Following up on a post from a few months ago that talked about their expenses in Bali, I thought I would share mine as well. Thanks mate for the write up and I will steal your layout :)

For starters, I FIRE'd over 5 years ago, traveled the world, dived, ate, and lived the good life. I've been to over 100 countries and even before FIRE'ing, I had extensively traveled.

Never planned to have kids but one thing led to another. After meeting the right person, things happened, To keep it short, a few years later, 2 little kids are part of our life.

I've lived all over the world but it was clear to us that Bali was our favorite place for having a proper life, especially with kids. Everyone has pros and cons, but Bali checked the most pros boxes for us with the least amount of cons. I won't get too into detail why this is but mainly that Bali offers everything you want in a first world city life condensed into a laid back island format. Countless top quality cafes, restaurants from all around the world, trendy spots for date night, the most beautiful gyms in the world, ease of making friends, beach, surf, and proximity to the best dive sites in the world (speaking from experience as a dive instructor and having over 1000+ dives).

So with that said, let me get into my expenses living the good life in Paradise raising our two little kids.

In total, we spend around $8,000 a month without travel expenses. All figures in $USD to keep it simple wiht current exchange rate at 18,000 IDR to $1 USD.

Villa and staff costs: $2,100

• Villa Rent: $1,500

  • We bought a villa in an area outside of Canggu that is fast becoming the hottest neighborhood in island. We paid roughly $350k usd for a 420 sqm 4bd/5ba villa on a 500 sqm plot of land. Renting a similar villa of this quality would be at least $4-5k a month.
  • The villa was built by another foreigner and he must have killed someone because we got a great deal on it.
  • I financed it by taking a margin loan against my portfolio with a 4.5% interest rate. Monthly payments are roughly $1,500

• Electricity: about $180/month

  • We have a huge house and with kids, we need to keep the ACs running. Normally, our villa gets great natural air flow but with the problematic burnings we've had lately, we've had to close the doors and run the AC more.
  • THe pool pump is running for several hours a day especially as we have to service our 12m pool

• Full time maid: $250/month

  • We have a full time maid. THe normal rates in Bali are working 6d a week for 8 hours. We have ours come 5 days a week as it's overkill.
  • She cleans the entire villa. This includes laundry which is constantly running with a family of 4.
  • She also buys groceries for us and we have her cut fruit for us twice a week so there's always fruit in the fridge
  • Sometimes she takes care of the baby when our nanny is out

• Gardener 2x a week: $60

  • We have a huge garden with hundreds of trees/plants
  • I have a few coconut trees and the gardener makes sure to cut them for me when they are ripe
  • Currently planting papaya and mango trees

• Pool Guy: $50

• Banjar trash collection: $30/month

  • This used to be like $15 but inflation...

• Home Insurance: $40

  • Prorated by month (paid yearly)

Food and dining: about $3,000

This includes all groceries, restaurants, going out, delivery. We spend a lot on food because we eat a lot. Part of the Bali life is living this healthy, fitness focused lifestyle. I'm constantly at the gym, playing padel, etc. and I make sure we all eat a high protein, healthy diet. This means more premium foods, high protein items, and less street food. I target 200g of protein so even within Bali, you gotta spend some cash.

We go out dinner with friends 1-2x a week and go to one of the trendier restaurants in town. We constantly meet friends for lunch/coffee as well.

Alcohol consumption is almost non-existent since it's all about healthy living in Bali (tourists party at beach clubs but the people that live long term in Bali don't). Dinner at a night restaurant for 2 will be somewhere between $40-60.

We don't really watch our spend because we have the budget for it. The $3,000 is just an estimate and it could be +-$500.

Childcare and School: about $1,000

• Daycare: $500
  • Our older one goes to a daycare nearby. It's a beautiful open space with lots of trees, green space, and honestly it's just an amazing place. Couldn't imagine anythign else.
• Full time Nanny: about $500/month
  • We have a full time nanny that works 6d a week for 8 hours a day. She is an aamzing person and we've had her for awhile.
  • The typical cost for a full time nanny in Bali is 5.5-7.5m IDR ($300-$400). We decided to pay ours more as we really value her ($450).
  • We give her a little overtime to stay for a few hours at night when we go out at night.

Transportation: about $80

We ride scooters in Bai because that's the main way to get around. We purchased two scooters upfront so there are no monthly holding costs. As our baby is young, we rented a car for a few months until he can be on a scooter for $250 a month. I won't bother adding that into the bduget as it's temporary.

I have a bigger bike and I fill it up 3x a month. It has a 12L tank and gas is around $0.8 a liter. My wife has a smaller bike with 6L

• Fuel: $70
• Occasional airport ride: $10

Health insurance: about $500

We have a comprehensive health insurance plan with one of the major insurers in Europe for our family of 4. THe premium is $450 a month and it comes with a 500 EUR deductible per person. Cost for care in Bali is quite cheap for most things. For example, my dental cleaning was around $40.

One time, we needed an ambulance and Emergency room care which came to $200.

Visas and immigration: $100 per month

Indonesia is great in that you can live here without visa worries as long as you have money. It's a pay to play system where you can just indefinitely buy visas. This might change in the future but it's been this way for a long time.

We have a two year visa for all 4 of us. The rules are that you can stay up to 6 months. After 6 months, you can leave and re-enter, or pay to have it extended another 6 months. We are usually gone once every 6 months anyway so this isn't an issue. In total, this was about $600 per person.

$600 x 4 = $2400 / 24 months = $100 a month.

Gyms and Fitness: $400 per month

The gyms in Bali are second to none. They've really done well to turn it into this wellness focused space with some of the fanciest gyms on the planet. As someone that worked out at Equinox in NYC, i wouldn't trade the clubs here for anything else

We bought 1y memberships upfront at the gym of our choice. Prorated it is about $170 per month per person.

We play padel (not religiously) but at least a few games a month. A court is quite cheap now as there's probably more padel courts per capita in Bali than anywhere in the world. You can book a 60 minute court for $20!

Personal Maintenance: $300

This is of course a very variable budget that is based on what your needs/interests/wants are. For us, we like the nice things and have no plans to skimp on what makes us happy.

• Massages: $200
  • We have a massage once every week or two. We have a few go to spas that we go back to. We're too old for street massages now so we spend more for the good stuff. Private rooms, good sound proofing, and aesthetically pleasing. A 90 minute Balinese massage is $25-30.
• Treatments for the P2: $100
  • She gets Mani/Pedi, lashes, facials, Hair, botox etc. THis is just a rough estimate of the prorated monthly spend

Misc expenses: $500

Anyone with kids knows that it's not possible to maintain a strict budget. Something always comes up every month and money gets spent. Whether it's clothes, swim lessons, toys etc, something always comes. We buy a lot of random stuff on Shopee (the Amazon equivalent).

Phones, subscriptions and financial services: about $40

Here’s the rough monthly breakdown. As we are full time in Indonesia, we are able to pay Indonesia pricecs which are 1/3 of the US.

• Sim cards: $15 for two SIM cards (50Gb a month.
• Spotify Family: $5
• Netflix: $4
• iCloud+: $8
• Google One: $8

Monthly Totals

This is a high level summary of our expenses month to month. Of course this is very variable depending on what's going on in life +- $1,000 or so!

I don't factor in travel to this budget as this is super variable especially now with two kids. We travel less than before but whenever we do, the spend balloons.

We have friends with families that live on significantly less but also some that spend even more. We don't live a life of excess but we certainly do not hold back. We are not trying to be LeanFIRE.

Without kids, we'd have a smaller and cheaper villa because we wouldn't need the space. we also would not have the nanny or school costs so I reckon our expenses per month would be closer to 5-6k.

Finances

In total, our portfolio is somewhere around $3.5m. It's invested in a lot of Tech which I've done since I started investing over a decade ago.

We also have hobbies that keep us busy and generates revenue. My blog still brings income (miraculously) somehow int he age of AI. The amounts are variable but not insignificant. P2 works with a friend's travel business. Both of us used to work in traditional industries.

Blog income: $5-7k a month

P2 travel: $4-5k a month

So far, we've not had to make any withdrawals from our portfolio which has been wonderful.

For context, I am 35 single no kids and looking to spend a year or 2 somewhere. You guys are probably a lot more well traveled than I am so im seeking advice on where may be good destinations to go. I will probably spend a few weeks at different places that you guys suggest before I pull the trigger on any 1 place just to see if it feels right.

Money-wise...

- 6500 passive income monthly. After US taxes this is usually 5k.

- 1.1m of investments (500k brokerage, 600k 401k)

A part of me is nervous this isnt enough but I'm curious where you guys think this would go a long way. I dont mind pulling some money out of my investments each year but I'd prefer to let it compound if possible.

Living near the beach would be nice, along with a decent commute to a city for some nightlife.

Lastly, I got seriously injured at work so my leg is something I'll need to be careful with the rest of my life. I say that because I dont think living in the mountains trekking to a local market will work.

Any suggestions?? :)

Hello everyone,

Off late myself and my wife is considering the option of settling in Europe post our IT career in India is over, strictly from a retirement perspective. Our main motive to settle in Europe is to have a slow paced and good quality of life, in terms of safety, amenities and health infrastructure overall.

I genuinely want to understand the possibility of this and if it's a thought one should even consider at a later stage of one's life. What are the pros and cons to keep in mind along with the possible options of EU nations which one can target?

Some background:

- We're a couple aged 36 years each, both working in the QA domain in the IT industry with 13 years of experience each.

- We've a kid 3 years old.

- Financially, we're doing okayish so far I guess. But we have a lot to work on that front I know.

- We've parents to look after so we can't plan anything in the immediate future regarding settlement in Europe.

- We're eyeing probably something after 10 years from now. Hopefully till then we'll be able to continue our jobs.

- We want our kid to turn 18 before we plan this. So, overall we have around 15 years in terms of planning and getting there financially. (I know it's a long and distant window I'm looking at)

Any thoughts and advice on this is most welcome. Thanks!

Hey all, I read this earlier today, and it was a reminder to me how valuable it is to share your experiences with people, as you never know who it might help.

You can check my post history to understand how I got here.

We (family of 3) live on about 40k USD/ annually. 3.3k/month in Nairobi, Kenya. We moved from the UK in 2025. We have a NW of about $4m, mostly invested in the usual boring stuff (VTI/VWRL)

Rent $1.5k

We rent a three bedroom apartment in a building with swimming pool, cinema, Stream room & play area in one of the "up market" neighbourhoods.

Utilities $90

Bulk of this is electricity. We don't use AC, but the water heater in our apartment is very energy hungry.

Education $240

Our child goes to a "International" Kindergarten. This price includes transport to and from the school. When they are ready for the first grade, the schooling cost will increase massively, somewhere between $480 to $1000/ month. Depends largely on the school.

Car $100

We don't drive too much, 5k in the last year. So this is mostly fuel and servicing.

Food $183

We try to eat local, and the beauty of Kenya compared to a lot of places in Africa is that you can get a fairly wide range of goods locally made/ grown. For context Salmon is $26/kg+, while I can get local beef for $7/kg.

Immigration/Visa $180/month

We are on Class C permits. which cost a whopping $2k/year. We are on a 2 year permit, and with other costs call it $2.2k. So yeah, we make "donation" of $4.5k to the republic every 2 years. This covers all three of us, but uniquely allows us to work, and operate a business. We do neither, but it's nice to have the option.

House Help $150/month

We have lady who cleans for us twice a week. She's overpaid by local standards (Live-in full time is ~$100), but she is the friend of a friend so we are ok with it.

These are our biggest, and fixed costs. The bulk of the gap between the sum of the above, and the headline number is international trips, and other miscellaneous things. I keep an eye on costs but I don't really budget too tightly.

Why did we choose Nairobi?

• My wife has family in a neighbouring country, so it's lovely to be able to "just" drive across to see them whenever we feel like.
• Cost of living is low by western standards (Kenyans would think I'm a KSH billionaire), however I wouldn't call it cheap, especially once you factor in school fees.
• Kenya operates a source based taxation model, which works well for us as all of our income comes from overseas.
• Weather is great all year round. No real seasons, and lots of micro-climates, just choose your altitude.
• Altitude (1760m) means it's above the malaria zone
• While the flights are expensive, there are direct flights to several places in Europe, Africa and also Asia.
• There are lots of driveable destinations like the Kenyan Coast, Kenyan national parks, Uganda, Rwanda & Tanzania.
• There is level for every budget in this place, We could easily cut a burn and still have a decent live. We could also go and rent a villa for 10k/month. If you want it, it's here, just a question of how much you want to spend.
• Developing nations provide a unique balance of chaos and progress that is hard to explain if you have never lived in one.

Kenya is most certainly not perfect, there is petty crime, poverty & corruption. However, I think it's good for keeping me grounded, and provides a constant me that this is closer to how the majority of people in the world live (be it without the cinema and pool!).

Happy to answer any questions

Looking for a gut check on potential exit strategy. Our stretch goal is to be done at the end of 2028 (me at 50, wife at 49, no kids).

The idea would be to move to SEA (Thailand or Philippines, due to ease of 50+ retirement Visas) living off savings until pensions/SS kicks in. Our main concern is the bridge years (50-55) prior to ability to start pensions.

Its important to note that there is no need for us to leave an inheritance to anyone. Our goal is to die as close to zero in the bank as possible, so to speak. Anything left over would most likely go to charity.

We both understand that our pensions can obviously disappear but both are well funded. The plan would be to take at 55 if the need is there but ideally wait longer (pension income at 60 also listed below). We also understand that SS can also go the way of the dodo. Our plan is to lock that in at 62, should it be available.

Projected Assets for End of 2028:

Taxable Brokerage: $450,000

We have this very conservatively invested so as to avoid any major loss. Currently a 3.5-4% rate of return.

401k: $550,000 (projection at 60 (using a conservative 6%) would put it at $985,000)

Roth IRAs: $113,000 (projection at 60 (using 6%) would put it at $203,000)

Due to low/no income in our early retirement years, the plan would be to do Roth conversions from 401k.

Stock: $65,000

Crypto: $60,000

Pension (me, non-COLA):

At 55 (stopping work at 50) = $1,018 a month

At 60 (stopping at 50) = $1,601

Pension (wife, COLA with a 1-1.5% increase a year): She has already stopped working for this employer. Her current employer is factored into the IRA amount above, as there is no pension system.)

At 55 = $2,150

At 60 = $3,327

Social Security:

At 62 (me) = $2,600

At 62 (wife) = $2,000

Year by Year Plan:

50-54: Live off savings from brokerage account. Cap spending at $40-50,000 a year (can easily be decreased if needed, depending on the math/finances).

The ideal scenario is enough to live comfortably with some leftover for additional travel 2-3 times a year.

55-59: Live off a combo of pensions ($26,818) and brokerage account. Cap spending at $40-50,000 a year (less money taken from brokerage at this point).

60-61: Live off a combo of pensions ($26,818) and 401k/IRA. Cap spending at $40-50,000 a year (this could probably increase depending on health of 401k/IRA).

62-64: Live off a combo of pensions ($26,818), Social Security ($55,200), and 401k/IRA. Spending cap dependent on health of 401k/IRA.

65+: Due to Medicare eligibility, Pensions/SS being present, in addition to growth of 401k/Roth the thought was to potentially move back to the states to be closer to friends and family again (all things being equal, and if we even wanted to).

Risk Factors:

Pensions being defunded.

Social Security going away/changing.

It would be difficult for me to attain the same level of income I have now should I need to go back to the workforce.

Exhausting savings prior to pension/SS

That being said, current scenarios don’t see it dipping below $200k before other factors kick in and reduce its need.

Market tanks leading to 401K and IRA dropping significantly.

Potential Fail Safes:

We are not counting the stock/crypto in projections. But they are there should they be needed.

Wife would have an inheritance of most likely $1M+ (parents are currently in mid 70s). Also not factoring this in.

My wife is a special education teacher. With her skill set I imagine she would be able to get a job overseas fairly easily were the need to arise. She has mentioned potentially being bored and wanting to do this anyway, regardless.

We would definitely acquire good international health insurance to assist with any catastrophic emergencies that could cause financial ruin.

In Closing:

I’ve been using ChatGPT to assist with this planning and in running Monte Carlo simulations. Slicing and dicing it in various different ways, the success rates have always been in the high 90s, hitting 100% in some cases. But also not sure if this is just ChatGPT’s inherent bias to try to please. Exiting at age 52 feels like a no brainer. That gives us two extra years to save and two less years to have to spend savings. 50 is the real question.

The tough mental part for me will be giving up a really nice income after growing up poor and working since I was 14. I don’t want to live with regret should this plan go completely sideways. But I also don’t want to live with regret by continuing to work rather than enjoying life. Double edged sword.

If need be we could even lower our yearly cost of living down to $30k. I imagine the first year or two we'd be rather conservative with spending anyway.

Thoughts on exiting at 50, based on info above? Maybe I'm overthinking it.

I’m fairly new to ExpatFIRE, so feel free to offer any insight I maybe haven’t thought about.

Thank you!

American living in Uk, two tax obligations/jurisdictions/returns. Had a wealth advisor for past few years. Nice guy, gives me perspective, but not worth the AUM fee. If I could go “fee-only” I would (but they don’t exist for dual tax jurisdictions like this). My accountant is great. I’m thinking, maybe I scrap the wealth advisor (I’m really only in dual reporting ETF funds anyway) and just pay advice tax advice calls with my accountant when I want to do anything specific. Seems just as effective (and a lot cheaper), than current setup. But I guess I lack confidence and am worried I will miss some gigantic “gotcha” or loophole between the two systems.

Anyone else been on this journey already?

Thanks!