Bali is a great place to raise kids, but it has become crowded and expensive

Bali has been my home for a decade. I met my current husband here and we have two children.

I think Bali is a great place to raise children, but I have also noticed that it has changed a lot over the years due to the presence of tourists and expats. I am not sure yet if my family and I will stay in this area for a long time.

I moved to Bali just as the city was becoming more and more known as a burgeoning startup hub

Initially, I planned to stay in Bali only for the duration of the three-month internship.

After moving there, I met a lot of people who started businesses here. There was a wave of startups in Bali at that time. I remember the BBC comparing it to Silicon Valley.

I went to a networking event and met the then CEO of a business communications company. I told her my internship was coming to an end and she offered me an internship at her company, which led to a full-time role as a social media marketing manager.

I have been working there ever since, but three years ago I changed my position and became operations manager.

After getting a job, I exchanged my social visa for a KITAS, or temporary residence permit, and now I have a KITAP, or permanent residence permit, which foreigners with Indonesian spouses can apply for.

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At first I was lonely, but now I have a husband and two children here.

At first, Bali seemed a bit lonely to me. It was hard to meet people who would stay here for more than a few months.

I have found very good friends among Indonesians, but it would be nice to have more contact with foreigners.

Initially, I wasn’t completely committed to staying, so I didn’t invest in building relationships. I didn’t take a local language course until a year and a half in. Although I mostly speak English with my Indonesian friends, these classes were a great way to meet other expats.

Everything looks a little different since I have a family.

I met my husband in 2014, the same year I moved. We didn’t start dating until 2015, and we got married in 2019. We had a daughter in 2020 and a son in 2023.

My husband is Indonesian and we feel very integrated into the local community. He currently runs a café and guesthouse we opened in Sumatra, the island he comes from, travelling back and forth from Bali as needed.

My daughter goes to kindergarten and loves it. Indonesians are generally really good with children. If we go to a restaurant, no one gets upset when children are loud or throw tantrums, and the waiters actually entertain them.

Years ago we planned to move to Germany, where I am from, when the kids are school age, because education is free. Studying in an international curriculum in Bali is expensive.

My husband would be open to moving to Germany for the sake of our family, but the language and visa requirements would be a challenge.

We recently discovered a range of international education opportunities in Bali and when my daughter is old enough, we may find something that would be better for her than moving to Germany where the children would have to make new friends.

Tourism has raised the cost of living in Bali

I would say that as an expat I earn more than the average Balinese person, but I still feel that I cannot afford the luxurious lifestyle that is promoted in Bali, i.e. villas and swimming pools.

The demand for rentals has increased. During COVID-19, Bali was dead and I don’t think anyone expected people to come back so quickly in such numbers. One reason I know is that people are attracted to the investment option of building a villa in Bali. Another is that after the war in Ukraine, many people from Russia and Ukraine moved to Bali.

Rents have gone up dramatically in some areas. We have a long-term lease on the house we live in now, so we haven’t been affected yet.

Other prices have also increased, making it harder for locals to maintain this lifestyle. When we shop at local markets, we notice that prices for chicken and vegetables have gone up. New hotels and large restaurants are increasing demand – it seems that Bali wants to continue to attract more tourists who are willing to spend more money.

A lot has changed and I’m not sure if we’ll stay where we are or move

Bali has become more westernized in recent years. The area I live in, Renon, was known as a small town with quaint restaurants, but it has completely changed. There are more houses, villas, grocery stores, and shops. We have new things to do, like going shopping or to playgrounds, but I miss the feeling of Bali—the peace—that used to be there.

There is more traffic now and I find myself getting irritated driving from one place to another. The rice fields are disappearing and more land is being built up.

My family will probably continue to live in Bali for a few years. Raising children here is wonderful, as are the people and the environment.

But with how things are going, I’m not sure we’ll stay in our area any longer. It’s getting too crowded and touristy.

We would perhaps consider moving to a different part of Bali. There are places like east and north Bali that are less touristy. We considered moving to Sumatra Island, where my husband is from, but the number and quality of schools and hospitals are not as good as in Bali.

I still really enjoy living in Bali. I understand why people come here, but for people who have lived here for as long as I have, it has changed a lot – and a lot of the original things have been lost.

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