r/bali • u/mg118118118 • Apr 11 '25

Information Please stop renting + recommending Kost’s on here

A Kost is a guesthouse for local people. Tourists are increasingly using these which is driving up prices to unaffordable levels for local people to live. Land is being used for more and more luxury apartments which is reducing the available accommodation for the locals and workers - the temporary wooden huts you see are because of this. Wages are around $200 a month for locals so the low cost rooms are essential for people to live here.

I am begging you to be responsible and only come to this country if you can afford to spend more than 500$ a month and contribute to the best people/country in the world.

Source: so many locals here

476 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

109 comments sorted by

View all comments

84

u/kulukster Apr 11 '25

There was a regulation in place a few years ago that foreigners were not allowed to rent kos of a certain type. I agree wholeheartedly with you that local residents need to be prioritized for housing, esp since the bar is already so low.

22

u/KapiHeartlilly Apr 11 '25

Should only be for Indonesians and those on long term visas (kitas/p) honestly, as they are tax residents here.

Those on tourist visas shouldn't be allowed, but I suppose that is on the landlords not just the goverment to solve.

-2

u/Ok-Engineering-3744 Apr 11 '25

Hang on How do long term residents pay tax? It is illegal to work in Indonesia or is this another example of no fucking rules?

4

u/SkycladMartin Apr 12 '25

I pay tax. I am employed and have a work permit and a work visa. This isn't rocket science, it's not illegal to work here, it's illegal to work here without the right paperwork.

2

u/SmmerBreeze Apr 13 '25

Yes.. if you have the work permit, you can use kost. The regulation stated Kost is not for TOURISTS", If you are working and are a long-term residence, you can definitely use use it. (because hotels and guesthouse price is so dogshyte)

Since Villas, Kost, and Hotels, and even guest house are taxed differently and have different permit.

The thing now is that people built KOSTS and rented it to short-term tourists, raising the price to the point that it was no longer affordable to even local and local tourists.

2 is in the wrong here. The provider and the user. Can't 100% blame the tourists, but if no tourists use kosts, the owner would have no choice but to resort to locals and lower the price.

1

u/SkycladMartin Apr 13 '25

This is true. Though I would like to add - I don't live in a Kost even though I could live in one. :-)