What Bali was before the traffic. Quieter beaches, cheaper land, and a genuinely growing foreign community around Senggigi and Kuta Lombok — offset by thinner medical care and a longer trip when something goes wrong.
What a month costs
Rp 12–20jt — US$700–1,100 for a couple, per month.
Dollar figures converted at Rp 17,900 to US$1, the rate in August 2026. Rupiah amounts are the ones that matter — the exchange rate moves, your rent doesn’t.
Healthcare
Limited — plan for evacuation
The best facilities on Lombok are concentrated in Mataram: Siloam Hospitals Mataram, RS Harapan Keluarga and the provincial hospital RSUD Provinsi NTB. Siloam Mataram has 24-hour emergency care, English-speaking staff and coordinates with international insurers.
Outside Mataram there are clinics and puskesmas rather than hospitals. For anything beyond routine treatment the standard recourse is medical evacuation to Bali, and onward to Singapore if needed. Insurance with evacuation cover is not optional here — it is the plan.