Compare · Bali vs Philippines
Bali vs Philippines for Australians leaving home
The regimes are genuinely different: Bali is a worldwide tax system while Philippines runs territorial tax, which of your income streams each one actually touches matters more than any headline rate.
Both have a tax treaty with Australia, so either way you get a tie-breaker if the ATO contests your departure, and capped withholding (15%/10% vs 15%/10% on unfranked dividends/interest).
On day-to-day costs there is little between them, roughly 45% and 45% of Sydney's basket (indicative, ex-rent), so the money question is decided by tax and rent, not groceries.
Personalise this, enter your numbers once and every figure below becomes yours: “your estimated income tax: $14,200”, not “0, 22%”. Open the Country Comparison tool →
| 2 destinations | BaliIndonesia | PhilippinesPhilippines |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ||
| Regime | worldwide, taxes worldwide income | territorial, worldwide income not taxed |
| Income tax on salary | Progressive 5, 35%. An A$120k income maps to roughly 27% effective, Indonesia is not a low-tax residence on paper. | Progressive 0, 35% on Philippine-source compensation and business income; the 35% band starts at PHP 8m (~A$216k). |
| Capital gains | No concessional CGT: foreign gains are ordinary income up to 35%. Indonesian-listed share sales instead pay a 0.1% final tax on proceeds. (30% typical) | Foreign share gains: not taxed for resident aliens. Philippine listed shares: 0.6% stock transaction tax on gross sale. Unlisted Philippine shares: 15% CGT. (0% typical) |
| Dividends | Domestic dividends: 10% final (0% if reinvested in Indonesia under conditions). Foreign dividends: progressive rates unless the reinvestment exemption applies. | Foreign dividends: outside the Philippine net for resident aliens. Philippine dividends: 10% final withholding. |
| Interest | Taxed locally around 20% | Generally untaxed locally |
| Crypto | Crypto traded on Indonesian platforms carries small final transaction taxes (income tax of ~0.1% of value plus VAT). Gains realised offshore by a resident are, strictly, worldwide income at progressive rates. | No dedicated crypto tax rules: BIR guidance treats trading profits as taxable income when Philippine-source. Offshore-exchange gains of a resident alien are foreign-source and outside the net, but documentation matters. |
| Australia tax treaty | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available |
| Social security | BPJS health and employment schemes apply to formal employees; foreign remote workers typically fall outside them. | SSS/PhilHealth apply to local employment; retirees and remote workers on their own income are outside them. |
| Visa | ||
| Best pathways |
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| Visa ease | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Family on visas | Dependants covered on main pathways | Dependants covered on main pathways |
| Fastest timeline | ~0 months on the quickest pathway | ~0 months on the quickest pathway |
| Money | ||
| Rent (family home, monthly) | $2,500/mo | $2,000/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $1,500/mo | $1,100/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | $15,000 | $14,000 |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $5,000 | $4,500 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 45% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 45% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$12,000 | ~$12,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $1,100 | $1,300 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 2h behind | 2h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~6.5 hours | ~8.5 hours |
| English | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Safety | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Healthcare | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Schooling | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Climate | Tropical, 30°C year-round; wet season roughly November to March. | Tropical with a serious typhoon season (June, November); Manila is hot, humid and flood-prone. |
Costs, rates and visa figures are country-module data marked indicative until individually verified; FX and rental markets move constantly.
Honest downsides, side by side
Every destination hub on this site carries its downsides in the open. Here are both lists together, because the right question is rarely “which is better?” and usually “which set of problems would you rather live with?”
Bali
- Healthcare on the island is adequate for small things and inadequate for big ones, serious cases get evacuated to Singapore or Australia, so insure accordingly.
- Indonesia taxes worldwide income at up to 35%: done legally, Bali is often a worse tax outcome than staying in Australia at middle incomes.
- Infrastructure strain is real: traffic between Canggu and anywhere can be brutal, and rainy-season flooding, power cuts and construction noise are routine.
- Foreigners cannot own land freehold, leaseholds and nominee structures carry genuine legal risk.
- Enforcement culture is unpredictable: long tolerance, then sudden crackdowns (on visas, on unlicensed business, on tax).
Philippines
- Infrastructure is the weak point: Manila traffic is globally infamous, power and internet reliability vary, and healthcare outside top private hospitals is thin.
- Safety requires judgment, petty crime in cities, and entire regions (western Mindanao) under standing government travel warnings.
- Typhoons are not an abstraction: multiple significant hits per year, with flooding even in metro Manila.
- Foreigners cannot own land (condos yes, land no), long-term settling means leases or a Filipino spouse's title.
- The banking system is parochial: moving money in is easy, opening accounts and moving it out less so.
Make this comparison yours
The table above shows the general figures. Enter your income and family once and the tax rows become your numbers, “your estimated income tax in Canggu: $14,200”, not a range.