In July & August 2023 I spent two epic months in a digital nomad surfers haven – Kuta, Lombok.
Imagine boating out to reef breaks every afternoon, after spending the day analyzing project results for work from at a beachfront co-working space. Post a two hour sunset surf sesh I would return to the house I’d rented in the heart of Kuta, wave hello to the friendly local family living next door, and heat up some Nasi Campour for dinner. To me this life would never get old!
An important part of any trip plan, especially when you’re going to live somewhere for a couple of months or more, is understanding how much money you will need to sustain yourself and to afford the type of trip you want to have.
To help you plan your surf trip to Kuta Lombok, I’ve put together exactly what I spent, along with the costs of several common items, to help you budget for your adventure.
What I spent in 2 months in Lombok Surfing and Living as a Digital Nomad:
I spent 1 week in a surf camp with everything included, and 7 weeks living in Kuta, working remotely from a co-working space, and surfing most days. My lifestyle in Lombok was simple, and similar to the way I live at home – with my time mostly spent surfing, working, eating good food, and catching up with friends.
| IDR | ||
| 1 week surf camp | 19,655,000 | At a high end surf camp, including accomodation, food, coffee & laundry |
| Sim card | 70,000 | I purchased 35 gb data prepaid Telkomsel card, valid for 1 month for 70k, then through the app scored 12 gb for the second month for free (on the day the previous month was expiring) |
| Scooter hire | 2,195,000 | I paid 50k per day for the first week before committing to the bike long term at 45k per day, total of 48 days |
| 1 week holiday accomodation | 2,400,000 | ~345k per night. Simple, standalone, private room with a small kitchen and bathroom |
| 6 weeks house rental | 13,650,000 | ~325k per night. Rented a western style house in a local area which I found in a Facebook group. It had a covered patio, yard, full kitchen, and a study |
| 2 months co-working space membership | 3,500,000 | I purchased monthly memberships at 1.75m per month |
| Discretional spending 7 weeks | 255,123,000 | ~36.5m per week. This includes all spending outside of what’s above: food, boat hires, the gym, laundry, parking, tips, water, petrol. Check out the table below for the cost of these items in Lombok |
| Total cost to live, surf, and work in Lombok for 2 months | 296,593,000 | ~37.1m per week |
My main discretional spending during my surf trip to Lombok was on food and boat hires, but it wasn’t a lot. Kuta is a very affordable place to travel, especially if you eat at local warungs and shop for groceries at local markets and stands.
Here’s a breakdown of the cost of various items in Lombok that make up the discretional spending portion of my budget.
Cost of things in Kuta, Lombok in 2023:
| Vendor | IDR | |
| Food & Drinks | ||
| Large water | Fresh Market | 7,000 |
| Small water | Fresh Market | 3,000 |
| Shopping bag | Fresh Market | 10,000 |
| Paper towel | Fresh Market | 15,500 |
| Cherry tomatos | Fresh Market | 20,000 |
| Soffel Mosquito spray | Fresh Market | 20,000 |
| Soyjoy bar | Fresh Market | 11,500 |
| Healthy Bar | Fresh Market | 24,500 |
| Almonds | Fresh Market | 96,900 |
| Nut & fruit mix | Fresh Market | 78,900 |
| Cucumber | Fresh Market | 5,015 |
| Granny smith apple | Fresh Market | 4,762 |
| 5 bananas, 2 oranges | Fruit stand | 15,000 |
| Crunchy natural peanut butter | The Breakery | 90,000 |
| 1 kg ground coffee beans | Milk Espresso | 450,000 |
| Small bottle of rum | Bistro Deli | 129,000 |
| Eating Out | ||
| Typical local meal (Nasi Campour, Chicken Curry, Chicken Sate, Bakso) | 15,000-25,000 | |
| Typical meal at a western style cafe | 70,000 | |
| Lunch salad special + smoothie | Loka | 123,000 |
| Surfing | ||
| Boat in Grupuk, per person | 100,000 | |
| Small boat from Awang to Ekas (minimum price – fits up to 3) | 250,000 | |
| Large boat from Awang to Ekas (minimum price) | 350,000 | |
| Wet bag | Loka | 400,000 |
| Sex Wax | Surf shop in Grupuk | 70,000 |
| Transport | ||
| Green bottle of petrol | Several | 12,000 |
| Cheap helmet | 100,000 | |
| New tire on scooter | Mechanic near Mawi | 100,000 |
| Car transport rate from Kuta to airport (pre-negotiation) | Side of the road travel stand in Kuta | 150,000 |
| Laundry | ||
| Laundry (per kg) | Several | 7,000 |
On top of what to budget for your time in Lombok, you will also need to consider the costs of getting to the tropical surf island, and covering yourself with some travel insurance in case anything were to go astray.
Other costs to consider when building your Kuta Lombok travel budget:
- Flights (and a potential transit through Bali). Read more about how to get to Kuta Lombok.
- Transport to and from the airport in your home country
- Luggage & surfboard addons
- Surfboard travel bag
- Travel vaccinations
- Travel insurance
- Visa
Now you have everything you need to consider when budgeting for an epic surf and remote work trip to Kuta Lombok! Before going, make sure to check out our Kuta Lombok Digital Nomad Travel Guide for surf, co-working, and restaurant recommendations.
Can’t get enough of Indo’s peeling reef breaks? Read about the Top 5 Spots for Digital Nomad Surfers in Indonesia and our Top Longboard Spots in Bali for Digital Nomads.
