Indonesia Currency Guide

The first time I paid for a bottle of water in Indonesia, I handed over a note with five zeros on it and felt like I had just bought a car. That is the moment almost every visitor has: you land, pull money out of a machine, and suddenly you are holding a wad of paper worth a few hundred Singapore dollars that looks like it belongs in a board game. The Indonesian rupiah is not complicated, but it is unfamiliar, and the zeros make your brain stutter for the first two days. After that it clicks, and you start to enjoy the fact that a good meal costs Rp50,000 and a taxi across town costs Rp80,000. This guide is the one I would give a friend flying from Singapore to Bali, Lombok, Yogyakarta or Jakarta: what the money looks like, how much to bring, where to change it, which ATMs behave, when a card works and when it will not, and the small habits that stop you being short-changed. I have kept it practical, with rough Singapore dollar equivalents throughout, because that is how most of us actually think about a price.

Indonesian rupiah basics: the zeros, the notes and the coins

The currency is the Indonesian rupiah, written IDR in the bank world and Rp on price tags. You will see it written three ways: Rp50.000, Rp50,000 and 50K. Indonesians use a full stop as the thousands separator, so Rp50.000 is fifty thousand, not fifty. Menus in tourist areas often print it as 50 or 50K to save space, which means a dish listed as 45 on a Bali cafe menu costs Rp45,000. If a price looks absurdly small or absurdly large, check the separator before you panic.

For quick mental maths I use a rough rate of Rp12,000 to one Singapore dollar, and the rate has stayed in that neighbourhood for long enough that it is a decent working figure. Do not treat it as today's rate; check a converter app the morning you land. The shortcut that works for me is to knock off three zeros and then divide by twelve: Rp120,000 becomes 120, divided by 12, which is about S$10. After a day of doing that sum in the queue for your coffee it becomes automatic.

The notes you will handle most are the larger ones. Bank Indonesia prints seven banknote denominations in the current series, and coins exist but you will meet them mostly as change from a convenience store. The colours matter, because the Rp50,000 and Rp100,000 notes are easy to mix up in a dim warung or a taxi at night: the Rp50,000 is blue and the Rp100,000 is red. Get in the habit of checking the colour and the number before you hand anything over.

A word on condition. Indonesian shops, taxis and money changers are fussy about banknotes, in both directions. Rupiah notes that are badly torn, taped or heavily written on are sometimes politely refused, and the same fussiness applies to foreign cash you bring in. We will come back to that in the money changer section, but the short version is: carry clean, flat, recent notes and check the change you get back for the same.

How much money do you actually need per day?

Indonesia is still one of the cheaper places in Asia for a Singapore-based traveller, but it has two very different price levels living side by side. A bowl of noodles from a roadside warung might be Rp20,000, while a sunset cocktail at a clifftop beach club in Uluwatu can be Rp150,000 before you have sat down. Most of the budget confusion I hear about comes from people mixing the two levels without realising it. The government travel data on our side puts a comfortable range at roughly Rp500,000 to Rp2,000,000 per person per day, and that spread is real: it is the difference between guesthouse-and-warung and villa-and-restaurant.

Here is how I would split it up by travel style. These figures leave out your flights and your accommodation, and focus on what you will actually pay in cash or by card each day for food, local transport, entry fees, tips and the odd treat. Use them as a starting point and then adjust for the island: Jakarta and Bali cost more than Java's smaller cities or Lombok's quieter coast.

A tip that saves arguments: decide your daily number before you land, divide your trip by it, and work out the total. Then withdraw about three days at a time rather than the full trip in one go. It keeps you from carrying a fortune in rupiah and lets you adapt if one island turns out cheaper than another.

If you like to pre-pay your big-ticket items so that your daily cash only covers food and small purchases, that works well in Bali. Day trips, transfers and tours are easy to book ahead; for instance, the Nusa Penida day tour from Bali and the airport transfers are the sort of thing I book before I fly, so my cash goes to lunches and the little things.

Where to change money in Indonesia, and where not to

The classic Indonesian money-changer story is the one where you are handed a neat stack of notes, the man behind the counter flicks through them quickly, and by the time you are back on the street you are Rp200,000 short. It does happen, mostly at the small stalls with a rate board that looks too good to be true. The fix is boring and works every time: use an authorised changer, count the money yourself before you leave the counter, and never let the stack leave your sight.

Authorised changers in Indonesia are licensed by the central bank and usually display a certificate and the words PVA Berizin on the premises. They tend to have glass-fronted counters, a printed receipt and a clear buy/sell board. The rate on the board is the rate you get; if the person behind it quotes a different number once you have handed over your cash, walk away. Some of the poor-practice stalls advertise a very high headline rate and then deduct a commission, or round the amount in their favour, or count the notes in a quick shuffle that distracts you.

Rules I follow at every money changer

• Ask for the total in rupiah before you hand over any cash, and say it back so the number is agreed.
• Count the notes yourself, slowly, on the counter, before you leave, even if there is a queue behind you.
• Never hand over your money first and then ask what the rate is. Rate, then cash.
• Ask for the receipt, and photograph it if the counter does not print one.
• Check your notes for tears and tape, and ask politely for a swap if any are damaged.
• Skip anyone who approaches you on the street and offers a rate. Stick to a proper shopfront.

Foreign notes need to be clean, too. Money changers will often pay a better rate for large US dollar notes in recent series than for small or older ones, and they will turn away notes that are creased, torn or marked. Singapore dollars are accepted at most changers in Bali and Jakarta, and the rate is usually perfectly decent, but the very small towns may not stock them, so do not count on exchanging a pile of S$2 and S$5 notes in a village.

My own routine: at Ngurah Rai or Soekarno-Hatta, withdraw or exchange about Rp500,000 to Rp1,000,000 for the taxi, the SIM or eSIM top-up and a first dinner. The next day, in a proper town centre, exchange the bigger sum at a licensed counter. If you land late at night, an ATM inside the arrivals hall beats a rushed airport counter.

Speaking of that first hour: arriving at Bali's airport, the touts at the exit will quote a taxi price that moves depending on how tired you look. Pre-booking a fixed-fare transfer, such as Ngurah Rai International Airport to Kuta, means your first rupiah decision is made for you, and you need only a small tip note ready for the driver.

ATMs in Indonesia: how they work and what to expect

ATMs are the easiest way to get rupiah and the one I use most. In Bali, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and the other tourist hubs you will find them in the airport, outside banks, in shopping malls and inside the red-and-white convenience store chains. Your Singapore debit card will work if it carries the Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus or Plus logo, though you should check with your bank that overseas withdrawals are switched on before you go. Many Singapore banks let you set a daily overseas limit in the app, which is worth doing before you leave.

The machines have their own quirks. Per-withdrawal limits are often in the range of Rp1,250,000 to Rp3,000,000, depending on the bank, which means that if you want Rp5,000,000 you may need several transactions, each with a fee. The local bank will often charge a withdrawal fee in the tens of thousands of rupiah, and your own bank may add a foreign transaction fee and possibly a flat overseas ATM charge. The sums are not large, but they add up if you take out small amounts frequently, so withdraw less often and larger amounts, within reason.

The single most important ATM habit is to refuse dynamic currency conversion. Some machines, and some card terminals, will offer to charge you in Singapore dollars instead of rupiah and show you a conversion. It sounds helpful and it is a trap, because the rate built in is almost always worse than what your own bank gives you. Always choose to be charged in the local currency, rupiah, and let your bank do the conversion.

ATM safety checklist

• Use machines inside a bank, a hotel lobby or a mall, in a place with cameras and people. Avoid isolated stand-alone machines on dark streets.
• Look for loose card slots, extra plastic parts or a pinhole camera above the keypad. If anything wiggles, leave.
• Cover the keypad with your other hand while you type your PIN.
• Take your card and your cash straight away; the machine may beep and give you only a few seconds.
• Keep the receipt or take a photo, in case the amount does not match your cash.
• Do not accept help from people who offer to assist you with the machine.
• Carry a second card in a different place, so a swallowed or blocked card does not strand you.

If a machine swallows your card, do not walk away. Note the bank name on the ATM, find the nearest branch and report it during opening hours. Having a backup card and a small emergency stash of cash in a separate pocket turns a stressful afternoon into a minor inconvenience.

Cards, QR codes and digital payments

Card acceptance is good in the places tourists spend most of their money: hotels, villas, big restaurants, supermarkets, malls, spas, dive shops and the larger tour operators. Visa and Mastercard are the safe bet, and American Express is hit and miss. A small number of businesses add a surcharge of two to three per cent for card payments, which is allowed, so ask at the till if you want to compare. At the cheap end, the warung, the market stall, the roadside fruit seller and the scooter rental man, you can assume cash only.

The big story in Indonesian payments in recent years is QRIS, the national QR standard. You will see its black-and-white square at cafes, parking lots, markets and tiny shops, and locals pay with their phone in seconds. Foreign visitors can use QRIS through certain compatible apps and cards, but support depends on your own bank or wallet, and it is not something I would rely on alone. If your Singapore app supports it, try it on a small purchase first. If it does not, do not worry: cash and cards will cover you.

Contactless tap-to-pay works in many Bali cafes and Jakarta chains, though a few terminals still prefer a chip-and-PIN card. Some tour operators and attractions also accept online payment in advance, which is a good way to avoid carrying cash for the big things. For anything you book ahead through HolidaySG, you pay online at checkout and e-tickets are emailed after our team confirms your booking, so none of that comes out of your pocket cash on the day.

Connectivity matters more than people think for money. Your bank's authentication code, a Grab ride, a map of the nearest ATM and a currency converter all need data. I always set up an eSIM before I fly, and something like the Indonesia unlimited 4G/5G data eSIM means I do not have to hunt for a SIM shop with my luggage in tow. If you use mobile banking while abroad, remember that any SMS code is sent to your home number, so check your roaming or app-based authentication in advance.

Why cash still rules on the islands

The further you get from a main road, the more cash matters. Bali's south, the Ubud centre and the Canggu strip are card-friendly, but the moment you head to the east coast, the northern waterfalls or a beach in the south of Nusa Penida, ATMs disappear and so do card readers. On the Gili Islands the cash machines are few and have been known to run empty or go offline, especially around busy weekends. Lombok's villages and much of Flores are similar. I carry a buffer of cash for any island day, and I arrive with it already in my pocket.

The routine that works best is simple. The night before a trip to an outlying island, withdraw what you need for the day plus a cushion, and break your large notes into smaller ones at a supermarket. Small notes matter on islands because few vendors keep much change, and the person selling you a coconut will not break a Rp100,000 note at nine in the morning. Keep Rp10,000, Rp20,000 and Rp50,000 notes in a separate pocket for tips, parking, small entries and snacks.

Fast boats are a good example. A ticket such as the Wanderlust Bali to Gili and Lombok fast boat is easy to pay for online before you leave, but once you step onto the sand at Gili Trawangan the cart drivers, bike hire and warung all want cash. Likewise on Nusa Penida the scooter hire, the temple donation, the viewpoint parking and the lunch at the cliff cafe are all cash affairs. Short boat rides such as the Semabu Hill fast boat to Nusa Penida are best prepaid, so that the only cash you need is for the island itself.

Tipping, service charge and the tax on your bill

Tipping in Indonesia is appreciated rather than required, which is a welcome change for visitors from places where it is a minefield. In better restaurants you will usually find that a service charge of five to ten per cent and a government tax of around ten per cent is added to the bill, which restaurants often present as plus-plus or ++ on the menu. If the service charge is already on the receipt, you do not need to tip on top, though many travellers add a little extra for exceptional service.

Where there is no service charge, a small tip is kind and genuinely helps. Wages in the tourism sector are modest, and a few thousand rupiah to a guide or driver can matter. I keep a stash of small notes specifically for this and for the awkward moments when you want to say thanks and have nothing smaller than a Rp100,000 note.

Do not be surprised if a villa, spa or restaurant adds a line labelled tax or levy to your bill. It is normal, and it should be shown clearly. If the total at the bottom looks higher than the menu suggests, ask the staff to explain the line items before you pay.

What things actually cost: sample prices in rupiah and Singapore dollars

Prices are the part of a money guide that dates quickest, so treat the figures below as a snapshot rather than a promise. They are drawn from what I have paid and what operators quote, and they lean towards the tourist areas of Bali. Local-only warungs will be cheaper; resort restaurants will be dearer. The goal is not accuracy to the last rupiah but to give your brain a feel for what a normal price looks like, so that an inflated quote sticks out.

Food is where the savings are. A meal at a decent local place can come in at a fraction of what you would pay in Singapore, and if you want to learn what to order and how much to pay, a guided session is a smart way to start. The Bali evening street food guided tour is the sort of evening where the guide tells you what each dish is called, what it should cost, and where you can safely eat it again.

Seafood is the splurge that feels like a bargain. A beach dinner of grilled fish, prawns and rice at Jimbaran, with your feet more or less in the sand, is one of those things that is hard to price at home. A set meal such as the Jimbaran seafood dinner by New Dewata is easy to pre-book, and then your cash budget is for the extra drinks. If you order from a menu on the sand, ask the price per hundred grams for fish and prawns, and weigh the catch before it is cooked, because fish is priced by weight and that is where the bill can surprise you.

Attractions are usually priced in rupiah for locals and in a higher bracket for foreign visitors, which is normal and nothing to resent. Some places, like the famous Ubud monkey sanctuary, list different prices for Indonesians and visitors. The Monkey Forest entry ticket with transfer bundles the ticket and the ride, which removes two small cash transactions from your day. For the big days out, such as the Sekumpul waterfall tour in the north, I prefer a booked tour with the driver, entry fees and lunch arranged, and a small cash tip kept in my pocket for the guide.

Money safety, scams and the habits that avoid them

Indonesia is a welcoming country and most money interactions are honest. The trouble spots are predictable, and they cluster around tourists who look rushed, tired or uncertain. A calm manner, a clear question and a moment to count your money solve most of them. These are the situations I would be ready for.

Common money traps

• Short-changing at unlicensed changers, using quick counting and sleight of hand. Use authorised counters, count slowly, and walk out if you feel rushed.
• Taxi meters mysteriously broken. Use Grab or Gojek where permitted, or agree a fare in advance and confirm it is in rupiah per ride, not per person.
• Parking charges that are far higher than the sign says. Official rates are small; ask before you leave the bike.
• Dynamic currency conversion at ATMs and card terminals. Always choose rupiah.
• Restaurant bills with a surprise add-on. Read the menu footnotes for tax and service charge, and check the receipt before paying.
• Offers of a free gift or a local friend who then asks you to pay for a ceremony, ride or donation. Say no politely and keep walking.
• Notes swapped on the counter, a Rp50,000 for a Rp20,000. Hold the note you hand over in plain view and say the amount aloud.

On a bigger practical level, spread your money around. Keep a day's cash in your pocket, the rest in your hotel safe or a zipped inner pocket, and a backup card in a different bag. On a scooter, carry your phone and wallet where they cannot be grabbed from a passing bike; the bag-snatching problem in some parts of Bali is real, if not common, and a cross-body bag worn on the side away from the road is a simple fix.

If the worst happens and a card is lost or stolen, call your bank's overseas helpline immediately and block it. Make a note of those numbers before you travel, in your phone and on paper. Insurance matters too: a policy with cover for lost cash and cards, and a medical component in case something goes wrong on a scooter, is money well spent. The Indonesian emergency numbers worth saving in your phone are 110 for police, 118 or 119 for an ambulance and 113 for fire.

Paperwork and fixed costs: visas, levies and airport money

Not every cost in Indonesia is handled with rupiah in a shop. Some are fixed fees you pay once, and it helps to know them before you arrive. The first is entry. Singapore passport holders do not need a visa for a tourist stay of up to 30 days under the ASEAN arrangement, but many other nationalities, including Indian travellers, can use a visa on arrival or an electronic visa. The fee is currently Rp500,000, roughly US$35 for a stay of up to 30 days. You can apply for the electronic version online before you fly, which saves queueing at the airport and lets you pay by card. Our Indonesia visa requirements page lists the current rule for each passport, and our team can help if you want assistance with the application.

The second is the Bali tourist levy. Foreign visitors to Bali pay a one-off levy per visit, set at Rp150,000, which goes towards cultural and environmental protection. It is paid online through the official channel and you will be asked to show proof on arrival in some cases. Keep the confirmation on your phone, and be wary of look-alike sites and people at the airport offering to collect it for a fee. Only pay through the official channel.

The third is departure. Most travellers do not need to carry cash for an airport departure fee, as it is built into the ticket, but a few smaller domestic airports charge a small fee. Keep a Rp100,000 note or two in your pocket for those and for a final snack and a bottle of water. Finally, if you are carrying a large amount of cash, note that there are limits to how much rupiah can leave or enter Indonesia without declaring it. If you are bringing in a large sum of foreign currency or rupiah above the threshold, declare it at customs. For a normal holiday you will be nowhere near this, but it is worth knowing.

One more paperwork item that touches money: if you need to show an onward or return flight to your airline or to the immigration desk, a reservation can be enough in many cases, and our flight reservation service is built for exactly that purpose, for visa applications and check-in. It is a reservation, not an issued ticket, so check what your airline and the entry rules require before you rely on it.

My simple money plan for a week in Bali

When someone asks me how to organise their money for a trip, I give them a plan rather than a rulebook. This one is built around a seven-day stay in Bali with a day trip to Nusa Penida, and you can adjust the numbers for your style. The logic is the same in Lombok, Java or anywhere else: pre-pay the big things, carry modest cash, and keep a reserve.

What do you do with leftover rupiah at the end? Most Singapore banks will not take it back, or will give you a poor rate, and a Rp1,000 note is worth nothing outside Indonesia. Use the last day to spend it on a good dinner or souvenirs, and tip a driver generously. If you do have a pile left over, change it at an authorised changer before you leave Indonesia rather than at home, where the spread is wider.

For the big-ticket pieces of the trip, I like to book transport and a few anchor activities in advance, because it gives me a firm total, takes the stress out of haggling and reduces the cash I carry. A private car with a driver, such as a Bali private car charter, has a fixed price for the day, so your only cash for it is a tip. For a family day, the Taman Safari Bali Varuna package is straightforward to pay for online. And if you like a little adrenaline, the Dadi Bali ATV ride is easy to book and keeps your cash for dinner afterwards.

Common money mistakes, and the fix for each

After years of watching friends and family travel in Indonesia, the same handful of mistakes crop up. None of them is fatal, but each one costs a little, and together they can add up to a pleasant dinner. This is the quick checklist I run through with anyone going for the first time.

None of these is hard to avoid once you know them. The theme is the same: a little preparation before you land, small notes in your pocket, and a calm approach whenever money changes hands.

Frequently asked questions

What is the currency of Indonesia?

The Indonesian rupiah, written IDR or Rp. Notes run from Rp1,000 up to Rp100,000, and there are coins of Rp100, Rp200, Rp500 and Rp1,000 that you will mostly see as change. The Rp50,000 and Rp100,000 notes are the ones you will use most as a visitor.

Can I use Singapore dollars in Indonesia?

Not directly in shops, which price in rupiah, but Singapore dollars are accepted at most money changers in Bali and Jakarta, and the rate is generally fair. The smallest towns may not stock or accept them. A good approach is to exchange a modest amount at a licensed counter and use ATMs for the rest.

Is it better to use ATMs or money changers?

Both work. Authorised money changers usually give the best rate on cash, while ATMs are more convenient and safer to use inside a bank or mall. A mix is sensible: a small exchange on arrival, ATM withdrawals when you need them, and a backup card in case a machine swallows one.

Do I need cash in Bali, or can I rely on cards?

You can use cards in many hotels, restaurants and shops in the busy areas, but you need cash for warungs, markets, taxis, parking, tips and almost everything on the smaller islands. Plan to carry some rupiah every day, and more on island trips.

How much should I tip in Indonesia?

Tipping is not obligatory. Check if the bill already has a service charge. If not, 5 to 10 per cent at a restaurant, a round-up for a taxi and Rp50,000 to Rp200,000 for a private driver or guide is appreciated, depending on the length and quality of the service.

Is it safe to withdraw money from ATMs in Indonesia?

Yes, if you take sensible care. Use machines inside banks, malls or hotels, check for skimming devices, cover the keypad and decline currency conversion. Keep a second card in a separate place so a problem with one does not leave you without money.

Do I need a visa for Indonesia, and how do I pay for it?

It depends on your passport. Singapore and other ASEAN citizens can stay up to 30 days visa-free, while many other nationalities use a visa on arrival or an electronic visa, currently Rp500,000. You can apply online before flying and pay by card. Check the Indonesia visa requirements page for your nationality.

What should I do with leftover rupiah?

Spend it, ideally. Rupiah is hard to change back outside Indonesia, and the rate is poor. If you have a large amount left, change it at an authorised money changer in Indonesia before you fly, and keep a Rp100,000 note for the airport.