I was fortunate enough to stay in Lombok for 4 nights and man, did I need more time. I talk about that in another post but in this post, I’ll share my budget travel to Lombok in under $30 a day.
As a newbie to budget travel, I was pretty proud of myself for really enjoying my trip but also being able to not break the bank. Of course, you can travel on less in Indonesia but I was going for a more low-medium budget.
I kept track of all my expenses and will share them as I go day today for a budget travel guide to Lombok. The official exchange rate was 1 USD = 13,750 IDR, but most places have the rate at 13,500 IDR.
Day 1
On the first day, I arrived in Lombok from the Gili Islands around 10 am. I found a transport company that gave me a ticket for the public boat (45 min) to Lombok and then a car ride to Kuta, Lombok (2 hrs) for 175,000 IDR. before the boat ride, I grabbed some breakfast consisting of veggie noodles and water. This cost 20,000 IDR. While in between the boat and car ride I ran to a local shop to top off my phone for another 25,000 IDR.
On the car ride down an unfortunate event occurred and we were in a car accident. It’s a long story but I was happy to hear that everyone was fine a few days later. Due to being in an accident, I got a Grab (like Uber, Lyft, etc.) with the other riders in the car. Luckily we were all headed to around the same area. This ride divided by us 5 was another 75,000 IDR.
From here I made it to my hostel in the late afternoon. The hostel was 135,000 IDR per night and included breakfast. After the long day it was time for a quick nap, shower, and to go find some food. I began to walk around to explore the new area. I walked to the nearby, Kuta beach.
On the first day in Kuta, I had two meals which cost 50,000 IDR and 65,000 IDR.
Day 1 expenses: 545,000 IDR
Day 2
The next day I got up ate breakfast at the hostel and headed to a local beach clean – parking cost 10,000 IDR. Once I was done I checked out and moved to another hostel. I also rented a bike for 50,000 IDR per day for three days. The next hostel I planned to stay for 3 nights at 100,000 IDR a night and included breakfast.
After checking into the next hostel, I headed to Selong beach. Beach parking costs 10,000 IDR. Here I had lunch at a local warung for 20,000 IDR. Next, I rented a surfboard for an hour for 50,000 IDR. After I was in need of a coconut break -yum- for 15,000 IDR.
After a few hours of surfing and spending time on the beach, I headed back to my bike to head back to town. But!… I realized I lost my key. Luckily a local had found my key on the ground and gave it back 🙂 in exchange I gave her 12,000 IDR. For diner that night my meal was 50,000 IDR and a beer for 30,000 IDR.
Day 2 expenses: 367,000 IDR
Day 3
After breakfast, I headed to explore another beach in Lombok. For a beach bed, the shops only expected you to buy something from them. For a coconut to sip on, I also got a beach bed for 15,000 IDR. After a few hours at the beach, I headed back to town to find some food in the late afternoon. I was pretty hungry and after a smoothie at one cafe in town for 45,000 IDR, I checked out another spot for a light meal for 65,000 IDR.
Later in the evening, I headed to this amazing spot to watch the sunset. Of course, there was an entrance fee of 10,000 IDR (but 100% worth it!). After I grabbed a beer for 23,000 IDR at the local grocery.
Day 3 expenses: 158,000 IDR
Day 4
The next day, I went out for an adventure on a 2-hour bike ride to the infamous Pink Beach. The first stop was to top off my bike with gas for 20,000 IDR. We found a secluded pink beach that was down the road from the official pink beach. We did go to see the actual pink beach eventually which had an entrance fee of 25,000 IDR. Once we got there we grabbed a snack for about 8,000 IDR.
Sidenote: Maybe this beach was much more pink years ago but I did not find it worth the entrance price. The first beach we found had no one on it and was pinker than the famous one. Also good to note that they are not as pink as you think!
After a long day exploring the beaches and getting into a few close calls on our motorbikes we headed back to town, on the way I filled my bike with another liter of gas for 10,000 IDR. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner for 85,000 IDR. Following dinner, I got two beers for 43,000 IDR.
Day 4 expenses: 106,000 IDR
The next day my transfer cost 350,000 IDR. I will include this in the total price. This transfer included a car transfer to the pier (2 hours), a fast boat ticket (2 hours), and another car/van transfer to the city I was staying in Bali (2 hours).
My budget travel in Lombok total expenses: 1,526,000 IDR
Tips that I Learned Along the Way
- For Budget travel in Lombok as a backpacker, I stayed in hostels, which is a great way to save lots of money and meet new people. There are some unique hostels to experience as well! One of the things I look for when deciding on a hostel is whether or not they provide breakfast! A hostel with good breakfast reviews is one less meal you’ll have to buy.
- Another big tip that I learned was to not be afraid to look at all your options for transportation to new areas! There will be multiple vendors selling transfers to all the same places, but in Indonesia, it is common to negotiate a price. Some companies will not, but eventually, you will find someone that will! Also, I found that the least expensive prices were usually in town where there is more competition between the vendors, allowing for more flexibility.
- This trip is a helpful tool if you are planning on taking your own trip to Lombok. Of course, everyone’s expenses will be different. I felt like this was a good trip to share because I stayed in budget accommodation but was more lenient on food and activities. My budget was not super strict but in between a low and mid-range budget.
- Make sure to get travel insurance! Check out WorldNomads for the best coverage out there!
