Cambodia vs Bali: A Worked 7-Day Budget Comparison for Aussie Couples (2026)
Bali wins on visa cost — $45 USD (~$69 AUD) all up. Cambodia wins on tourist density and on-the-ground prices. The real question is which gap matters more for your week. Here is a worked 7-day budget for an Aussie couple in each country, with every line item priced.
Is Bali or Cambodia better value for an Aussie couple in 2026?
Bali wins clearly on visa cost — $35 USD (~$53 AUD) e-VOA plus the $10 USD (~$15 AUD) Bali tourism levy is $45 USD (~$69 AUD) per traveller, less than half the $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Cambodia Tourist eVisa. But Cambodia closes the gap on the ground: a mid-range Siem Reap room is $50 to $80 AUD a night versus $100 to $160 AUD in Canggu, breakfasts run $5 to $8 AUD versus $15 to $22 AUD, and tuk-tuks are roughly a third of the Bali Grab price. For a worked 7-day Aussie-couple holiday in mid-2026: Bali lands around $4,800 AUD all-in, Cambodia around $4,200 AUD all-in. Bali is cheaper to fly to and easier on visa paperwork. Cambodia is cheaper once you arrive and dramatically less crowded.
Key Takeaways
- Bali visa cost for Aussies: $35 USD (~$53 AUD) e-VOA plus the $10 USD (~$15 AUD) Bali tourism levy = $45 USD (~$69 AUD) per traveller total.
- Cambodia visa cost for Aussies: $80 USD (~$122 AUD) all-in Tourist eVisa, approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email.
- Bali wins clearly on visa cost — about $77 USD ($118 AUD) cheaper for a couple on entry paperwork alone.
- Cambodia wins on tourist density — Angkor Wat at sunrise feels less crowded than Tanah Lot, even in peak season.
- A 7-day Aussie couple holiday: budget around $4,800 AUD all-in for Bali (Canggu mid-range), $4,200 AUD all-in for Cambodia (Siem Reap mid-range). Cambodia evens out the visa gap on accommodation and food.
Why the headline visa cost is the wrong number to anchor on
Most Aussies booking their first proper holiday together do a back-of-the-napkin compare on the visa cost and stop there. Bali is $45 USD (~$69 AUD) total when you add the tourism levy to the e-VOA. Cambodia is $80 USD (~$122 AUD) for the Tourist eVisa. On paper, that is a $77 USD (~$118 AUD) gap for a couple, and it looks decisive. It is not.
The visa is roughly 1 percent of a $4,000 to $5,000 AUD per-person holiday. The accommodation, food, and ground transport — the other 99 percent — moves in the opposite direction. Bali in 2026 is significantly more expensive on the ground than it was even three years ago, particularly in Canggu, Seminyak, and Ubud. Cambodia has stayed cheap. Across a full week, the daily-spend gap quietly erases the visa gap and then some.
This guide does the worked budget side by side for a realistic Aussie couple. Hotels, breakfasts, dinners, taxis, day trips, the lot. If you want the destination-decision angle on the same question, the Cambodia vs Indonesia decision guide covers the experiential differences, and the Cambodia visa cost guide for Australians is the eligibility-and-fee detail. The Cambodia eVisa Australian guide hub covers cost, documents, and processing time in one canonical write-up.
The visa cost story: Bali clearly wins this round
Both countries require a visa for Australian passport-holders — neither is visa-free. The fees diverge significantly, and Bali's product is meaningfully cheaper. Here is the line-by-line for two Aussies travelling together.
Bali: $45 USD (~$69 AUD) total per traveller
Indonesia is not visa-free for Australians in 2026. The standard route is the e-VOA — Electronic Visa on Arrival — at $35 USD (~$53 AUD), filed online before you fly. On top of that, every international tourist landing in Bali has to pay the Bali tourism levy, currently $10 USD (~$15 AUD) per person, which has been in place since 14 February 2024. You can pay it online before you arrive, which is the practical move because the Denpasar airport queue is famously slow. The levy is Bali-specific — fly into Jakarta or Yogyakarta for a Java trip and you skip it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bali cheaper than Cambodia for an Aussie couple?
On the visa and the flights, yes — Bali wins clean. The Bali e-VOA is $35 USD (~$53 AUD) plus a $10 USD (~$15 AUD) tourism levy, for $45 USD (~$69 AUD) per traveller — about half the $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Cambodia Tourist eVisa plus $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD) e-Arrival Card. Return flights from the east coast to Denpasar run $1,200 to $1,600 AUD for a couple versus $1,800 to $2,200 AUD to Phnom Penh via Singapore. But on the ground, Cambodia is roughly 30 to 40 percent cheaper across accommodation, food, and tuk-tuks. Across a 7-day shoulder-season holiday, Cambodia comes in around $4,200 AUD for the couple versus Bali around $4,800 AUD — Cambodia wins overall.
What is the Bali tourism levy in 2026?
The Bali tourism levy is $10 USD (~$15 AUD) per international tourist, mandatory for every traveller landing in Bali regardless of nationality, age, or length of stay. It has been in place since 14 February 2024 and is separate from the e-VOA. You can pay it online before you arrive or at a dedicated counter at Denpasar airport — paying online is the practical choice because the airport queue is famously slow. The levy is Bali-specific, so if you fly into Jakarta, Yogyakarta, or Surabaya for a Java, Lombok, or Sumatra trip, you do not pay it.
How much does a Cambodia visa cost for Australians in 2026?
The Cambodia Tourist eVisa for Australians is $80 USD (~$122 AUD) all-in for a 30-day single-entry stamp valid for three months from issue. The Business eVisa is $90 USD (~$137 AUD) for the broader category covering meetings, paid work, conferences, sales calls, supplier visits, due-diligence trips, and longer stays. Both are processed in 3 business days. The all-in price includes passport and photo pre-checks, Aussie-timezone support, the approved PDF emailed to your inbox, and free resubmission if Immigration flags a correction. On top, the Cambodia e-Arrival Card is mandatory for every air arrival at $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD) when verified through us.
How much should I budget for a 7-day Cambodia trip from Australia in 2026?
For an Aussie couple in mid-range tier (boutique hotels, mid-range restaurants, private tuk-tuks for Angkor, Phare Circus and Phnom Penh history sites included), budget around $4,200 AUD all-in for a 7-night Siem Reap-plus-Phnom Penh trip in shoulder season. That includes return flights from Melbourne or Sydney via Singapore ($2,000 AUD for the couple), the Tourist eVisa and e-Arrival ($260 AUD for the couple), accommodation ($500 AUD), an internal Siem Reap-Phnom Penh flight ($180 AUD), all food, the Angkor 3-day pass, and ground transport. Backpacker-tier comes in around $2,600 AUD; luxury-tier in Siem Reap heritage hotels runs $7,000 AUD plus.
Sources
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