Townhouse 2BR in Canggu
Canggu · 2 bedrooms
Rp 4.716.464.393
Buying
Bali vs Dubai for Property Investors: Ownership, Costs and Visas
Bali and Dubai compared for a foreign property buyer: freehold or leasehold, purchase costs, residence through property, and what asking prices show.
Published 26 October 2026 · Updated 26 October 2026 · 5 min read
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Side by side
The Bali column restates what the leasehold, tax and visa guides publish, with their sources. The Dubai column is stated only at the level of the official UAE pages linked under this guide; check the current terms with the Dubai Land Department and a UAE adviser.
| Bali | Dubai | |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold for a foreigner | No — Hak Milik is for Indonesian citizens only | Yes, in designated freehold areas |
| Usual foreign title | Leasehold, median 25 years left (completed villas) | Freehold |
| Purchase tax or fee | BPHTB up to 5% on a registered transfer; notary fee capped at 1% | 4% Dubai Land Department transfer fee |
| Residence through property | Not from a leasehold; Second Home visa needs IDR 2 billion in a state bank | Golden Visa route from AED 2 million of property |
| Letting by a foreign owner | Through a PT PMA, with licences for nightly letting | Permitted, with registration for holiday homes |
| Personal income tax at the property’s location | Indonesian tax on rent | No personal income tax in the UAE |
| Currency | Settles in rupiah (PBI 17/3/2015) | Dirham, pegged to the US dollar |
Property for sale in Canggu
See all 198 →- About the same as the median price of 20 similar leasehold 2-bd homes in Canggu (±30% size, lease 19.5–32.5 yrs): Rp 4.754.000.000.
Villa 4BR in Canggu
Canggu · 4 bedrooms
6% below the median price of 8 similar leasehold 4-bd homes in Canggu (±50% size, lease 16.5–27.5 yrs): Rp 8.692.000.000.Rp 8.163.111.449
Villa 2BR in Canggu
Berawa · 2 bedrooms
22% below the median price of 20 similar leasehold 2-bd villas in Canggu (±30% size, lease 19.5–32.5 yrs): Rp 4.844.500.000.Rp 3.791.311.762
Why a Bali leasehold needs a different calculation
A Dubai freehold can be compared on yield and price growth. A Bali leasehold also has to pay back its own term: what you buy is a number of years, and the price per remaining year is the honest unit. On a 25-year lease, 4% of the price is used up each year before any rent comes in, which is why the Bali investment guide subtracts it from the gross figure.
On 20 October 2026, a year of the median asking rent in Canggu came to about 10.8% of the median asking sale price there, gross and median to median. Take the lease’s yearly share and running costs off, and the net is far lower; industry sources put net cash 40–60% below gross.
Rules that changed in Bali this year
Bali’s Perda 4/2026 bans brokering nominee ownership, the Indonesian name on a certificate for a foreigner’s money that some sellers still call ‘freehold’. BKPM Regulation 5/2025 cut a PT PMA’s paid-up capital to IDR 2.5 billion per business line, with the IDR 10 billion investment plan unchanged. Short-term letting needs an NIB, a PBG and an SLF.
None of this has a Dubai equivalent, and none of it shows in a yield figure. Price it in before comparing the two.
When Bali is the better fit
Bali suits a buyer who wants to use the villa as well as let it, at an entry price below Dubai’s Golden Visa threshold, and who accepts that the asset is a term of years. Dubai suits a buyer who wants a permanent title, residence through the purchase and no personal income tax where the property is.
Either way, compare the price with comparable listings, check the title, and have the legal structure set up before you pay a deposit. In Bali that means a notary (PPAT) check of the land certificate, the zoning and the permits.
Common questions
Can foreigners buy freehold property in Bali like in Dubai?
No. Freehold (Hak Milik) in Indonesia is for citizens only. A foreigner in Bali takes a leasehold, holds Hak Pakai with a residence permit, or holds Hak Guna Bangunan through a PT PMA. A ‘freehold’ in an Indonesian’s name for your money is a void nominee arrangement.
Is property cheaper in Bali than in Dubai?
The entry point is lower: a completed 2-bedroom leasehold villa listed by Baliestate’s partner agencies asked a median IDR 3.54 billion on 6 October 2026, about USD 198,000. But a Bali leasehold is a fixed term of years, not a permanent title.
Does buying property in Bali give residency?
Not by itself. Hak Pakai needs a KITAS or KITAP first. The five-year Second Home visa asks for IDR 2 billion held in an Indonesian state bank, not a property purchase.
What does it cost to buy in Bali compared with Dubai’s 4% fee?
On a registered transfer in Bali, the buyer pays BPHTB of up to 5% before the notary signs, plus the notary’s fee, capped at 1% under PP 24/2016; a leasehold deed costs the notary’s fee.
Looking for a home in Bali?
Tell the Baliestate assistant your budget and dates. It replies in minutes with homes that fit and books the viewings.
Bali prices and lease terms are medians over partner-agency listings on 6 October 2026, and the Canggu rent-to-price figure is from 20 October 2026, as the leasehold and investment guides publish them; dollar figures at Bank Indonesia’s 7 October 2026 midpoint, dirhams at the UAE’s fixed rate of AED 3.6725 per US dollar. Dubai’s rules are stated as the official UAE pages linked here describe them, read on 26 October 2026. General information, not legal, tax or investment advice in either country.
Sources and further reading
Related guides
- Leasehold vs Freehold in Bali and Indonesia (2026): Who Can Own
- Is a Villa in Bali a Good Investment in 2026? The Numbers
- Valuing a Bali Leasehold: Price per Remaining Year, Discounting and the Extension Clause
- Property taxes and fees when buying in Bali: BPHTB, PBB, NPWP
- Indonesia's Golden Visa and property: what actually qualifies
- Nominee Agreements in Bali: What Perda 4/2026 Changed