Electricity, water and gas in a Bali rental

Most Bali rentals take electricity from the state utility PLN, piped water from a regional water company (PDAM) or a well, and cooking gas from LPG cylinders. Drinking water comes in 19 litre galons. Who pays for what, and how, is worth settling before signing a lease.

At a glance

Utility	How it works	Price
Electricity, prepaid	20 digit token typed into the meter	Rp 1,444.70 per kWh at 1,300 and 2,200 VA, Rp 1,699.53 at 3,500 VA and above (Q4 2026), plus regional tax
Electricity, postpaid	Monthly bill for the previous month, due by the 20th	Same tariffs as prepaid
Piped water	PDAM network, not available at every property	Ask the landlord
Drinking water	19 litre galon on a dispenser	About Rp 19,000 per Aqua refill, about Rp 50,000 for a new filled galon (July 2026)
Cooking gas, subsidised	3 kg green cylinder for low-income households	Capped at Rp 18,000 at official bases in Bali (2025)
Cooking gas, non-subsidised	Bright Gas 5.5 kg or 12 kg	Rp 107,000 and Rp 230,000 agent price (since 16 September 2026)

Prepaid and postpaid electricity

PLN connects homes on one of two plans.

Prepaid (prabayar), sold as Listrik Pintar. The meter has a keypad. Credit is bought in advance as a 20 digit token, typed into the meter, and turned into kWh. The display shows the kWh left and beeps when it runs low, which is the signal to buy a new token. There is no monthly bill, no minimum charge and no late fee, and credit has no expiry date. Prepaid is common in villa rentals because it keeps electricity use within the credit bought.

Postpaid (pascabayar). A meter reader records use each month and PLN sends a bill. The bill in a given month covers the previous month's use, and the deadline for payment is the 20th of each month. Paying late brings a late payment charge and can lead to disconnection.

Buying and entering a token

1. Find the meter number. The customer ID (ID pelanggan) or meter number has 11 or 12 digits and is printed on the meter box.
2. Buy the token. Options include the PLN Mobile app (menu Kelistrikan, then Token dan Pembayaran, then Beli Token), banking apps such as m-BCA, e-wallets such as OVO and LinkAja, marketplaces such as Tokopedia and Shopee, and convenience stores such as Alfamart and Indomaret. Tokens come in amounts from Rp 20,000 to Rp 1,000,000. PLN Mobile accepts bank virtual accounts, e-wallets and credit cards, and sometimes sells exclusive tokens at a lower price.
3. Type the 20 digits on the meter keypad. On many meters the arrow key below 7 deletes a mistake and Enter is the red key below 9.
4. Check the result. "Benar" or "Accept" means the credit is in. "Salah" or "Reject" means the code has to be typed again from the start. Repeated wrong entries can block the meter.

Each purchase includes a regional tax on electricity and a small admin fee, so the kWh credited is less than the rupiah amount divided by the tariff. The tax is PBJT on electricity, formerly called PPJ, and Law 1 of 2022 and Government Regulation 4 of 2023 cap it at 10 percent.

Checking the balance. Conlog and Itron meters show the kWh left on screen. On Hexing meters type 801, on Glomet 37 and on Star 07, then press Enter. PLN Mobile shows the last purchase and an estimate of when the credit will run out.

When a token will not go in. Check that it was bought for the right meter number and that all 20 digits match. A meter also refuses new tokens once it reaches its monthly maximum. If the display shows "Blocked" or "Periksa", stop entering tokens and contact PLN.

Electricity tariffs for October to December 2026

Minister of Energy Regulation 7 of 2024 sets non-subsidised tariffs every three months, based on the rupiah exchange rate, the Indonesian crude oil price, inflation and the coal reference price. The government kept the tariffs unchanged for July to September 2026 and again for October to December 2026 (Q4 2026). These are the rates in force:

Class	Capacity	Rp per kWh (Q4 2026)
R-1 household, subsidised	450 VA	415
R-1 household, subsidised	900 VA	605
R-1 household	900 VA, non-subsidised	1,352
R-1 household	1,300 VA and 2,200 VA	1,444.70
R-2 household	3,500 to 5,500 VA	1,699.53
R-3 household	6,600 VA and above	1,699.53
B-2 business	6,600 VA to 200 kVA	1,444.70

The two subsidised rates are reserved for poor households. As an example, 400 kWh in a month costs Rp 577,880 on a 2,200 VA connection and Rp 679,812 on a 3,500 VA connection, before tax and fees.

Typical monthly electricity costs in 2026:

• A single person in a small apartment with little air conditioning: Rp 400,000 to 800,000.
• A two bedroom villa with a private pool and moderate air conditioning: Rp 1,500,000 to 3,000,000.
• A villa with four or more bedrooms, heavy air conditioning and several pool pumps: Rp 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 or more.

Power capacity and a tripping breaker

Every connection has a capacity in volt-amperes (VA). Most local homes run on 900 VA or 1,300 VA. Villas with several air conditioners and a private pool often need 3,500 VA, 5,500 VA or more, and large villas with heavy loads use 6,600 VA and above.

When the breaker (MCB) trips again and again, the usual cause is too many appliances running at once for the capacity. Avoid running the big loads, such as several air conditioners and the pool pump, at the same time. Other causes are a short circuit from damaged insulation or water, a cable too thin for its load, lightning, and a faulty breaker. If the breaker at the PLN meter itself is damaged, PLN repairs or replaces it.

More capacity (tambah daya) can be requested through PLN Mobile, for a connection fee. The connection is registered to the property, so the owner may need to agree. A higher capacity does not raise the bill by itself, because bills follow the kWh used, but moving from 2,200 VA to 3,500 VA moves the connection from Rp 1,444.70 to Rp 1,699.53 per kWh.

Power cuts

Bali still draws part of its electricity from Java through submarine cables, which leaves the island exposed to outages. On 2 May 2025 a fault in the Java to Bali cable system was the likely cause of a blackout that began around 4 pm and covered about 80 percent of the island. Power was fully back by 3:30 am the next day.

• PLN Mobile sends notices about outages near the home and when the power returns. Its complaint feature passes reports to the nearest technician in some areas.
• PLN 123 is the 24 hour call centre. From a mobile phone, dial the local area code before 123. The email address is pln123@pln.co.id.
• Report outages, including one that affects only your home, which can point to the meter or breaker, voltage drops or surges, and fallen or cut cables.

Water

Piped water comes from PDAM, the regional water companies, which draw on rivers, lakes, reservoirs and wells. Not every property is on the network, and many villas rely on their own wells.

South Badung is short of piped water. In 2024 the area of Kuta Selatan and its surroundings needed 2,000 litres per second but received 750 litres per second from the Estuary Dam, a gap of 1,250 litres per second. Badung relies on surface water, and in September 2025 the regency planned seawater desalination for hotels and other commercial users and a new pipeline from the Estuary Dam to Nusa Dua.

Coastal wells are prone to salt water. In a 2019 survey of 260 wells, none of the surveyed regencies met the national health standard because of chloride and hardness, and seawater intrusion showed up in parts of Badung, Tabanan, Jembrana, Buleleng and Karangasem. Production wells 20 to 60 metres deep within 500 metres of the coast in Kuta, Seminyak, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua and Sanur are not recommended as a clean water source. Well water that turns bitter or salty is a sign of intrusion.

Drinking water

Tap water is not safe to drink in Indonesia. Boiling kills most bacteria and parasites but does not remove chemical contaminants, so drinking water should be bottled or properly filtered. Boiled water is fine for brushing teeth, and dishes washed in tap water are fine once rinsed or dried.

A galon is a 19 litre bottle that sits on a dispenser. An Aqua refill costs around Rp 1,000 per litre, about Rp 19,000 per galon, and a new filled galon about Rp 50,000 (July 2026). Prices vary by area. Aqua delivers through Aqua Home Services and WhatsApp orders, and galons are also sold in local shops, convenience stores and supermarkets. A genuine galon has a neat cap seal that does not damage easily, a sharp production code and an embossed logo.

Refill depots (depot air minum isi ulang) filter water on site, often with ozone equipment, and cost less. In Jakarta in April 2026 a depot refill cost Rp 10,000 against Rp 23,000 for an Aqua galon.

Cooking gas

3 kg green cylinder ("gas melon"). Subsidised LPG meant for low-income households. Bali Governor Decree 63 of 2022 caps the price at Rp 18,000 per cylinder at official bases (pangkalan), the cap in force in 2025. Bali had 4,706 official bases in 2025, and they record each buyer, with an Indonesian ID card (KTP) asked for at purchase. Small resellers often charge more. In August 2026 the cylinder was still sold to all income groups, and the government planned to restrict it by income decile, with no start date.

Bright Gas, 5.5 kg and 12 kg. The non-subsidised cylinders come in bright colours such as pink and have a double valve and a plastic seal that shows they have not been opened. The 5.5 kg size suits small and medium households and the 12 kg size large households. Since 16 September 2026 the agent price in Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara Barat has been Rp 107,000 for 5.5 kg and Rp 230,000 for 12 kg, and bases usually add Rp 15,000 to 20,000 per cylinder. Refills can also be ordered online through Klik Indomaret.

Old blue 12 kg cylinders. Since October 2020 Pertamina has swapped blue 12 kg Elpiji cylinders for pink Bright Gas ones at refill when stock allows. The swap is free, and the gas and the price are the same.

What to ask the landlord

• Is the electricity prepaid or postpaid? For prepaid, what is the meter number and how much credit is on the meter at handover?
• What is the capacity in VA, and does the breaker hold with all air conditioners and the pool pump running?
• Are electricity, water and gas included in the rent or paid separately?
• For postpaid, who pays the bill each month, and is it paid up to date?
• Is the water from PDAM or a well? Is well water filtered, and has it ever tasted salty?
• Is drinking water delivered, and who orders it?
• Which gas cylinders does the kitchen use, and who arranges refills?
• Will the owner apply for more capacity if it is needed?