How Much Is a SIM Card in Bali? Airport vs Local Shops in Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak, Kuta & More (2026)
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📖 14 min read · Written by Sheila Theodora, founder of Balitel
My price survey · 102 shops · 737 prices · 7 July – 7 August 2026 · Explore the prices
Is a SIM card cheaper at Bali airport or in the city? Every travel forum gives the same tip: skip the airport, it's a rip-off, buy from a local shop instead.
My family has run phone shops in Bali since 1998, and I was never sure that tip was true. So I checked. Between 7 July and 7 August 2026, I walked into 99 shops in nine tourist areas, asked for prices like any tourist would, and wrote down every answer. Then I compared them with the 3 official kiosks at Ngurah Rai Airport.
Here is what I found.
The short answer
- Price difference: almost none. For the most common tourist plan, a Telkomsel 21GB plastic SIM card, the typical shop in town charged Rp250,000 — exactly the airport price.
- An eSIM costs more than a plastic SIM card, usually Rp50,000 more. Of 224 cases where a shop sold both for the same plan, the eSIM was never cheaper. At the airport, the 21GB eSIM is Rp300,000 vs Rp250,000 for the SIM card.
- So the cheapest way is buying online. Balitel's 20GB eSIM is Rp231,000, less than the airport SIM card and Rp69,000 less than the airport eSIM, with no card fee.
- Buy at the first shop you see and there is a 32% chance you pay more than the airport. Compare three shops and you save about Rp30,000 (12%) — roughly US$1.70.
- Airport wifi: yes, it's free in the arrivals hall. It gets slow when several big flights land at the same time.
- Setup help: yes. A proper seller has to register the SIM with your passport, so they set it up while you wait. But only 43 of 99 shops sold eSIM, and 26 took cash only.
📊 Source: Balitel Bali SIM Card Price Survey, July–August 2026. Explore the prices area by area.
Note on plan sizes. In October 2026 Telkomsel replaced its 21GB plan with a 20GB plan. My survey ran in July and August 2026, when 21GB was the plan every shop sold, so all the survey prices below are for 21GB. I haven't re-checked the airport price for the new 20GB plan yet.
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102shops visited
(99 local + 3 airport) - 737prices recorded
- 9tourist areas
- 1month of fieldwork
Bali airport SIM card prices (August 2026)
There are three official kiosks in the arrivals hall at Ngurah Rai: Telkomsel, XL and Indosat. Each has a printed price board, everyone pays the same, and cards are accepted with no fee.
This is what the Telkomsel kiosk charged in August 2026:
| Telkomsel plan (30 days) | Plastic SIM card |
|---|---|
| 21GB | Rp250,000 |
| 36GB | Rp350,000 |
| 63GB | Rp450,000 |
| 100GB | Rp600,000 |
The eSIM version of each plan cost Rp50,000–Rp100,000 more. The 21GB eSIM was Rp300,000. XL and Indosat kiosks charged similar amounts.
The airport only sells big plans
The smallest plan at the airport is large: Telkomsel starts at 21GB, XL at 25GB and Indosat at 28GB. If you only need maps, WhatsApp and Grab, that is more data than you will use.
This is the one place where town shops genuinely beat the airport. Many sell 10GB and 13GB plans the airport does not stock. A 10GB plan typically cost about Rp180,000 in my survey (all networks, SIM card and eSIM).
Airport vs shops in town, area by area
Telkomsel's 21GB plan is the one nearly every shop stocks, so it gives the fairest comparison. Eighty-eight local shops gave a price for it.
| Area | Shops | Typical price | Lowest – highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminyak | 7 | Rp200,000 | Rp175,000 – Rp600,000 |
| Jimbaran | 6 | Rp225,000 | Rp175,000 – Rp275,000 |
| Kuta | 8 | Rp240,000 | Rp200,000 – Rp280,000 |
| Canggu | 21 | Rp250,000 | Rp200,000 – Rp600,000 |
| Ubud | 17 | Rp250,000 | Rp200,000 – Rp350,000 |
| Sanur | 9 | Rp250,000 | Rp190,000 – Rp300,000 |
| Legian | 9 | Rp250,000 | Rp200,000 – Rp350,000 |
| Uluwatu | 7 | Rp250,000 | Rp220,000 – Rp270,000 |
| Nusa Dua | 4 | Rp275,000 | Rp250,000 – Rp350,000 |
| Airport kiosk | 1 | Rp250,000 | Fixed price |
Telkomsel 21GB plastic SIM card, 88 local shops, July–August 2026. "Typical price" is the median: half the shops charged more, half charged less. Source: my survey data.
Explore my survey: 737 prices, area by area
Pick a network, SIM type and plan to see how each area compares with the airport.
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📊 Source: Balitel Bali SIM Card Price Survey, 7 July – 7 August 2026 (737 prices from 99 local shops and 3 airport kiosks). Telkomsel's 21GB plan became 20GB in September 2026. Want the full data for a story or research? Email hello@balitel.com.
In six of the nine areas, the typical shop charged the airport price or more. Only Seminyak, Jimbaran and Kuta came in lower, by Rp10,000 to Rp50,000. Across all 88 shops the typical price was Rp250,000 — the airport price, to the rupiah.
Now look at the right-hand column. In Canggu and Seminyak some shops asked Rp600,000 for a plan the airport sells for Rp250,000. That is more than double.
Where to find a SIM card shop in each area
Don't trust "SIM card" pins on Google Maps. Several shops listed as selling SIM cards didn't when I walked in. Two SIM card shops, one in Canggu and one in Jimbaran, had closed for good. In Legian, a few shops still had SIM card signs up but had stopped selling. Plan to check two or three shops, or sort your SIM before you fly.
Ubud: money changers and tour agents
In Ubud, most SIM cards are sold by money changers, tour agents, and clothing or art shops. In the town centre I found only two mobile phone shops and one dedicated SIM card store, and some shops were closed when I visited.
Canggu: the price depends on how you look
Canggu had the worst SIM card sellers I met, especially clothing stores and bazaar stalls. They quote a price based on how you look, sometimes three times the normal price, and expect you to bargain down. Skip any Canggu shop that has no price list on display.
Uluwatu: SIM shops and phone accessory stalls
In Uluwatu, SIM cards are mainly sold by dedicated SIM card shops and small phone accessory stores. There are no big phone retailers. Uluwatu is far from town, so shops mark things up: one asked Rp150,000 for a basic travel adapter.
Jimbaran: bring cash
Most SIM card shops in Jimbaran only take cash. They are traditional shops that serve local customers as well as tourists.
If you buy at the first shop you see
Nobody visits eight shops. Most travellers walk into the first shop with a SIM card sign and buy. So I worked out what happens if you do that, using the 88 real prices from my survey.
| What you do | On average, vs the airport | Chance you pay more than the airport |
|---|---|---|
| Buy at the first shop you see | Rp18,000 more (7%) | 32% |
| Compare 2 shops, buy the cheaper | Rp18,000 less (7%) | 10% |
| Compare 3 shops, buy the cheapest | Rp30,000 less (12%) | 3% |
| Buy at the airport kiosk | Rp250,000, fixed | 0% |
Worked out from the 88 real Telkomsel 21GB prices in my survey data.
Buying at the first shop is worse than the airport, on average. About one time in three you pay more than you would have at the kiosk you already walked past. The saving only shows up once you compare three shops.
Is the saving worth your time?
Say you do it properly. You leave your hotel, find a shop, ask the price. You walk to a second shop, then a third, then go back to the cheapest. Add walking between shops, time inside each one asking and negotiating, and time to find them in the first place. That is easily two hours.
Your reward is about Rp30,000 — roughly US$1.70. Less than a coffee at your hotel.
Put another way: you have maybe fourteen days in Bali. Two holiday hours are worth more than Rp30,000. That is a temple, a massage, or a slow lunch by the beach — not a hot walk comparing SIM card prices.
No price list, so you haggle
The airport kiosk has a printed board. Most local shops do not. A few examples from the survey notes:
- A shop in Canggu quoted Rp1,000,000 for a 36GB plan. The airport sold it for Rp350,000.
- An art shop in Seminyak, a sports shop in Canggu and a market stall all quoted Rp500,000–Rp600,000 for 21GB. A money changer wanted Rp600,000 for 36GB.
- One owner answered "maybe" when asked the price, then quoted higher for a bigger plan. There was no list. He was sizing me up.
- The note from another shop: "Be sure to bargain here. The owner typically quotes an inflated price at first and then offers a discount after negotiation."
- Two branches of the same shop, a few minutes apart, charged different prices for the same plan.
I don't think these shops are dishonest. I know small phone shops from the inside, and without a fixed price, what you pay depends on how you look, how you ask and how hard you push. If you don't like haggling — and many people don't, especially on holiday — you will pay the top price.
Cash, card fees and eSIM
Most shops make paying awkward
| How the shop takes payment | Shops (of 99) | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Cash only | 26 | You need an ATM first. The Indonesian ATM charges Rp20,000–Rp75,000 per withdrawal. Your home bank usually adds a 1–3% foreign transaction fee on top |
| Card, with a fee | 36 | Usually 2–3%. One shop charged 10%. Your card company then adds its own 1–3% foreign transaction fee, so 3–6% in total |
| Card, no fee | 29 | The good case |
| Not recorded | 8 | — |
Source: my survey data.
62 of 99 shops either wanted cash or added a card fee. And that is before currency exchange:
- Paying cash: Rp20,000–Rp75,000 to the Indonesian ATM, plus usually 1–3% to your home bank for the currency exchange.
- Paying by card: the shop's 2–3% card fee, plus usually 1–3% to your card company for the currency exchange — 3–6% in total.
- If the ATM or card machine offers to charge you in your home currency, say no and choose rupiah. That "convenience" rate is typically 3–12% worse.
One ATM withdrawal can wipe out the whole Rp30,000 you spent two hours saving.
More than half of local shops don't sell eSIM
Only 43 of 99 local shops sold eSIM. All three airport kiosks did. If you have a US iPhone 14 or newer, an iPhone Air, or an iPhone Duo, your phone has no SIM card slot, so a plastic SIM is useless to you.
What is an eSIM? A SIM card that comes as a QR code instead of a piece of plastic. You scan it with your phone and you're connected. Nothing to insert, nothing to lose, and your home SIM stays in your phone.
Does Bali airport have free wifi?
Yes. Ngurah Rai has free wifi in the arrivals hall. There is no password — you connect, tap through a short login page in your browser, and you're online.
It's fine for a WhatsApp message home or booking a Grab. Two catches:
- It slows down when several big flights land together, which is exactly when you need it.
- It only covers the terminal. Once you're in the taxi, you're offline until you reach your hotel wifi or find a SIM shop.
So if your plan is "use the airport wifi, then buy a SIM in town", you will spend your first drive and your first walk to a shop with no maps and no messages. If you want to be connected the moment you land, buy at the airport kiosk or install an eSIM before you fly.
Will a local shop set up your SIM?
Yes. In Indonesia a tourist SIM must be registered to your passport, and your phone's IMEI (its serial number) must be registered too. The seller does this for you as part of the sale, so they normally set the SIM up and switch it on while you wait.
Bring:
- Your passport — the real one, not a photo
- Your phone, unlocked — a phone locked to your home network will not accept a new SIM
- Cash, in case the shop does not take cards
Before you leave the shop, check:
- You can open a website on mobile data, with wifi turned off.
- You know your new Indonesian phone number.
- You got the plan you paid for — ask them to show you the data balance.
If you want an eSIM, check the shop sells them before you queue. More than half of the shops in my survey did not.
So where should you buy?
As I see it, there are three real choices. Here they are, honestly.
| Option | Price | Time it costs | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Local shops in town Walk out and hunt |
Rp175,000–Rp600,000 typically Rp250,000 · 21GB |
2 hours if you compare properly | High — no price list, 32% chance of overpaying at the first shop, may need cash |
|
Airport kiosk On arrival |
Rp250,000 fixed, printed · 21GB |
A queue after a long flight | Low price risk — but you queue while tired, with luggage |
| Buy online before you fly | Rp231,000 fixed, shown before you pay · 20GB |
About 10 minutes, from anywhere | Lowest — no queue, no haggling, no cash |
Shop and airport prices are from my July–August 2026 survey, when the plan was 21GB. Balitel's price is current; the same plan is now 20GB.
My honest summary after a month of fieldwork: the airport is not the rip-off, and the street is not the bargain. The difference is about the price of a coffee, and chasing it costs you an afternoon.
What I think is worth getting right is arriving already connected — so you can order a Grab the moment you clear customs, instead of queueing at a kiosk or walking a hot street on day one.
Where Balitel's price sits
I run Balitel, an official Telkomsel reseller in Bali and part of my family's phone business. So I should tell you plainly where my own price lands against the numbers above.
| Telkomsel 20–21GB, 30 days | Price | Card fee | Fixed price? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Balitel eSIM (online) 20GB, current |
Rp231,000 | None | Yes — shown before you pay |
| Airport kiosk — eSIM 21GB, Aug 2026 |
Rp300,000 | None | Yes — printed board |
| Airport kiosk — plastic SIM 21GB, Aug 2026 |
Rp250,000 | None | Yes — printed board |
| Local shops — eSIM (typical) 21GB, Jul–Aug 2026 |
Rp300,000 | Often 2–3% | No — Rp200,000 to Rp400,000 |
| Local shops — plastic SIM (typical) 21GB, Jul–Aug 2026 |
Rp250,000 | Often 2–3% | No — Rp175,000 to Rp600,000 |
Local shop figures are medians from my survey: 42 shops for eSIM, 88 for plastic SIM. Balitel's price shows in your own currency when you visit the shop.
Balitel's 20GB eSIM is Rp231,000. In August 2026 the airport's Telkomsel kiosk charged Rp300,000 for the eSIM on the equivalent plan, and the typical local shop charged the same, often with a card fee on top.
That makes Balitel's current price Rp69,000 (23%) below the airport's August 2026 eSIM price, and Rp19,000 (8%) below the Rp250,000 plastic SIM you would have queued for. But price is the smaller half. The bigger half is that you skip the whole problem:
- No card fee. Most local shops charge 2–3%. Balitel charges nothing extra.
- No queue, no walking. Order from home before you fly, or from your hotel after you land. My team switches it on within about 10 minutes on your arrival day.
- My team does the IMEI registration for you, and deletes your passport details 30 days after activation.
- A real Indonesian +62 number, not data only, so Grab, Gojek and local e-wallets can send you their sign-up code.
- Support on WhatsApp, 8:00am to 2:00am Bali time. My team usually replies within a minute.
- If it doesn't work and my team can't fix it, Balitel replaces it or refunds it.
- A physical shop in Kuta, near the airport, if you'd rather see a human face.
Land in Bali already connected
Official Telkomsel eSIM with a real Indonesian number. 20GB for Rp231,000 — no card fee, no queue.
See plans and pricesCommon questions
How much is a SIM card in Bali?
In July and August 2026, a Telkomsel tourist SIM with 21GB of data cost Rp250,000 at both the typical local shop and the airport kiosk. Bigger plans at the airport cost Rp350,000 for 36GB, Rp450,000 for 63GB and Rp600,000 for 100GB, and eSIMs cost Rp50,000–Rp100,000 more. Smaller 10GB plans, sold only in town shops, typically cost about Rp180,000. These prices come from Balitel's survey of 102 shops in Bali.
Is a SIM card cheaper at Bali airport or in the city?
Usually there is no real difference. Balitel surveyed 88 shops selling Telkomsel's 21GB plan in Bali's nine main tourist towns, including Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu and Ubud, in July–August 2026. The typical price was Rp250,000, identical to the airport kiosk. In six of nine tourist areas the typical shop charged the airport price or more. Buying at the first shop you see gave a 32% chance of paying more than the airport.
How much is a SIM card at Bali airport?
At the official Telkomsel kiosk in the arrivals hall, in August 2026: Rp250,000 for 21GB, Rp350,000 for 36GB, Rp450,000 for 63GB and Rp600,000 for 100GB, as a plastic SIM card. The eSIM versions cost Rp50,000–Rp100,000 more; the 21GB eSIM was Rp300,000. XL and Indosat kiosks charged similar amounts. Prices are printed on a board and cards are accepted with no fee. Telkomsel has since replaced 21GB with a 20GB plan, and the airport price for that plan has not been re-checked yet.
Does Bali airport have free wifi?
Yes. Ngurah Rai International Airport has free wifi in the arrivals hall, with no password — you connect and tap through a short login page in your browser. It is good enough for messages or booking a Grab, but it slows down when several large flights land together, and it only works inside the terminal. Once you leave, you are offline until you reach hotel wifi or buy a SIM.
Will a local shop in Bali help set up my SIM card?
Yes. Indonesian law requires a tourist SIM to be registered to your passport and your phone's IMEI number, and the seller does this as part of the sale, so they normally set the SIM up and switch it on while you wait. Bring your physical passport, an unlocked phone and some cash, because 26 of the 99 shops in Balitel's survey took cash only. If you need an eSIM, ask first: only 43 of 99 local shops sold them.
Can I really save money by shopping around?
A little. If you compare three shops and buy the cheapest, you save about Rp30,000 (12%), roughly US$1.70, compared with the airport. That takes one to two hours of walking and asking. If you buy at the first shop you find, you are more likely to pay more than the airport, not less.
Do I have to bargain for a SIM card in Bali?
In most local shops, yes, if you want the lower price. Most do not show a price list, so the first number you hear is usually not the best one. In Balitel's survey, some shops quoted up to Rp600,000 for a 21GB plan the airport sold for Rp250,000. Airport kiosks and online sellers have fixed prices, so there is nothing to negotiate.
Can I buy a Bali eSIM before I arrive?
Yes, and it is the easiest option. You buy online, send your details, and your eSIM is ready to install. Balitel registers your phone and switches on the line on your arrival day — even while you are still on the plane — so you land connected, and the 30 days start on your arrival date, not your purchase date.
Why do I need my passport to buy a SIM card in Bali?
Indonesian law requires every mobile number to be registered to a verified identity, and foreign phones must have their IMEI registered before they can use a local network. Tourists use their passport for both. Every legitimate seller has to do this, including the airport kiosks. Balitel deletes your passport details 30 days after your line is activated.
Do I need a local number, or is data enough?
You will want a local number. Grab, Gojek and Indonesian e-wallets send a sign-up code by SMS to an Indonesian number before they let you create an account. Data-only travel eSIMs from international brands have no Indonesian number, so those codes cannot reach you.
How I did this survey
Method. I ran this survey between 7 July and 7 August 2026. I visited 99 shops selling tourist SIM cards in Canggu, Ubud, Uluwatu, Sanur, Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua — phone shops, minimarts, tour counters, money changers, anywhere with a SIM card sign — plus the three official carrier kiosks at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. I recorded 737 prices. I asked as an ordinary customer, without saying it was a survey, and wrote down the first price quoted, before any haggling.
Want the full data? Journalists, researchers and creators can email hello@balitel.com to ask for it.
How to read the numbers. "Typical price" means the median: half the shops charged more, half charged less. I use the median because a handful of very high quotes would distort an average. Comparisons are like for like — same network, same data amount, same SIM type.
Limitations. Prices in Bali change, and shops open and close. This is a one-month snapshot; a shop may quote you differently depending on the day, the season and how you ask. Telkomsel replaced its 21GB plan with 20GB in September 2026, after my fieldwork. This page also replaces my older airport price page from April 2026. I sell eSIMs through Balitel, so I have a commercial interest in this topic. That's why I publish my method, the area-by-area results, and the cases where local shops did beat the airport.
Using these figures? Journalists, bloggers and creators are welcome to quote them. Please credit "Balitel Bali SIM Card Price Survey, July–August 2026" and link to this page.
Last updated: 23 October 2026.
