Escape from America was a dream of mine for many years prior to moving to Bali, like most Americans I was sick and tired of working for the United States Government, still under the illusion that I actually worked for myself. We left the east coast of America and made our escape to Bali in June 1998, selling our home, furniture, automobile and dissolving our construction business. Looking back it’s hard to believe that we actually moved lock, stock and barrel to the other side of the world, taking our daughter Bridget, who was 3, and our son Brandon who was only 2 months old at that time, keep in mind that I had no job waiting for me, and didn’t speak the language. My family and friends thought I was crazy, they all said “ what will you do for work, where are you going to live, what about your children, will it be safe, can you adapt…………

I know what you’re probably thinking, if you’ve seen one tropical island; you’ve seen them all. But hang on a minute, did you know that Bali has more variety of flora than any other place on earth, that it’s vast terrain of mountains, volcanoes, deep river gorges, emerald green rice paddies, and beautiful beaches make it one of the most diversified terrains of any tropical island. Many tropical islands are beautiful yet very boring, here in Bali you’ll find endless exciting activities that improve your quality of life and boost your health. Bali has three world-class golf courses, sailing yachts, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, scuba diving, paragliding, lawn bowling, bird parks, reptile parks, mountain biking, rice-trekking and many more exciting things to do and see. No matter what you’re looking for, it’s here on the “Island of the Gods”.

Bali is one of 17,000 islands that make up the Indonesian archipelago, the largest archipelago in the world. Although Bali is clearly part of Indonesia it operates more like an independent country, unlike the rest of Indonesia that’s predomidently Muslim in faith, the Balinese are Hindu, a very peaceful natured race that spend the majority of their time eating, sleeping and breathing their religion.

Where should I live in Bali?

This of course leads us to the discussion of diversity, quality of life and other issues…. If your ideal place involves having the best of both worlds (convenience, services, clean air, clean water and removed from the hustle and bustle) the artistic village of Ubud would be your choice. What’s in this area ? Over 250 international restaurants, excellent jazz clubs, more than 500 art galleries, world-class health-spas, beautiful hand carved furniture, and the center of Balinese culture. The truly unique thing about the Ubud area is, you can leave the hustle and bustle in a short 5 minute drive, and find yourself deep in the jungle, along a deep river gorge or out in the rice paddies watching the white herons gently strolling through the grasslands. Ubud is home to hundreds of painters, writers, sculptures, and musicians. If you like the color green, big trees, rivers, flowers, huge mountains, rice paddies, and cool-air you’ll fall-in love with this place called Ubud.

The wild nightlife scene can be found on the south-end of the island, in the areas of Kuta, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, and Sanur. What's in these areas?  Hundreds of night clubs, discos, and bars that stay open till 4am, international restaurants, 5 Starr Hotels, world class golf courses, sailing yachts, and thousands of shopping establishments.

For other types of entertainment there are bowling alleys, movie theaters, modern shopping malls, and supermarkets stocked with a number of American and European brands.

Of course if your idea is to get away from it all, then you’ll want the high mountain range in the north of Bali, this area includes the villages of Bedugul, Pacung, or Jatuluwi, you’d be hard pressed to find any tourist in this part of Bali. What’s in these areas ? Mountains, incredible views, beautiful oceans and cold mountain air… little if any services up in this neck of the woods, but civilization is a mere hour away. In Bali you can have everything or have nothing, it’s clearly your choice.

LOT COSTS

The price for land all depends on where the property is located; attributes like road frontage, utilities and public services will dramatically increase the value; a lot located in the popular touristy spots of Kuta, Ubud or Sanur will fetch a premium price. One can buy a ½ lot in the northern mountains of Bali for $10,000 dollars; this type of land although very beautiful, will offer little in the way of services or convenience. A decent ½ lot close to town, with nice views will set you back $40,000 or more.

BUILDING COSTS

While building costs will of course vary on how complicated or luxurious you build, a general rule is to figure on at least US$ 30 per square foot for a basic cement block home with tile floors. Wood construction are very expensive in Bali, the beautiful hardwoods such as Teak and Iron Wood must be shipped from Borneo and Sumatra, if you decide to construct a home entirely from hardwoods you can expect to pay US$ 100 per square foot or more.   For If you want the best, two layers of brick and three layers of plaster would be your choice, only the best homes are constructed in this manner. This is how our grandfathers built them in America, and those days are long gone.  A double brick home, with marble floors, top of the line glazed tile roof, quality fixtures ect…….will cost US$ 50 per square foot.  Many materials are imported from Italy, Germany and America these type of building materials will cost about the same as in the states, the real difference can be found with local labor costs.  A seasoned master mason will charge US$ 5 per day and general construction labor will cost about US$ 3 per day (no misprint, per day - not per hour).  Plumber and Electricians charge by the job, an average 1500 square foot home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths will cost around US$ 500 to US$ 700.