Is Off-Plan Cheaper in Bali? What 350 Villa Prices Actually Show

Short answer: not in the way the sales pitch suggests. In the Balinsky catalogue, villas still under construction are listed at a median of $3,004 per square metre, while completed villas are listed at $2,444 — new off-plan villas are about 23% more expensive per square metre, not cheaper. The "off-plan discount" is real only in a narrow sense: the same villa usually costs less before it is finished than after. Compared with what is already built and for sale today, off-plan is often the more expensive way in. Here is the data and what it means for a buyer.

Balinsky catalogue, published villas with a price and floor area, September 2026: — Under construction: median $371,490 per villa, $3,004 per m² (254 villas). Half of them fall between $2,540 and $3,629 per m². — Completed: median $320,000 per villa, $2,444 per m² (99 villas). Half of them fall between $2,023 and $3,124 per m². The pattern holds when you compare like with like: — 1 bedroom: under construction $2,935 per m² (63 villas) vs completed $2,504 (14 villas). — 2 bedrooms: under construction $3,037 per m² (103 villas) vs completed $2,427 (43 villas). — 3 bedrooms: under construction $2,800 per m² (47 villas) vs completed $2,169 (28 villas). And inside the same area, where both kinds are listed: — Nyanyi: under construction $2,947 per m² (28 villas) vs completed $2,466 (16 villas). — Ubud: under construction $3,110 per m² (15 villas) vs completed $2,076 (14 villas) — a small sample, indicative only.

The data shows the gap; it does not prove the cause. The likely explanations: — Completed villas are older stock. They were designed and priced one to five years ago, when land and construction were cheaper. New projects are priced at today's land and building costs. — New villas are sold with a marketing premium: renders, a sales team, agent commissions, often a promised rental programme. All of that is built into the price. — Specifications differ. Newer projects tend to have more expensive finishes, larger glazing and more amenities. — A completed villa comes with evidence: you can see the build quality, and sometimes a rental history. An off-plan buyer pays for a promise. In other words, "off-plan is 15–30% cheaper" usually compares the launch price with the price the same project will ask after completion — which is the developer's forecast, not a market fact.

— Compare off-plan with what is finished nearby, not with the developer's future price. If a completed villa of similar size in the same area lists at $2,400 per m² and an off-plan project asks $3,000, you are paying about a quarter more for a newer building and a delivery risk. — A finished villa can be the better deal. It has no construction risk, no waiting period without income, and you see exactly what you are buying. Check the building permit (PBG), the certificate of functional feasibility (SLF) and the remaining lease. — Off-plan still makes sense when the project is genuinely better — location, design, a strong developer — and when the payment plan protects you. See off-plan payment plans in Bali. — Don't forget the lease clock. On leasehold, the lease term may start on signing rather than on handover — ask. Every month of construction can be a month of lease you pay for and cannot use.

A higher price per square metre with the same achievable nightly rate means a lower yield. Our analysis of Bali villa rental yield by area finds that the median two-bedroom villa earns about 10% gross at 65% occupancy. Buying 20% below the median lifts that towards 12%; buying 20% above it drops it towards 8%.

— Source: villas published in the Balinsky catalogue, September 2026, with a listed price and floor area (353 villas; 254 under construction, 99 completed). — Prices are asking prices, not transaction prices. — Price per m² uses the villa's building area as listed. — The two groups differ in age, location mix and specification; the comparison describes the market a buyer faces today, not the price change of a single villa over time. — Area-level comparisons with fewer than 30 villas in a group are indicative. Compare for yourself: villas under construction · completed villas.