The steep hike is partly why Ivanova is still hesitant about calling Bali her second home.
“When I first came to Bali, everything was cheap. Now, I spend almost the same amount of money as I do in Moscow,” she said.
Despite the development, very few locals are reaping the benefits. And as the influx of digital nomads drives prices up, some Balinese are feeling priced out, fuelling friction between the locals and remote-working expats.
“Houses have become out of reach for us Balinese,” said Bali resident Nyoman Denny.
SKYROCKETING PRICES
Last year, Bali saw a 40 per cent increase in the number of digital nomads residing on the island compared to 2023. It is estimated that over 3,000 digital nomads now live there, according to the number of digital nomad visas granted annually.
While these numbers might not seem overwhelming for an island around eight times the size of Singapore with a population of around 4.4 million, it is possible that this is a gross-underestimation as it is possible to enter for a month on a tourist visa, which can then be renewed for an additional 30 days.
Some nationalities are exempt and do not require a visa at all.
The first wave of digital nomads came to Bali in the 2010s as high-speed internet was no longer confined to the downtown areas of major cities and began to penetrate smaller towns and suburbs.
“For these digital nomads, it is a lot cheaper to achieve the lifestyle that they want in Bali compared to where they come from,” Hansen Tandiyanto, the owner of Bali-based co-working space chain, Biliq, told CNA.
“Another reason is that Bali already had strong expat communities. It is easy for them to find someone who comes from the same country, speaks the same language and shares the same culture. So for them, Bali feels like a home away from home.”
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