"What does a smart home cost?" is the first WhatsApp message we get, and the honest answer — "it depends" — helps nobody. So here are the dependencies themselves: the real 2026 numbers we quote, organised by villa size and by system, plus the factors that move a quote from the bottom of a range to the top. All prices are installed and configured, in IDR, and match the rates on our pricing page — this article exists so you can budget before you ever talk to us.
Cost by Villa Size
Starter, any villa — from IDR 12,000,000. The entry point that makes daily life noticeably better: smart lighting in the main rooms, one smart door lock, one security camera, all running on a proper local Zigbee hub. This is the package we recommend to owners who are not sure yet — everything in it scales up later without being replaced.
Two-bedroom villa, properly automated — IDR 25–40 million. Lighting scenes through the whole villa, AC automation in the bedrooms, locks on the entrance and pool house, two to four cameras with local recording, and mesh WiFi that reaches the garden. The most common project we do.
Three-bedroom villa, fully automated — from IDR 45,000,000. Everything above plus motorised curtains in the master, multi-room audio, camera coverage of the full perimeter and a UPS so the system rides through blackouts. Typically IDR 45–70 million depending on hardware tier.
Large or premium builds — IDR 80 million and up. Four-plus bedrooms, KNX wired control, cinema room, pool and garden automation. At this level the design phase matters more than the hardware bill, especially if the villa is still under construction.
Cost by System
Most owners phase the spend, so here is what each piece costs on its own — these are our standard service rates:
Smart lighting — from IDR 1,800,000 per room. Switch-level Zigbee control, scenes and schedules. A whole 3-bedroom villa typically lands at IDR 18–40 million; a premium KNX backbone starts above IDR 50 million.
Smart locks — from IDR 3,500,000 per door. Fingerprint and guest codes, integrated with the hub. Budget tested models run IDR 2–3 million; premium mortise locks IDR 5–8 million.
Security cameras — from IDR 6,500,000. A four-camera system with local NVR recording. Six to eight cameras with UPS backup: IDR 12–20 million.
AC automation — from IDR 1,200,000 per room. The fastest payback in the tropics — schedules, presence rules and remote pre-cooling routinely cut AC bills by 20–30% in villas we monitor.
Motorised curtains — from IDR 2,800,000 per window. Battery retrofit motors or wired tracks in new builds.
Villa WiFi — from IDR 5,500,000. Mesh coverage, proper cabling and LTE failover — the foundation everything else stands on.
Home cinema — from IDR 7,500,000. From a serious projector-and-sound living room setup to a dedicated room.
What Actually Moves the Price
Wired vs wireless. Retrofit Zigbee keeps costs down and installs in days. A KNX wired system roughly doubles the lighting budget but is the premium standard for new builds — and is dramatically cheaper to install during construction than after it. If you are still building, read our pre-wiring advice before the walls close.
Hardware tier. The same villa specced with tested Tuya gear versus Aqara versus KNX can differ by 2–3× on hardware. We usually mix: premium where hands touch it daily (locks, main switches), value tier where nobody looks (relay modules, staff areas).
The state of the wiring. Bali villas hide surprises — no neutral wire at the switches (solvable, we do it weekly), aluminium runs, junction boxes buried in render. Odd wiring can add a day of electrician time; it is the least glamorous line on a quote and the most important one to do properly.
Running costs — almost none. Everything we install runs on the local hub without subscriptions: no monthly camera fees, no lock fees, no automation cloud. The electricity draw of the whole control system is a few watts. The only recurring items are your internet plan and the failover SIM.
Phasing: Spend in the Right Order
The trick to spreading cost is sequencing, not shrinking. Phase one: network and hub — the foundation (from IDR 5.5 million) that every later phase plugs into. Phase two: the daily-feel systems, lighting and AC, where the comfort and the energy savings live. Phase three: security — locks and cameras — which for rental villas often jumps to phase one because guest codes and remote monitoring pay for themselves. Phase four: the pleasures — curtains, audio, cinema. Done in this order, nothing gets ripped out or re-bought; each phase extends the last. What actually costs money is doing it backwards: gadgets first, network never, then paying to rebuild it as a system later — the most expensive smart home in Bali is the one bought twice.