28 October 2022 · People Like You · Indonesia
Digital Nomad Dads: Balancing Work and Family in Bali
By Ben Carter, remote product manager, coffee snob, and father of two tire-sprinting toddlers.
“I thought moving to Bali would feel like a permanent holiday.
Turns out it feels more like… life—just sunnier, cheaper, and surprisingly kid-friendly.”
Most relocation blogs obsess over whether the Wi-Fi is good (spoiler: it is) or the smoothie bowls are photogenic (always). Yet when you’re relocating with children, you worry about an entirely different spreadsheet of variables: nap windows across time zones, preschool wait-lists, and how many wipes you can legally cram into a carry-on.
After twelve months in Canggu with my partner Ava and our boys (Finn, 5, and Luca, 2), I’ve learned what actually matters for nomad parents. Below is a candid, data-sprinkled guide to help you decide if Bali can be your family’s sandbox, too.
1. Why We Chose Bali Over Lisbon, Tbilisi, or Staying Put
I ran the numbers in BorderPilot’s planning dashboard for half a dozen destinations. Bali won on four pillars:
-
Cost–Quality Sweet Spot
My London rent (£2,800/month for a two-bed minutes from the Overground) morphed into an entire three-bed villa with pool for £1,100 in Berawa. Groceries, daycare, massages—everything pencilled out at 40–50 % less than back home, without downgrading quality. -
Time-Zone Goldilocks
I manage a distributed product team spanning Europe and Australia. Bali’s UTC+8 slot allows me 6 a.m.–10 a.m. overlaps with Berlin and 1 p.m.–5 p.m. catch-ups with Sydney. That leaves a generous midday stretch for family. -
Visa Practicality
Indonesia’s 60-day e-VOA extension dance is still fiddly, but recent Second-Home and B211A visa pathways mean I can string together a low-stress twelve-month stay. (I’ll cover the paperwork later.) -
Community for Kids and Parents
International schools, Montessori preschools, surf clubs for five-year-olds—there’s an ecosystem already set up. Meanwhile, I can swap keystrokes for yoga or catch a sunset dad-bod surf lesson.
Add in tropical weather and a smoothie for £2 and, well, the spreadsheet closed itself.
2. A Day-in-the-Life Budget (in IDR and USD)
Below is our honest, averaged monthly spend for a family of four in Canggu. I track in Indonesian rupiah and convert at 1 USD ≈ 15,000 IDR.
| Category | IDR/month | USD/month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-bed villa (furnished) | 240 000 000 yearly lease → 20 000 000 monthly | $1,330 | Private pool & garden |
| Utilities (electricity, water, gas) | 3 000 000 | $200 | AC running nightly |
| Fiber internet (100 Mbps) | 800 000 | $53 | Biznet |
| Preschool (Luca) | 6 500 000 | $430 | Montessori half-day |
| International school (Finn) | 11 000 000 | $735 | Grade 1 at Canggu Community School |
| Health insurance (family plan) | 3 900 000 | $260 | GeoBlue nomad policy |
| Transport (monthly scooter lease + occasional GoCar) | 2 000 000 | $135 | One scooter + car hire for rain days |
| Groceries & markets | 8 000 000 | $535 | 70 % plant-based |
| Eating out & cafés | 6 000 000 | $400 | Two café lunches per week, one date night |
| Childcare sitter (12 hrs/week) | 2 400 000 | $160 | Lifesaver for calls |
| Activities (surf classes, yoga, kids clubs) | 3 000 000 | $200 | |
| Misc. (clothes, visas, repairs) | 2 500 000 | $165 |
Total: ≈ IDR 69 100 000 / USD $4,600 per month
Could you go leaner? Absolutely. Swap the villa pool for an apartment and local school and you could squeeze under $3 k. Could you go full Kardashian? Equally yes—Umalas has $6 k villas begging for Instagram reels.
3. Work & Study Logistics
Visas Without Tears
I’m not an immigration lawyer—nor do I cosplay as one after too many Bintangs—so always check current regulations. Here’s the simplified playbook we used:
- Arrival: 30-day Visa on Arrival (VOA) (500 k IDR per adult).
- Extend: Converted to a 60-day stay via the same VOA (did it through an agent; 900 k IDR plus three embassy visits for finger-printing).
- Bridge to B211A: To avoid visa runs with kids, we switched to the six-month B211A socio-cultural visa, sponsored by our villa manager’s agency (approx. 9 million IDR per adult, kids discounted).
- Long Game: We’re now eyeing the Second-Home Visa, which requires financial proof ($130 k savings) but grants five years—tempting if we choose to plant deeper roots.
I tracked renewals in the same spreadsheet that nags me about foreign asset reporting. One calendar = fewer panic sweats.
Internet & Power Reliability
Contrary to 2010 blog lore, Bali’s connectivity has levelled up:
• Fiber speeds: Up to 200 Mbps symmetrical in Canggu, Sanur, Ubud.
• Co-working spaces: Dojo, BWork, Tropical Nomad—$150–$200 per month with Skype booths.
• Power cuts: Two or three brief outages monthly; most villas have backup generators.
I keep a 40 Mbps 4G hotspot on Telkomsel (100 GB data for 150 k IDR) as redundancy during investor calls.
Schooling Matrix
We toured four schools—here’s the cheat sheet parents share in WhatsApp groups:
| School | Curriculum | Annual Fees (Grade 1) | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canggu Community School | IB | $9.3 k | Walking distance; strong arts | Wait-list |
| Green School | Green School Way (IB lean) | $13 k | Jungle campus, sustainability ethos | Commute from Canggu = 50 min |
| Australian Independent | Australian | $8 k | Solid academics, expat mix | Less campus wow |
| Montessori Cottage | Montessori | $6 k (preschool) | Child-led, bilingual | Smaller resources |
Tip: Apply before you land. Some dads camp in Telegram groups months prior just for a seat.
Childcare Hacks
- Part-time nannies: 30 k–50 k IDR per hour. Fluent English costs a premium but is worth every rupiah during sprint retros.
- Play cafés: Parklife and Tamora Gallery have indoor slides plus Wi-Fi. I’ve literally approved a pull-request from a beanbag while my son hammered Lego three metres away.
- Swap-care tribe: We rotate Friday afternoon playdates with two neighbour families; each parent gets a guilt-free two-hour surf slot every third Friday.
4. Cultural Adaptation Tips (From Embarrassing Personal Experience)
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Master Five Bahasa Phrases
A simple “Terima kasih, Pak” (thank you, sir) melts friction everywhere—from immigration desks to warung queues. -
Respect the Calendar
Nyepi (Day of Silence) shuts the entire island—no flights, no beach, even Wi-Fi routers get politely unplugged. Stock snacks and embrace the forced digital detox. -
Dress for Temples
Bring a sarong and sash in your scooter’s seat pocket. Temples spontaneous invite; shorts = no entry. -
Traffic Zen
Scooters weave like schooling fish. Honks are gentle “I’m here” nudges, not aggressive horns. Adopt the flow and you’ll survive. -
Family Interaction
Balinese adore children. Expect waiters to whisk your baby away for a kitchen tour while you eat in peace—both charming and mildly disconcerting. -
Rice-Field Etiquette
Drones, Instagram reels, barefoot wanderings—cool. But remember these are real farmers’ livelihoods. Offer a smile, never block pathways, donate when appropriate.
5. First-Person Story: Our Roller-Coaster Year
Let’s zoom out from spreadsheets.
Month 1: The Honeymoon
We arrived during a late-October thunderstorm. Finn sprinted straight into the villa pool fully clothed; Luca mistook geckos for dinosaurs. Ava and I marvelled that we could order nasi campur on WhatsApp and have it delivered for £1. During work calls, roosters crowed in the background—my colleagues created a bingo card.
Month 3: Reality Bites
Visa extension #1 clashed with a sprint review. I missed the session to queue at Immigration Denpasar, toddler strapped to my chest. That night, Luca spiked dengue-like fever. GeoBlue’s clinic recommendation paid off: doctor visit + meds set us back £28. Crisis averted, but the glossy Instagram filter cracked a little.
Month 6: The Groove
We discovered GoKid!—an Indonesian Uber but for car-seats. School drop-offs synced with my EU stand-ups; midday surf replaced London’s grey lunch walks. My productivity KPIs ticked up 12 % (thanks, time-tracking software) while my blood pressure ticked down.
Month 9: The Wobble
My UK accountant flagged that my days back home for Christmas could trigger UK tax residency. I binge-read BorderPilot’s Tax optimisation guide—written for touring musicians but oddly applicable. A quick tweak: limited UK stay to 31 days and logged every flight receipt. Crisis averted.
Month 12: Renewal—and Questions
We stood on Berawa Beach at sunset, boys chucking sand at each other, and asked, Do we stay? Pros: costs, lifestyle, community. Cons: distance from grandparents, rising villa prices, and, well, geckos in the toaster. We’ve decided on “one more year” under the Second-Home Visa while road-testing remote schooling options.
Frequently Asked Dad Questions (FADQs)
Is Bali safe for kids?
Yes—violent crime is rare. Main hazards are traffic and the occasional stomach bug. Helmets and hand-sanitiser are non-negotiable.
Can I work U.S. hours?
Possible, but brutal. UTC+8 means midnight stand-ups. Some dads do a split shift: 6–9 a.m. + 10 p.m.–1 a.m., nap midday, surf in between.
Are there enough playmates?
Canggu alone hosts dozens of expat families. Our five-year-old attends birthday parties weekly (my wallet weeps).
What about baby gear?
Diapers and formula are everywhere, but double the price. Pack specialty items (organic oat milk, niche board books).
“Bali didn’t simplify life: it magnified the parts that mattered.”
Living here with kids isn’t the shallow postcard some blogs sell. There are ant invasions, dengue scares, and occasional homesickness. Yet I’ve also seen my children learn Indonesian phrases, release baby turtles into the sea, and accept cultural diversity as baseline—not buzzword. My own work-life balance finally weighs in favour of life.
If you’re a parent eyeing the nomad path, Bali sits at the top of the candidate list for good reason. The infrastructure for remote work is solid, and the village-within-a-vibe community means you’ll rarely feel alone—unless you count Nyepi, when everyone is alone, together.
Ready to Design Your Family’s Next Chapter?
BorderPilot’s relocation engine pulled the data that guided our move—from visa probabilities to kindergarten wait-times. Give it your inputs (kids’ ages, tax residency constraints, beach-vs-mountain preference) and let the algorithm spit out personalised game plans.
Create your free relocation plan today—and maybe I’ll see you at the next Canggu dads’ pizza night. 🍕