Buying & selling villas in Bali
Are and Hectare, Bali's Land Units Explained Simply
An are is 100 square metres and a hectare is 100 are, the two units used across Bali's land market, and getting comfortable converting between them and whatever unit you are used to avoids costly misreadings of a listing.
An are is a metric unit of area equal to 100 square metres, and a hectare is 100 are, or 10,000 square metres. Bali’s land market uses these two units as standard, alongside square metres for smaller measurements like a villa’s building footprint. If you have only ever dealt with acres or square feet, converting mentally before you look at a listing avoids one of the most common early confusions foreign buyers run into.
Quick conversion table
| Unit | In square metres | In are | Common use in Bali listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 square metre | 1 | 0.01 | Building footprint, small plots |
| 1 are | 100 | 1 | Standard villa-plot land pricing |
| 1 hectare | 10,000 | 100 | Larger development or agricultural land |
| 1 acre (for reference) | ~4,047 | ~40.5 | Not used locally, but a common reference for Western buyers |
Why this matters when reading a listing
A land listing quoted as “5 are” is 500 square metres, roughly the size of a generous villa plot with garden and pool space. A listing quoted as “2 hectares” is 20,000 square metres, a scale more typical of agricultural land or a larger development project, not a single private villa. Misreading are for hectare, or vice versa, changes your understanding of the plot’s size by a factor of 100, which is a serious enough error that it is worth double-checking every time, especially early in a search when you are still calibrating.
Where confusion commonly happens
- Confusing “are” (the unit) with the English word “are,” since the spelling is identical and easy to skim past
- Assuming a listing quoted in are is actually in square metres, understating the true size by 100x
- Converting acres to hectares incorrectly when comparing against listings from other countries
- Not checking whether a price is quoted per are, per hectare, or as a total figure for the whole plot
A simple way to avoid mistakes
- Always confirm explicitly whether a figure is in are, hectares or square metres before doing any comparison
- Do the conversion to square metres yourself as a sanity check, since it is the most universally understood unit
- Ask for the certificate’s stated land area, which is the authoritative figure, rather than relying only on a marketing listing
- When comparing land price in Bali per are against land elsewhere, convert both to the same unit before comparing numbers
- If in doubt, ask the agent or notary to confirm the unit in writing alongside the figure
How this connects to price discussions
Our guide on land price per are in Bali covers what actually drives the price side of the equation once you are confident reading the unit correctly. Getting the unit right first matters because a price that looks attractive per are can look very different once you have confirmed whether the quoted area is actually the size you assumed.
Table: worked size examples
| Plot description | Size in are | Size in sqm |
|---|---|---|
| Small townhouse plot | 1–2 are | 100–200 sqm |
| Standard family villa plot | 3–6 are | 300–600 sqm |
| Larger villa with generous garden | 8–15 are | 800–1,500 sqm |
| Small development or multi-unit plot | 20+ are (0.2+ hectares) | 2,000+ sqm |
These are illustrative size categories to help with orientation, not price indications; actual plot sizes and what they cost vary by area and are always confirmed against the specific certificate.
How land certificates and BPN express these units
Indonesia’s land agency (BPN) and the certificates it issues — whether Hak Milik, Hak Guna Bangunan or the various leasehold arrangements foreign buyers actually use — state land area in square metres as the base official unit, even though are and hectare are the everyday shorthand used in listings and conversation. A certificate showing “500 m²” and an agent describing the same plot as “5 are” are stating the identical figure in two different units, and neither is more official than the other; the certificate’s square-metre figure is simply the one a notary works from directly during due diligence. When you compare a listing’s advertised size against the certificate, convert both to square metres first so you are checking the same number rather than assuming a match. This is also where survey discrepancies sometimes surface: a certificate’s stated area can occasionally differ slightly from what a physical boundary survey finds, which is one more reason to treat the certificate, not the marketing listing, as the figure worth double-checking before you commit.
What to do next
Get comfortable with are and hectare before you start seriously comparing listings, since a unit misreading early in your search can skew every comparison that follows. When in doubt, convert everything to square metres and confirm the figure against the land certificate itself, not just the marketing description.
Next steps: practise converting a few listings you are already looking at to square metres to check your understanding, always confirm the unit explicitly with the agent or notary, and browse our current villas for sale, where plot sizes are stated clearly against the property’s documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Is an are the same as an acre?
No, despite the similar-looking name, they are very different sizes. An are is 100 square metres. An acre is about 4,047 square metres, roughly 40.5 are. Confusing the two would understate a plot's true size by a factor of around 40.
Why does Bali use are and hectare instead of square metres for land pricing?
It is a longstanding convention in Indonesia's land market, and are and hectare remain the standard units for pricing and describing land parcels, while square metres are more commonly used for building footprints and smaller measurements.
How do I convert a price per are into a price per square metre?
Divide the per-are price by 100, since one are equals 100 square metres. This makes it easier to compare against a price per square metre you may see quoted for a different property or in a different market.
What size plot is typical for a private villa with a pool in Bali?
This varies by area and villa type, from smaller townhouse-style plots of a couple of are up to considerably larger plots with generous gardens. There is no single typical figure; check the specific plot size on the certificate for any villa you are considering.
Where do I find the authoritative land area figure for a property?
The land certificate itself states the official area, and this is the figure your notary should verify against, rather than relying solely on a marketing listing's stated size, which can occasionally be rounded or approximate.
Written by The Host Bali team, who manage villas in Sanur, Canggu, Umalas and Ungasan. Prices, rules and visa details change; we date every guide and update it when something moves. Nothing here is legal or tax advice — for a purchase or a licence, check the specifics with a licensed notary or adviser in Bali.