The cost of living in Lombok is not as high as in Jakarta or other major cities. With an income of 5 million rupiahs or more, you can save money and travel on weekends.
Oh, is it enough for a vacation every week? Well… The cost of a vacation in Lombok is not as expensive as in other areas. Besides, the ticket prices and parking fees are very affordable at every tourist destination in Lombok.
The options for tourist attractions in Lombok are indeed diverse, with relatively close locations. Just imagine, in one day, you can enjoy the cool mountain air in Sembalun, and within a 3-hour drive, you can already relish the magnificent sea breeze.
Okay, that’s enough about the tourist side, as life is not just about tourism, right?
The cost of living in Lombok for migrants.
The cost of housing in Lombok.
If you are a migrant or newcomer, there are so many housing options to choose from based on your income. Options include boarding houses, apartments, rentals, or even opting for subsidized or commercial housing.
Boarding House
The price of boarding houses (kost-kosan) in Lombok ranges from four hundred thousand rupiahs to one million rupiahs. It depends on the facilities, whether the bathroom is inside or outside, and how close it is to universities or business and government centers.
Before making an agreement to rent a boarding house, it’s important to ask from the beginning if there are additional fees for using an iron, a magic jar (rice cooker), or a refrigerator.
Goverment Subsidized Apartment
The second alternative is an apartment (Rumah Susun). The rental cost for apartments (Rusunawa) in Lombok is very affordable. By spending as little as one hundred thousand rupiahs (quoted from Lombok Post Online), you can have decent temporary accommodation. This price does not include electricity and clean water fees.
House for Rent in Mataram
The economic hub of Lombok is in Mataram. This city is well-prepared for incoming residents. As evidence, finding a rental house in Mataram is quite easy.
The prices of rental houses in Mataram are also considered cheap and affordable. You can typically find rental houses in the range of 10-20 million rupiahs per year.
For rental houses on the outskirts of Mataram (West Lombok Regency), the prices are even lower. If you’re lucky, you can find a rental house (usually BTN Subsidized) in the range of 6-10 million rupiahs per year.
Mortgage House
For those who have a desire to settle or live in Lombok for an extended period, don’t hesitate to consider taking a mortgage (KPR). Subsidized house prices in Lombok range from 100-200 million rupiahs, with monthly installments between 900,000 rupiahs to 2 million rupiahs.
However, there are no subsidized houses in Mataram city. They are only available in some regencies such as West Lombok, North Lombok, East Lombok, and Central Lombok.
For those who plan to work or engage in activities in Mataram city, it’s not a bad idea to choose housing located in West Lombok regency. Besides being neighboring areas, the travel time required is only 10-20 minutes.
Cost of Living in Lombok: Food
It’s actually a bit challenging to explain the food budget in Lombok because the standards of food, including portion sizes and preferred dining places, vary. Therefore, I will only discuss the price of rice and the cost of packed rice (nasi bungkus).
The price of rice in Lombok ranges from 10,000 rupiahs to 20,000 rupiahs, depending on the quality. As for the price of packed rice (nasi bungkus) in Lombok, it ranges from 5,000 rupiahs to 15,000 rupiahs.
Cost of Living in Lombok: Transportation
There is no public transportation in Lombok, especially within the city, that can be expected to be available 24 hours to support daily activities. So, you should have private transportation, whether it’s a motorcycle or a car.
For inter-regency travel, you have two options. First, there’s “Engkel” transportation and DAMRI.
Engkel routes in Lombok only serve the main national roads, from Mandalika Terminal in Lombok to less defined routes. So, we do not recommend using this public transportation for people who are not experienced in Lombok.
The routes of DAMRI in Lombok.
| ASAL | TUJUAN | WAKTU BERANGKAT | HARGA TIKET |
| Mataram ( Terminal Mandalika ) | Santong ( Lombok Utara ) | 06:00 | Rp. 25.000 |
| Santong ( Lombok Utara ) | Mataram ( Terminal Mandalika ) | 13:00:00 | Rp. 25.000 |
| Mataram ( Terminal Mandalika ) | Pesugulan ( Lombok Timur ) | 06:30:00 | Rp. 25.000 |
| Mataram | Bangsal ( Lombok Utara ) | 15.00 – 20.00 | Rp. 20.000 |
| Bandara Lombok ( Praya ) | Selong, Lombok Timur | Selama Jam Penerbangan | Rp. 35.000 |
| Bandara Lombok ( Praya ) | Pantai Senggigi (Lombok Barat) | Selama Jam Penerbangan | Rp 40.000 |
| Bandara Lombok ( Praya ) | Pusat Kota Mataram | Selama Jam Penerbangan | Rp 35.000 |
| Bandara Lombok ( Praya ) | Epicentrum | Selama Jam Penerbangan | Rp. 35.000 |
The price of gasoline in Lombok.
There is no difference in gasoline prices on Lombok compared to Java when buying at gas stations (SPBU). However, if you purchase gasoline in retail, there is usually an additional 20-30 percent markup over the SPBU price.
Toll Road
There are no toll roads in Lombok. So, this factor doesn’t need to be included in your calculations. You only need to prepare a parking fee of 1,000 Rupiah for two-wheeled vehicles and 5,000 Rupiah for four-wheeled vehicles.
Communication Costs.
Communication costs in Lombok seem to be not much different from other major cities because the price of prepaid credit or data packages in Lombok appears to be uniform nationwide.
Bottled Drinking Water
Bottled drinking water may seem trivial, but it still needs to be included in the cost of living. After all, it’s a basic necessity.
The price of a water gallon in Lombok ranges from 17,000 rupiahs to 25,000 rupiahs, depending on the brand. If you want to save more, you can use refill services with prices of 3,000 rupiahs per gallon or 4-5,000 rupiahs for home delivery.
Cost of Living in Lombok for Tourists.
For tourists in Lombok, there are several things to consider in budgeting. For those who are used to traveling to other places, the cost of a trip to Lombok may vary significantly.
Hotel / Homestay
Hotel rates in Lombok vary. You can find decent homestays starting from Rp. 150,000 per night, up to five-star hotels or resorts that cost 5 million rupiahs or more per night.
Car / Motorcycle Rental.
The cost of renting a car in Lombok per day ranges from Rp. 700,000 to 1 million rupiahs. As for motorcycle rentals in Lombok, it ranges from Rp. 50,000 to Rp. 100,000 per day.
Inter-Island Transportation.
Lombok has beautiful tourist destinations in the form of small islands like Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, Gili Air, Gili Kedis, Gili Nanggu, and more. So it’s mandatory to budget for these costs.
The price of a public crossing ticket from Bangsal to Gili Trawangan is Rp. 15,000 per person. The price of a Fastboat ticket from Lombok to Gili Trawangan is Rp. 100,000 per person.
Entrance Tickets to Tourist Areas
Entrance tickets to tourist areas in Lombok are not too expensive. They range from 5,000 rupiahs to 150,000 rupiahs per person. The average price is around 15,000 rupiahs.
Diving / Snorkeling Equipment and Many More
If you’ve come to Lombok, why just sit on the beach? Are you sure you don’t want to enjoy the beauty of the underwater world?
The cost for diving and snorkeling equipment can’t be detailed here. If you’re still curious or don’t want to bother thinking about your budget for a trip to Lombok, you can let us take care of it.
Just sit back and choose from the Lombok Tour Package or Rinjani Mountain Trekking Package that we have prepared.










