Cost of Living in Jakarta

Ong, you'll get diarrhea if you stomach ain't strong, which you will most of the time.

Food stinks here but is like twice the cost of Thailand and Vietnam but half the quality.

People not that friendly or even talk to you unless they're trying to size u up.

Good luck existing here without a kitas. Need it to even breathe basically.

Lot of tipping and nickel and dining that will eat into your budget.

Jakarta can be all over the place when it comes to prices but overall it can probably be considered an inexpensive place to live. Like some folks have said, "western" products can come at a premium. One thing I've noticed is that it often seems like it's less expensive to eat out than shop for groceries and eat at home. You can find just about every variety of restaurant here and I really enjoy the big selection of Asian cuisines (Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, etc.). Expect to pay a little more in restaurants in the malls but in comparison to American and Western European prices, dining out is significantly more affordable.

Groceries are a different story. Folks have advised going to local markets but understand that the produce on offer can often be questionable, you may not be able to find much of a selection of non-tropical fruits and vegetables, and the language barrier can be frustrating. Most supermarkets are modern with varying selection. Avoiding more "upscale" supermarkets like Ranch 99 usually doesn't mean you will actually pay less because you'll inevitably end up paying a lot more for an item at one place than another only to get nailed on some other item if you try to comparison shop, so you may as well go for convenience. I will say some places are expensive across the board (Hero) while some are inexpensive (Grand Lucky).

Clothes are usually cheap if you aren't going for high fashion. Travel is usually reasonable and taxis are pocket change in comparison to most places. Hired help like nannies and pembantus (housekeepers) are definitely affordable on the typically expat salary if not included with your compensation package.

Be aware Indonesia won't be accepting flights land,or sea entries until April 2021 but it'll be reevaluated at that point.Follow travel advisories that are up to date before buying any flight to Indonesia.

Indos tend to overcharge for services or rarely count back your change correctly or nickel and dime you for paper bags and parking.

That will definitely eat into your budget.

Cost of living can be much lower than what is listed on this website.

The choice of products to compare is fundamentally flawed because they are not culturally neutral. For example, products like red wine and European-style cheese are simply not common in Indonesia. They have to be imported and so of course they will be expensive. Most people living in Indonesia don't incur this expense however, as they don't consume these products.

Also, the cost of most products seems to be based on the cost you would pay if you bought it in a supermarket or a mall. Again, this fails to take account of cultural factors. In Indonesia, Western style supermarkets and malls are seen as prestigious, so they charge much, much more for the same product which could be bought cheaper on the street. An extreme example of this would be the Grand Indonesia mall in Jakarta, where a basic chicken and rice meal could cost R 15 000. On the street literally just outside the door of that mall, you could buy a better tasting version of the same dish for Rs 1 500.

All data I entered are give or take , cause I cannot too precise depending on many situations, lately transportation cost in Jakarta are lower, because government operated bus and train one ticket for all distances