What Kinds Of Material Goods Are Available in Bali?

Bali has a variety of shopping opportunities. You can get all of the usual Asian fruits and vegetables in Bali like durian, rambutan, and jackfruit. Seafood is plentiful if you live by the coast although the cost for things like prawns has gone up a lot over the past decade as more and more of the catch goes to hotels and restaurants. The Balinese aren’t supposed to eat beef, and the Muslims aren’t supposed to eat pork. Both are available for the expatriate. If you regularly eat local dishes like nasi goring (fried rice) and mie goring (fried noodles), you’ll find that your food bill will be quite low.
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Bali has the superstore, Makro (http://www.makro.co.id/makro), which sells just about everything. It’s a supermarket with a stock similar to what you would find in a Western supermarket. It also carries electronic goods like televisions and microwaves and music systems, tools, toys, clothes, and office supplies. You’ll find it full of Westerners buying items in bulk. Bali now has a number of computer stores, and it is cheaper to buy your computer and peripherals here than bring them in as customs charges an excessively high duty on imported electronics. If you really have the shakes and need to do some Western shopping check out the new malls down in the Kuta tourist area – there is even an Ace Hardware store there now.

While Bali doesn’t have cable tv, it does have a subscription satellite company, Indovision, which receives approximately 40 channels. You can buy inexpensive televisions or the more expensive large models. We recently purchased a 43-inch television for approximately $1300.

Transportation is another expense. The motorbike is the most common vehicle on the road. A 100cc Honda goes for around $1200. Make sure that you get an international license before you leave your home country. Automobiles are relatively expensive in Bali, although several new inexpensive models have been released and can be purchased for as low as $10,000. Driving in Bali can be a harrowing experience, and if you are not a skilled driver, it would be worth your money (and your life) to hire a driver.