person. Thanks for always making me smile (mostly laugh) every time I read your comments. Have a great week, Nathan!
Awesome and thanks for sharing Firsta.. now I feel like I want to try living in Ubud for at least one month, just for the sake of trying haha 😉 anyways, enjoy your time there and best of luck for your travel business. I had a great time in Yogya back then!
Hi Cherika! Thank you for being so kind.
Yes, go for it. Living in Ubud was so much fun. 😉
Firsta,
Can you assist. I will in Bali from 3rd to 6th March 2016.
Looking for a lowest fare on transportation and places of interest. Would u like to offer your service . And Halal Food too. Its 5 of us.
Your help is needed.
Thanks
Hi Saripah Ishah,
Unfortunately, I don’t have any recommendations on the lowest / cheap fare on transportation. 🙁
argh can’t wait to read the next chapter, Canggu!
Firsta bikin Bali, terutama Ubud–I love Ubud, semakin menyenangkan, deh. 🙂
Hahaha terima kasih sudah diingatkan untuk bikin yang Canggu.. udah hampir 2 bulan nih tinggal di Canggu. 😀 Gak berasa.
Ooo begini to kisah berkelana di ubud. Nice! sebagai buruh pabrik yang ruang geraknya hanya di kubikel sempit, aku jealous baca postingan ini. Kadang ingin rasanya hidup bebas, “suka-suka gue” gitu. Nggak punya deadline laporan, nggak punya atasan, nggak punya utang pula…
#eaaa
#malahtsurhatpanjangdiblogorang
Hahahahahahah.. Makasih ya udah main ke sini. Jangan cemburu, Kak.
Iya, betul, gak punya atasan, betul gak punya utang.. SAPA BILANG GAK PUNYA DEADLINE??? Hahahaha *menatap nanar ke tumpukan deadline*
Tons of information in this blog… Will comeback to read your new posts.. Thank you..
Hi Yusda,
Thank you for stopping by 🙂 Have a good day!
I love Ubud! You seem to be enjoying life in Bali (how could you not?) Although I do agree that I’d just think of it more of a holiday than a place of work. I’m surprised at how little you’ve managed to spend in a month! I may think about moving there myself 🙂
Missing Yogyakarta at all?
Hi Lily,
You know what, before I lived in Ubud, I always thought that Ubud was expensive. It seems impossible to eat at a reasonable price, but apparently I was wrong. There are good cheap restaurants around the town.
I am trying my best not to shop. So many interesting stores in Ubud, but since I am kind of living out of my backpack at the moment, it does make sense not to buy lots of clothes. Otherwise I need to throw away some of my stuff. You know, girls always have an emotional relationship with their stuff. :p
Oh yes, I miss Yogyakarta! :'(
you are inspired me Firsta. now i begin to focus become blogger because i think travel and write make me Feel more about Freedom
Hi Dandy,
So happy to hear that. 🙂 Do things that make you happy!
Seru banget Firsta!! keren keren kakakkk… *jempol*
Hi Chocky, mana urek-urekan salju buat aku?? *Masih nagih*
So I finally paid a visit here, ha!
So inspiring, will try my best to be able staying in Bali for a month in the next school holiday though Ubud may not be my first choice since chasing sunset by the beach while eating jagung bakar is my fave stuff to do in Bali (Oh you knew)
Aaa…that’s what I love for being a freelancer, too! Can work from anywhere as long as there is a good internet connection. 😀 Happy readIng your post, Kak Firsta. 🙂 And yeahh…I love Ubud! ?
What a great post! It is so neat to see other female travelers writing about their experiences – and killing it!
I will be heading to Bali for an extended stay this winter, and hope to visit many of these places 🙂
Thanks Alexandria 🙂 Trying my best to create a job that I can do on my own terms. Hope you enjoy Bali when you visit. It’s a beautiful island and there’s so much to do.
pas aku ke ubud aku sempet bingung sama penginapannya.
dan ternyata kita menginap ditempat yang sama itu :)))
sebulan di bali :3
surgaaaaaaaaaa.
dan tak sabar mau mengulang sebulan (lagi) di Bali. hahaha.
Hahaha oh ya? Enak ya tempatnya? 🙂 Walaupun agak jauh dari mana-mana.
Iya, kangen Bali juga nih!
aku baru baca postingan ini, keren banget isinya, lengkap..
ak dulu tinggal lama di bali tp ga bisa bikin kaya gini hehe 😀
miss you, kak first 🙂
Kak Dalijo! Ini juga aku terinspirasi sama Sharon 🙂
Lumayan ya buat nambah-nambah info yang mau nyoba tinggal di Bali.
Akupun rindu!! Kapan ya bisa ketemuan lagi hahaha… See you hopefully soon, Dal.
Wow! Seru banget bisa tinggal di Bali selama sebulan. 🙂
Iya, lumayan untuk pengalaman 🙂 Trus akhirnya malahan setelah itu ke Bali lagi dan stay 8-9 bulan haha.
Firsta… kamu masih di bali?.
Hi Feby,
Aku lagi di Chile. Dulu tinggal di Bali tahun 2014-2015.
Hi. MY first time visit to this inspirative blog. I like how you tell it and how you describe things. Oh.. Last time i went to bali, i stayed for two months.. i was running away from my problems.. hahah.. Duh? Anyway, ‘Digital nomads’ is a new thing for me. But I get how fun it is to work anywhere and anytime you want as i do almost the same thing for living. Umm, actually i’m not sure if stock trading is a job but that’s how I make money. I do it as my main job to pay my bills and get stuff I need/want. I even can do that while I was on the train. It’s the most effective and flexible job to my version. Not to offend anyone who works at some tall huge building, I can’t stand the traffic. You’re gonna have to spend hours on the road to your office and back to your house. Jakarta traffic is… oh God, it’s depressing. Oh, am I being lebay? ?Lol. Parents though, they think a real job is you dress well, go to an office, sit for hours and get your paycheck at the end of the month? I mean, it’s 2018… things have changed a lot, including technology and stuff.
Kindly write about modern jobs.. so next time my parents start to bring this issue up again, I’ll just shove your blog to them.. haha✌?*joke* I’m somehow not good at explaining stuff to my parents because whenever I try to do that, we just end up fighting.. not physically. You know lah. Love my parents without a doubt. But I can’t—I don’t want to do somethin that I don’t like or I don’t feel comfort.
Whoops… so sorry for telling you all that. I just, umm.. I don’t know, maybe because of what you do for living and I feel.. ‘Oh, she must know how I feel about this’ and there.. I talk too much to a stranger.. lol. Not sure i can still be this ‘bocor’ if we meet in person though. It’s always easier for me to pour my thoughts when I write it down as I’m very shy and a bit weird. Omg… i can’t stop talking. Don’t hate me? better leave now. Byebye. Definitely save your blog for my light reading..
Hi Ran Soeky,
I just read this now! Not sure why.. So sorry to reply you so late. Hahaha I can relate to all what you explained. I’m sure now you are getting better at explaining your job to your parents / relatives – your job, stock trading, it is getting more and more popular. How are you? I hope you are doing well and happy! PS: I’m currently in Bali.