Planning to move to Indonesia

Good morning,

it depends where you want to live. Indonesia are 17000 islands.

Jakarta gets difficult with 300 EUR.

I'm living in Bekasi Regency, 70km east of Jakarta, the area is still under development, but the is everything you need - shops, restos, clinics,... - within 10 minutes grab rides, and I pay 260 EUR for 72 pm. That's OK.

Number 1 is never think in anything but Rupiah.

Apart from rentals in anything but Rupiah being illegal, places advertised in other currencies are generally overpriced to rip off foreigners.

The money is around 5 million/month or 60 million/year.

My gated estate 3+1 house in West Jakarta is 60/year but we may be moving to a non-gated 4+1 that's closer to work at 40/year.

Quiet places like Wonosobo will see you renting a  nice 2 bed for around 10 million/year.

A big house in Cirebon is more like 22/year.

You need to know where you want to live.

Jakarta gets difficult with 300 EUR.

    -@Harald54

Yep.

A lot of places have rents that look like  international telephone numbers.

For starters, read this - https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=800106

If you rent, search for places using Indonesian. If you do it in English, you'll probably get ripped off.

Anything not priced in Indonesian Rupiah - Forget it

Rents are normally by the year rather than the month. If they ask for two years, walk away.

Buying in your Indonesian wife's name is fine, but you are stuck in one place.

However, be there to watch the builders like a hawk - Standards are commonly low, as is safety.

The down side to this is divorce - You lose the lot.

My personal preference is anywhere in the mountains - Cooler, cheaper, and a lot less hassle. Add villages and small towns tend to be very friendly places and you're on a winner.

I never recommend Bali (at least the south) if you dislike noise, drunken behaviour, and everything that goes with it - Others disagree, but I'm a grumpy old man so I'm right.

My wife is from Depok so I know the area reasonably well. Houses in villages are cheaper but the area is generally busy so traffic is horrible.

As for rents in Jakarta and Bali - many are stupid.

My Rp.60 million/year is a bit much but we get very good security with gate passes, excellent cleaning services, and a communal swimming pool. There's also a shop in every cluster.

Medical costs - Read the thread but the best way to find a good company is wander into a couple of private hospitals and ask which companies they recommend. They will always name the ones that pay them on time. That means you get hassle free services. The companies that hang around in malls trying to sell stupidly expensive premiums are generally rubbish payers so the hospitals don't trust them.

Food depends on your tastes. Western food is generally expensive at around Rp.100,000/person or more.

Local food, depending on where you live, starts at 10 to 15,000 for friend rice. I bought a portion for Rp.8,000 in Wonosobo a few weeks ago - it was a very large, and very delicious portion.

I tend (except my radios and computers) to be minimalist so I don't spend all that much.

I forgot electricity.

Without air conditioners, it's very cheap. I love the mountains.

Something you need to be aware of is that maintenance or management fees for apartments can sometimes be very high, so yo need to know whether the landlord or tenant pays it. Not sure why they are so high but it certainly isn't low as in places like Malaysia. It might be better to find a not to expensive house.

Anyway, you need to say where you are planning to live, Jakarta? Bali? The location makes a big difference.

    For starters, read this - https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=800106
If you rent, search for places using Indonesian. If you do it in English, you'll probably get ripped off.
Anything not priced in Indonesian Rupiah - Forget it
Rents are normally by the year rather than the month. If they ask for two years, walk away.

Buying in your Indonesian wife's name is fine, but you are stuck in one place.
However, be there to watch the builders like a hawk - Standards are commonly low, as is safety.
The down side to this is divorce - You lose the lot.

My personal preference is anywhere in the mountains - Cooler, cheaper, and a lot less hassle. Add villages and small towns tend to be very friendly places and you're on a winner.

I never recommend Bali (at least the south) if you dislike noise, drunken behaviour, and everything that goes with it - Others disagree, but I'm a grumpy old man so I'm right.

My wife is from Depok so I know the area reasonably well. Houses in villages are cheaper but the area is generally busy so traffic is horrible.

As for rents in Jakarta and Bali - many are stupid.
My Rp.60 million/year is a bit much but we get very good security with gate passes, excellent cleaning services, and a communal swimming pool. There's also a shop in every cluster.

Medical costs - Read the thread but the best way to find a good company is wander into a couple of private hospitals and ask which companies they recommend. They will always name the ones that pay them on time. That means you get hassle free services. The companies that hang around in malls trying to sell stupidly expensive premiums are generally rubbish payers so the hospitals don't trust them.

Food depends on your tastes. Western food is generally expensive at around Rp.100,000/person or more.
Local food, depending on where you live, starts at 10 to 15,000 for friend rice. I bought a portion for Rp.8,000 in Wonosobo a few weeks ago - it was a very large, and very delicious portion.

I tend (except my radios and computers) to be minimalist so I don't spend all that much.
   

    -@Fred

Wow, what is Depok (West Java).  If it's true, it turns out your wife is in the same city as me.

Now Depok is quite busy.  Because many native Jakarta residents who were evictions moved to the Depok area.  Some choose the Bogor area.  But if you know, in Depok there are actually still several places that have few residents, but already have quite adequate facilities.  Ha ha..

And that area went viral among several teenagers who used to exist in the Sudirman area, Jakarta.

Actually, as a Depok resident, I'm embarrassed to say this. Haha..

BTW..

In essence, the cost of living depends on where you live, densely populated areas are definitely more expensive than areas with fewer residents.  However, also look at the access to the area, the further you are from the center of agriculture & farming, the cost of living will be slightly more expensive even though there are fewer residents.  For example, I lived in Bengkulu (Sumatra) for 3 years.  The price of seafood is cheaper than the price of other ingredients.  Because more of the other food ingredients come from outside Bengkulu.  But again, look for a place to live that has easier access to your place of work.  It's no problem living in Jakarta, if you are facilitated by the company.  Haha..

If not, enjoy the traffic jam. 😁

Sorry, I forgot about the apartment.  It's actually quite expensive in Indonesia.  Actually I don't understand.  Maybe in other countries, apartments are intended for the lower middle class.  But in contrast to Indonesia, apartments are more intended for residents with middle to upper economic levels.  While the economy is weak, flats (Rumah Susun) are provided by the government.  For local residents, looking for a cheap place to live, we are looking for rented (Kontrakan) or boarding houses (Kostsan).  Much cheaper, although currently there are many expensive ones. 😁

But Kontrakan Petak (Square Rented), most likely by local.