I’m Much Happier Living In Bali Than In The U.S. - Here’s How Much It Costs

Steven Guo, 24, relocated to Bali, Indonesia, from Southern California in 2024. He currently makes $254,000 a year running multiple e-commerce businesses that are on track to bring in a combined $1.7 million this year.

This is an installment of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.

Produced by: Mickey Todiwala
Managing Producer: Beatriz Bajuelos
Camera: Ruda Putra
Editor: Nora Rappaport
Animator: Elham Ataeiazar
Reporter: Jennifer Liu
Additional Footage: Stephen Guo, Getty Images

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I’m Much Happier Living In Bali Than In The U.S. - Here’s How Much It Costs

[StevenGuo]

Thanks for having me and allowing me to share my story! There’s so much that wasn’t covered but this is just a small glimpse into my life. For those curious about my businesses and life in general, I’ll be sharing it on my channel in the coming months :)

[Errearrea]

His ecom brands are tiny, I looked them up and highly doubt they bring in that much money. Unsurprisingly, he is also doing mentorship courses. Sounds like a bit of a fake guru but I could be wrong. When people brag about how money money they made at 12, 13, 14, etc its usually a red flag as it can't be verified.

[natalia_]

Native Balinese here. I say, good for people like him who make "western" income to live in Bali. But it does sting a little LOL. The legal minimum wage in the richest regency in Bali is just 3, 318, 628 IDR or around 209 USD/month, a lot even get paid less than that.

But then I felt a little meh when I heard he didn't have any locals in his team? (correct me if I'm wrong, I listened to this while doing other things).

[wawaldekidsfun]

As someone interested in entrepreneurship, this felt more like a lifestyle flex than valuable content. Running 3 different e-commerce businesses is impressive, but we barely got any insights into HOW. Also concerning that while benefiting from Bali's low cost of living, there's zero mention of employing or developing local Indonesian talent in your 19-person team. The digital nomad lifestyle is great, but shouldn't we aim to contribute more meaningfully to the communities hosting us? Would love to see CNBC Make It focus more on actionable business insights and sustainable, ethical entrepreneurship rather than just showcasing villas and pools. The real value is in the how, not the what.

[ladhkay]

CNBC needs to do a better job with their investigating for personal stories. A lot of things dont add up

[EllyKusumastutiDamayanti]

As Indonesian (I'm Javanese from Yogya btw), I hope that the video doesn't make lots of people want to move to bali, actually now Bali is facing overtourism and it could affect so many things from socio-culture to environment, etc... yes we actually still need tourist to visit, but if there are too much people move to bali (as we already have now) there will be potencially even more problematic, Bali is a tiny.. tiny.. tiny.. small island compare to other parts of Indonesia, so please just don't think that It is a paradise for foreigners to live.

[dilduul]

please stop commercializing this kind of trend! bali isn't a place for everyone to live, the locals are already struggling with the situation where foreigner starts to competing all kinds of jobs and businesess

[sleepingrogue]

These guys are ruining it for the locals and you never hear any of them talking about giving back to the local community for the thousand they save from not being in the US. Hope they start charging them a fee or something.

[mosimosi]

Good kid ❤ the way he talks about his mom

[NHJDT]

It's interesting how many negative comments there are about this young man who is living his dream, trying to make it in this world who doesn't live off his mom or the government. It's admirable. Don't be crabs. Be happy for others when they find happiness

[mursalimsapara]

I can see how he loves her mom and her dedication. it's so emotional. I envy those young entrepreneurs who achieved amazing careers at a young age.

[AntonSlizzardhands]

It would be nice to know the backstory of starting those businesses and how long they have been operating.

[Anna-llyy]

I'm favoured, Getting my own Truck has always been my Dream for my business. I just acquired 2 recently, earning $32K weekly has been really helpful. I can now give back to the locals in my community and also support Charity Organizations.

[mimilove]

Jealous anyone? Lot of the comments on here sound like they're stemming from jealousy. Being an Asian-American myself, I relate to some of what he said in this vid, and he inspires me to live the life I've always dreamed of now, and not later.

[travelubs]

Bali is so lucky to have a successful enterpreneur like you. I hope you already paid your taxes as a fair contribution in where you are living.

[JohnDoeTube]

Bro's portion of the rent is a whole salary, so much for cheap costs

[indonesiannews]

I HAVE BEEN TO BALI 40 TIMES... A very nice place to stay...

[kikisakamoto]

hope you pay tax to indonesian goverment

[ianbeanie]

reading all the comments is just sad; but either way it inspires me to work harder, one day I hope have my own business as well.

[electriquenikki]

I absolutely LOVE how he talked about his mum ❤❤❤ the food in Bali looks sooo good