Where to live in Bali: Canggu, Seminyak, Ubud, Uluwatu or Sanur?
5 min ·
Canggu, Pererenan and Seminyak: the busy south-west
Canggu is the digital-nomad capital: cafés, coworking spaces, gyms and surf, at the cost of heavy traffic and the highest rents on the island. Pererenan, just north, is quieter and slightly cheaper with the same beach. Seminyak is more polished — restaurants, boutiques, beach clubs — and suits people who want walkable nightlife rather than a scooter-only life.
Kerobokan and Umalas, between the two, are where many long-term residents settle: bigger villas for the same money, ten minutes from everything.
Ubud, Uluwatu and the Bukit, Sanur: three other lives
Ubud, inland, is green, cooler and slower: yoga, rice fields, a strong community, but an hour from the beach. Uluwatu, Ungasan and Pecatu on the Bukit peninsula offer cliffs, world-class surf and newer villas, with fewer shops and longer drives. Sanur, on the east coast, is calm and flat with a long promenade, good schools and the ferry to Nusa Penida — a favourite with families and retirees.
Denpasar and Jimbaran are cheaper again and closer to the airport, at the price of less expat infrastructure.
Compare rents before you choose
Rent for a similar villa can differ by half between two areas ten minutes apart. Our market price page shows the median asking rent for villas and houses in each area, measured on live BaliMarket listings, and every area page lists what is available right now.
Rent monthly for the first one or two months before signing a yearly lease: traffic, noise and the daily commute are things you only learn by living there.