How Much Does It Cost to Live In Indonesia?
The cost of living in Indonesia depends on what particular part of Indonesia you plan on visiting, and whether you’re going to rural or urban areas.
But if we must speak generally, Indonesia is known as a country with a low cost of living compared to many Western or European countries.
For example, if you’re a tourist from the Western world and you have money saved up from living and working back home, you will be pleasantly surprised by Indonesia.
Indonesia has one of the lowest costs of living in all of southeast Asia, but it does have some of the most expensive hotels worldwide, so if you’re planning on a luxurious vacation, it can be pricey.
Indonesia : Cost of Living by City
RESTAURANTS
As with anywhere else in the world, it is definitely cheaper to eat street food than to go out to restaurants.
However, in Indonesia, even restaurants shouldn’t be a huge luxury for tourists.
They are usually affordable, though if you’re looking to keep your cost of living in Indonesia down, stick to the restaurants where locals go.
MARKETS
As logic would have it, eating in your own kitchen is always cheaper than eating outside, and many people prefer this option when on vacation.
So for those people, markets are a valid option, and a much cheaper one, at that.
Markets in Indonesia offer a very affordable array of products, fruit, and vegetables.
TRANSPORTATION
Another great thing about cheap living in Indonesia is that transportation is also affordable.
You can opt for a scooter and pay just a few dollars daily, and many foreigners take advantage of this.
When it comes to renting vehicles, the best advice for tourists is to make friends with the locals and let them take you to a rental shop outside of the main tourist areas.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities, for an apartment of standard size (of about 85m2), are just above 110$, including electricity, heating, cooling, and water.
Cell phone services are considerably lower than in most countries, while high-speed internet can get a bit pricey, varying along the lines of 30$ per month.
SPORTS & LEISURE
As expected, you will have to cash out a bit more money if you want to indulge in sports and fitness activities and pass your time this way.
However, in Indonesia, these are reasonable prices, and most tourists interested in sports will be able to pay for fitness centers that cost about 27$ a month.
However, tennis is expensive everywhere, so renting a tennis court for an hour costs around 8$ in Indonesia.
Other ways of pastime, like going to a cinema are mostly affordable, too.
CLOTHING & SHOES
When it comes to clothing and shoes, this is something that isn’t quite necessary for any tourist, but if you happen to want to go shopping, Indonesia really is a country to do this.
You can find quality jeans like Levi’s for under 50$, dresses and shirts for just 27.74$, while quality shoes and sneakers cost just above 70.03$.
RENT PER MONTH
Like in most countries, living and renting apartments, studios or houses depends on the neighborhood and the type of living facility you’re renting.
You can expect an apartment for one or two people in the city center to cost up to 279.43$, while apartments for larger families can cost twice as much and more, depending on the area where you’re renting.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Indonesia
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $1.67 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $2.47 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.28 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.27 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.13 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.55 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.33 |
| Monthly Pass | $10.16 |
| Gasoline | $0.85 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $61.45 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.13 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $30.99 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $26.94 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $8.15 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $3.34 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $37.76 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $27.74 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $70.03 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $279.43 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $170.36 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $673.63 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Indonesia?
Taking into consideration the statistics provided, it can be said that people in Indonesia spend most of their money in supermarkets and markets, buying food and necessities.
They also spend a lot of money covering their taxes, rent expenses, and utilities, which is normal, considering that these are things that need to be paid.
In Indonesia, people also spend a lot of money on transportation and considering the fact that cities in Indonesia are extremely large and spacious, this is also to be expected.
Apart from going to restaurants, it seems that people in Indonesia practice sports and leisure and enjoy this more than spending their money on clothing and shoes.
Average Costs Breakdown
Indonesia: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Unfortunately, Indonesia is in 78th place on the national minimum wage ranking, which means it is ranked very low, among the countries with the lowest minimum salary.
The minimum wage in Indonesia is 188.4 $ which is very low and cannot cover the basic monthly expenses.
If you’re planning on living modestly in Indonesia, you will need somewhere around 500$ per month, if you’re living in the city.
However, people living in villages are used to a more modest life and spend less money.
The average salary in Indonesia is around 344.50$, which is also not enough to cover all your expenses if you want to afford most things necessary for a living.
Indonesia Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Indonesia Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: HIGH
- SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
Cost of Living by City in Indonesia
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Bali | 31.2 |
| Bandung | 35.58 |
| Jakarta | 31.2 |
| Surabaya | 35.72 |
| Yogyakarta | 34.91 |
I’ve traveled through parts of Indonesia on my journey to Singapore, specifically Batam Island. It really is a beautiful place, plenty of other tourists there and especially good if you like to play golf! Everything was cheap, but I don’t live and work there so that’s to be expected. Overall a great country that you won’t regret visiting.
My family and I have traveled to Bali numerous times and will continue to do so. It’s a stunning island with amazing things to see like volcanoes, mountains, beaches, and forests. A 5-star hotel is just a couple hundred dollars and it’s an amazing experience. I’d like to visit Java and Lombok as well.
Indonesia is right near the top of countries I want to visit, up there with Australia and Japan. Bali looks so pretty and Jakarta seems like a cleaner, more organized New York. I’ll have to check prices for hotels and such, maybe I’ll go next year. A cruise sounds good actually, I could visit Malaysia at the same time.
I love to go and live in Indonesia but I am pension here in Sydney but i like to meet a lady to, thank you, Gino
I also want to stay there
I am looking to to migrate to asia but not sure where . Indonesia looks great . The money transfer is great. So i will keep looking.
My wife is from Indonesia and as such I have traveled there many times, and we have recently bought a new construction 3 bedroom Townhome outside of Jakarta (in Tangerang) for about $60,000.
The cost of living is very affordable, depending on the individual. You can easily exist on $500, but I would say a typical American or other “Westerner” would prefer a $1,000+ budget. That being said, depending where you are (Bali is more expensive because of the amount of tourism) you can generally spend as much as yo want – My target for retiring and spending half my time there is around 2,000 which will allow me to do almost anything I really want.
Indonesia is a land of countless bounty, and potentially endless adventure. Do your research and visit a few different places to get a good feel for it. Also – It is very close to use as a spring board to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, etc.
That’s my next country to visit
I love it’s nature and level of living
I’ll rather start a family there with an Indonesian wan.
It sounds really a appreciatable place to visit in my own feelingone day I would start my new life there.
Don’t you all? All over Asia! 😂
I am Indonesian, and I live and work here in Jakarta. Here are some of the facts that I could share:
1. Decent housing in suburban areas is quite cheap. You can get a 1 bedroom fully furnished apt rent in a very nice neighborhood for around $150-200/ month, or cheaper if you paid by year. for the same amount of money, you can get a 180-240 sqm landed house to rent in the same area. The benefits of renting a landed house are you’ve got ridiculously low utility expenses (garbage service and local security usually just around $15-20 monthly, and also lower electricity (because Indonesia has several grades of electricity rate, starting from the most expensive business and commercial area, down to industrial, several grades of high rise residential, landed base residential, social and community service and very/ultra-low residential. Not to mention some of the Jakarta areas landed house has their own deep well for water, so sometimes you don’t have to pay the water bill.
2. Things that are ridiculously expensive in Indonesia is car and alcohol drink (wine and liquor), while cigarettes prices are considerably low. A standard brand new 2.4 Toyota Camry Automatic transmission on the road (with tax and license plate) is about $47000 while maybe it only around $26000-$27000 in the USA, the same thing with wine, I check one particular famous wine brand from Australia that cost around $7-10 AUD in Sydney, is around $35-40 AUD in Jakarta. this alcohol price is ridiculous in Indonesia, even in the duty-free store is still very expensive, therefore clubbing with plenty of alcohol can be very expensive.
3. Food price is considerably low, you can get a very decent meal in the local Indonesia/Chinese restaurant for just less than $10 per person. even cheaper if you use delivery order since a lot of food delivery platforms in Indonesia are offering a very good discount (sometimes is up to 40% disc.)
4. Internet is average, good enough for NetFlix and casual browsing, but not good enough for video conference. If a good and stable internet connection is mandatory, then you have to live near downtown or in the very nice suburbs area, or alternatively, you have to use better wifi connections in the closest Starbucks or hotel in your neighborhood. if you plan to visit some remote area for tourist activities, be prepared for a lot of blind spots. I visit Labuan Bajo in 2018 and there is only 1 out of 4 mobile telco provider in Indonesia that has approximately 50% coverage in the area.
5. Gasoline price is cheap, and if you go to a premium gas station, they even provide you with free add-on services like windshield cleaning and tire pressure check.
6. Golf is cheap, with the fact that we might have some golf court view is magnificent, especially in Bali or Batam
7. Most standard groceries expense is considered cheap. Very decent groceries expenses are about $ 125-150 per person if you do daily cooking at home. this price is lower if you do it for 3 or 4 people. A typical 4 person family might spend about $ 350-500 for decent groceries monthly. You just need to know where to get the best price for groceries
Thank you for that information. Can you tell us how to find these places?
nice break down.
I want to add that if you have intetnational taste its more expensive in indonesia. I wanted to buy mini cooper for bali leave it there. The price for mini cooper was 3x more than usa. You can get an audi r8 and a daily driver for same price. I rented a tacoma for papua jungles it cost me more to rent then a sports car here. Basically their market is under 100hp vehicles if you want equivalent power to here you will pay triple. Jet ski etc or leasure motorized vehicles like atv cost more then home too.
Electronics and goods and brands more expensive. It was cheaper me fly to singapore to buy their brands than shop online in indo. Local stuff is affordable but if you want anything imported it sometimes 2x or 3x more. Even designer stuff back home can be40- 50% cheaper then buying in indonesia. Also indonesia doesnt have those killer sales or vibrant used market to get prices down. Also no option for dual citizenship if you want to invest in the country. Used stuff retains value. So if you buy something like phone you can get good chunk back when you leave because new is so expensive.
Also if you have health issues make surr have good insurance or if you have conditions that need treatments. My friend from uk got drinking water poisoned and need volon treatment. The only treatment was in singapore or thailand. It cost his insurance 30k usd for medical transport. I had tooth ache in sulewesi i went from central to south 10 hours bus. All the xray machines in makassar were broken. I had to spend $100 airflight to bali. Then i had to make appointmenr because not every office has xray. So be mindful of poor infastructure if you are outside jakarta or bali.
Last thing too because transportation isnt good because of number of people prices tend to stack up when exploring the real nature stuff. Only tourist areas is it a bit cheaper. Also 70km back home is nothing but can be a day trip here.
Basically you have to be mindful because it is an island nation getting stuff around cost big bucks. Imports will cost more then back home too.