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中文Utility Bills in Bali: Electricity, Water, Internet
On Bali utilities are almost never included in a long-term villa lease: electricity, water, internet and waste collection are paid by the tenant on top of rent. In nightly rentals and managed villas it is the other way round, those costs sit inside the price. So the first step before signing anything is to establish who holds the meters and who pays the bills.
Electricity: PLN and prepaid tokens
Electricity on Bali comes from the state utility PLN. Most houses and villas run on a prepaid meter (prabayar): you buy a token, enter the code, and the meter shows the remaining balance in kilowatt-hours. When the balance reaches zero everything stops, including the water pump and the fridge. Some properties are on postpaid billing (pascabayar) and receive an invoice.
The practical point: buy tokens before the lights go out, not after. Tokens are sold in the PLN Mobile app, at Indomaret and Alfamart minimarkets, and through banking apps.
Connected capacity is stated in volt-amperes: typical villa connections range from 2200 VA to 5500 VA and above. A villa with several air conditioners, a pool pump and a water heater will not survive on 1300 VA, the breaker trips. Check the declared capacity, not just the number of air conditioners.
The per-kilowatt-hour tariff is set by the government and depends on the connection class. Check the current rate with PLN in the app or on the official site, it changes, and repeating it from memory is not reliable. Current-season guidance: a villa with a pool and air conditioners running at night costs noticeably more than an apartment, so budget this as its own line item.
Water: PDAM or a private well
The piped network is PDAM, it does not cover every area and pressure is not always steady. Many villas in Canggu, Berawa and Kedungu run on their own bore well (sumur bor) with a pump and a storage tank on the roof or on the ground.
What that means in practice:
- well water is not drinking water, drinking water is bought in bottles or filtered;
- the pump needs electricity, at a zero PLN balance you also lose water;
- the tank needs cleaning, otherwise smell and sediment appear;
- in a long dry spell the water level drops and pressure falls.
If the villa is on PDAM, the bill goes either to the owner or to the tenant, and the lease should say which.
Internet
Fibre is installed by providers such as IndiHome (Telkom), Biznet, MyRepublic and local operators serving a specific area. Speed and stability depend heavily on the address: Canggu and Seminyak offer more choice, Kedungu and Uluwatu sometimes only one option.
Installation takes from a few days to a couple of weeks, sometimes cabling to the house and the owner's permission are needed. If internet is critical for work, confirm before signing: is a line already installed, whose account is it, who pays monthly, what is the real speed rather than the advertised plan. Keep a mobile data SIM as a backup for the first month.
Waste and grounds upkeep
Waste collection on Bali is organised through the banjar (local community) or a private service, usually a modest monthly fee. In villas with staff, taking out the rubbish is part of their work. Pool and garden maintenance may be billed separately, not utilities, but it belongs in the same budget line.
What to budget and how to pay
Exact amounts depend on the property, the connected capacity, air-conditioning habits and the number of residents, so there is no universal figure. The sensible approach is to ask the owner for the last two or three bills from the same season, that is the most honest guide for that specific villa.
How payment usually works:
- electricity, tokens via PLN Mobile or a minimarket;
- PDAM water, by invoice or through a banking app;
- internet, a monthly payment to the provider;
- waste and upkeep, in cash to the service or the staff, as agreed.
Keep the token and water receipts. On check-out they are your only proof that nothing is outstanding.
What to check before signing
- Electricity meter reading and remaining token balance on the move-in date, photograph them.
- Whose name the PLN account is in, and whether an old debt exists.
- Declared capacity and whether it covers the air conditioners, heater and pump.
- The water source and the condition of the pump and tank.
- Whether internet is already installed, whose connection it is, who pays.
- Exactly what is included in the rent and what is billed separately, in writing.
- Who is responsible for repairs if the pump or an air conditioner fails.
For buyers
If you are considering a villa to buy, the utility history of a property says more about it than the photos: PLN debts, actual capacity, the state of the well. In our sales section /sale/ we can shortlist properties with a clear utility picture. Message us on Telegram and we will go through the details.
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