Where do you shop for food in Bali?

The single largest variable in what living in Bali costs is how much of your shopping is imported. People who eat locally spend very little; people who replicate a Western supermarket basket spend a great deal.

The tiers

Traditional markets (pasar). Fruit, vegetables, eggs, spices, fish and meat, at the lowest prices available. Early morning is when the produce is best. Prices are negotiable and foreigners are quoted higher until they are known — which is one more practical argument for learning some Bahasa Indonesia.

Local supermarkets and minimarkets. Everyday Indonesian products at ordinary prices, on every corner.

Expat-oriented supermarkets in Canggu, Seminyak, Umalas and Sanur, carrying imported cheese, meat, dairy, cereals, wine and Western brands. Convenient, well-stocked, and where the money goes.

Organic and health food stores, particularly in Canggu and Ubud, with a strong plant-based and specialist offering at premium prices.

Online grocery delivery, which has expanded substantially and covers most of the south.

The price gap

Local produce is genuinely cheap. Tropical fruit, vegetables, rice, eggs, chicken, local fish and tofu cost a fraction of European or Australian prices.

Imported goods carry duty, freight and a premium. Cheese, butter, beef, wine, spirits, breakfast cereals, chocolate and most branded Western products cost meaningfully more than at home — in some cases several times more.

Alcohol is expensive. Indonesia applies substantial duties on imported alcohol, and wine and spirits in particular are considerably more expensive than in Australia or Europe. Local beer and arak are cheap.

That gap is where a Bali food budget is decided. Two people eating largely local spend very little; two people shopping an imported basket spend close to what they would at home.

Eating out

Warungs serve local food at prices that make cooking at home barely worth the effort for one person.

Mid-range restaurants in the tourist areas are inexpensive by Western standards.

The top end in Seminyak, Canggu and Ubud is priced internationally and is not cheap.

For many residents the practical pattern is warungs and local markets on ordinary days, with the expat supermarket and a good restaurant as occasional rather than default.

What is hard to find

Specific dietary products, certain medications, particular brands, and anything niche. Availability has improved enormously but it is not comprehensive.

Bringing a small supply of anything genuinely important is sensible, within the rules — and check the position on any prescribed medication before moving, because some are unavailable or controlled differently and importing controlled substances without correct documentation is a serious matter.

For a villa owner

Two practical points.

A kitchen a group can actually cook in is a genuine differentiator for family and group bookings, because families cook. It is worth specifying properly.

A welcome basket and a stocked start — coffee, water, basics — is a small cost that appears in reviews disproportionately often.

Provide filtered drinking water rather than bottles. It costs less over time, it is what the segment that fills your quiet months asks about, and Bali's waste infrastructure has not kept pace with consumption.

Other shopping

Furniture is a genuine advantage here — solid timber made to order at a fraction of imported prices, from workshops across Kerobokan, Denpasar and the Gianyar corridor.

Homeware and textiles, locally made and inexpensive.

Electronics, available and generally more expensive than in Singapore or Australia.

Clothing, with a large local production and retail scene, particularly in Canggu and Seminyak.

Hardware and building materials, widely available and cheap, which is part of why building here costs what it does.