You haven’t lived until you’ve traveled to Indonesia. Once you have you never want to leave. But living here is it as cheap as everyone says? You be the judge.
Known as the land of over 17000 islands, this wonderful country has so much to offer its visitors. You can have any type of experience in Indonesia, whether you want to spend some time on one of the many beaches in Bali, experience a chaotic city like Jakarta or roam through the jungles of Sumatra. The country has such diversity when it comes to cultures, traditions and languages.
Understanding the cost of living in Indonesia can be a tricky task for anyone contemplating coming to this vibrant Southeast Asian country for any length of time. The fluctuations in the economy, differences in regional costs, and contrasting urban and rural living standards can make it tough to get a grasp on your potential expenses.
Indonesia has its own currency, the Indonesia Rupiah (IDR). Cash is widely and mainly used throughout the whole country, so it is vital to have some on you at all times. There is a number of ways to access cash, through AtM, Money Changers or Cash deposits using companies like Western Union.
 |
| Best thing about ATM’s here is they are air-conditioned 🥵 |
ATM’s usually have a very small withdrawal limit. Sometimes the maximum is only $100. That’s fine if you only need it for basic groceries and eating out. But when you need to purchase fuel, hire cars, pay for boat repairs, go sightseeing, pay for visas all using cash. You are running to an ATM all the time and unless you have a good deal with your bank, the fees will kill you.
Credit Cards are seldom used in Indonesia away from main tourist areas. Large hotels, resorts and major supermarkets we have found all have credit card facilities. But we also noticed the extra % to be paid for the privilege.
Money changers are also available in most tourist areas, sometimes you can get a great deal with the exchange rate with them but it does mean carrying a lot of foreign currency with you.
Wise is a good alternative to a debit card their rates are great and they have none to low fees. We use wise for transferring money into international bank accounts, so our personal account is one step back from any potential fraudulent activity.
We use Western Union for large cash drops. We transfer the money to Western Union asking for a cash pickup in Indonesia and in minutes it’s available. Every Pos (Post Office) is a Western Union branch in Indonesia so it is easily accessible from almost all places.
 |
| Every Indonesian Post Office is a branch of Western Union. It makes it very easy to get large amounts of cash, we always find their exchange rate is good. |
As sailors we tend to eat a lot onboard however in Indonesia you will find that you eat ashore quite a lot. Breakfasts are usually onboard and it is usually fresh fruit yogurt or a smoothie using the same ingredients. If we are underway at lunchtime of course we will be using our ship stores. However if we are anchored up, Lunch/dinner are usually in a local Warung. Food in Indonesia is a delightful blend of taste, culture, diversity and affordability. It reflects the rich tapestry of the country's cultural heritage.
Shopping in Indonesia traditional markets is the way to be budget conscious, this is where farmers, fishermen, gardeners, and those whose products are connected to the natural resources sell their products directly to consumers with much cheaper prices. To shop in these markets you need to be aware that there is no work place health or safety and there is no hygiene requirements.
We shop in them all the time knowing that if we eat at a local Warung down the road they have bought their produce from here as well. We have never been ill from eating from street food to market food. We have had friends onboard walking through the markets literally saying we have seen markets on tour in the past, but we have never had to eat from them. Well if you are going to live here that’s the first thing you need to get use to.
 |
| Market food is much cheaper than the Western Supermarkets that you find in the bigger towns. |
At the heart of Indonesia's culinary landscape are local "warungs" and street food stalls. Here, for a mere $2 to $4 per meal, you can sample an assortment of mouth-watering dishes like Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Satay (grilled skewered meat), and Mie Goreng (fried noodles), Beef Rendang (spicy curry).
YouTube Episode explaining a Warung ▶️ https://tinyurl.com/IndonesianWarung
 |
| Satay being cooked by a street vendor the smell is incredible |
Indonesian food is delicious. When you try your first nasi goreng, you’ll never be able to eat fried rice in another country again. The country’s cuisine varies from region to region, and even if you find a dish you like in, say, Lombok, it might taste different in Kalimantan.
If you want to try some Indonesian recipes click over to Our Galley where Karen has shared some easy to make dishes. ▶️ http://dreamtimesailourgalley.blogspot.com/
 |
| Nasi Goreng Ayam. Fried rice with chicken is always served with a fried egg and crackers |
Typical pricing for breakfast: (Australian $)
- Gudeg (unripe jackfruit cooked with coconut milk) – $2 to $3
- Kupat tahu (rice cake and tofu in peanut sauce) – $2 to $3
- Nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice with fried egg) – $2 to $4
You’ll notice a running trend in Indonesia; meat is in pretty much everything, so brace yourselves. We eat a lot of chicken satay or Nasi Goreng at lunchtime. It’s so hard to resist walking past a street food vendor putting on a fresh batch of satay chickenand the smell hitting you in the face.
Standard Indonesian lunches:
- Bakso (meatball noodle soup) – $3
- Rawson (a nutty beef stew) – $3 to $4
- Ayam goreng (fried chicken) – $3 to $4
If you're seeking a more formal dining experience, mid-range and high-end restaurants serve meals at around $8 and $15 or more, depending on the establishment and location. More formal restaurants also usually charge 10% tax and 5% service charge so be aware of this. Meals are not big compared to western standards and this is probably a good thing for your health. But if you find the portions to small an extra serve of satay isn’t going to break the budget.
 |
| There are a number of restaurants that do this. They bring out all of these dish. You choose what you want. Pay for what you eat. WARNING no prices are given, until you pay, sometimes cheap sometimes NOT. |
These prices fluctuate depending on where you are, in Lombok we were paying $5 for Nasi Goreng however in Palopo, Sulawesi we paid $2. Once you get to the Tourist areas the prices can double if not triple. In Tana Toraja our lunch was $30, but that night at a beautiful restaurant it was $20, there is also no rhyme nor reason on how things are priced. Here in BauBau this week for lunch we took our Visa Agent, his daughter and ourselves out to lunch at a very nice restaurant for fried whole fish, chicken goreng all served with rice and freshly made juices total $16. Now you can’t beat that!
Western food, though more expensive, is widely available in many restaurants, particularly in larger cities. But we must say, cooking western food is not their forte, so don’t be disappointed if it’s not what you are expecting. Rob had steak tonight on a sizzling hot plate, it was served with fries and a salad for $7. When I asked if it was ok “he said it was tasty” but for $7 he had his fix of steak. On the other hand I had a beautiful meal of tender satay on hot coals rice and accompanied by sambal and pickled vegetables for $4, an expensive dinner out compared to our Bakso for 2 for $5.
 |
| Bakso - Meatballs in broth with noodles. |
Alcohol isn’t as big in Indonesia as in other Southeast Asian countries. Yes, you can still purchase it, but a good proportion of Indonesians don’t drink alcohol at all. Why is that? Well this is the largest Muslim country in the world. So Alcohol is not part of their culture. Away from the tourist areas of Bali and Lombok you will not find alcohol on the drinks menu, you best get use to ice tea and juice to accompany your dinner. You will also have difficulty buying it in bulk as takeaway. When you do find it be ready for the cost. My brother paid $96 for a 30 pack of Bintang and friends paid $44 for a bottle of cheap Australian wine.
 |
| The range of fresh tropical juices on offer is incredible and you pay very little for them. |
When we arrived in BauBau after months of being in remote Indonesia we found a western supermarket anyone would think these galley wenches had been on a deserted island floating around the ocean for months.
All the packages crap food that we don’t need ended up
on the boat in the very limited storage space. What were we thinking?
Seriously they went absolutely crazy over Cheese, Lettuce and Muesli oh and let’s not mention freshly baked sliced packaged bread. The ooos and arrrhs were more akin to seeing a newborn baby not a capsicum!
Who would of thought a supermarket was so popular. In the past I was under the impression that doing the “bag drag” was nothing short of pulling your fingernails out.
Well there you go! Sail to the most beautiful destinations in the world and a supermarket, yes the supermarket, is the most exciting thing you have ever seen. Apparently!
So what are the other costs we can share with you: (Australian $)
- DexLite (Premium Diesel)- $1.50 to $2.00 per litre
- A becak ride around the streets of Namlea, Buru – $2
- Lombok Ferrari - A Pony pulled Cart in Lombok or Gill A - $10 to $15 negotiating is best done before you get into the cart.
- Motorbike rental – $15/day (small bike) $20/day (large bike)
- Renting a car with a driver — $50/day (If you get a weekly rate, it’d be even cheaper).
- Blue Bird Taxi full day - $60
- Train tickets can range from $5 to $30
- Planed tour with guide and driver - $90/day for 4 people this will not including entry fees and food.
- Public transportation when available — from 30 cents to $1.50
- Ferries public from - $6.50 Lombok to Bali to $50 Lombok to Jakarta
- Use of public restroom — 10 cents
- Men’s Hair cut – $2.50
- Manicure and pedicure – $5
- Shampoo (Pantene known brand) small bottle - $5.90 - $6.20
- Toothpaste on special - $1.44
- Deodorant small roll on - $1.56
- 1.5 hr massage – $15
- Entry fees to most Parks - $2 per person
- Laundry - $1.00 per kilo (bed linen - sheets are $1.50 per kilo)
- Cappuccino - $1.50
- Iced Coffee - $2.50 size of milkshake
- Glass of Juice - $2 - $4 always freshly made never out of a bottle
- Bottle of Juice 800ml - $1.29
- Tub of Ice-cream 375ml - $3.85 single serve $.058
- Butter 200grm - $7.69
- Cheddar cheese 165grm - on special $2.69
- Yogurt 1lt - $7.45
- Can of sliced Pineapple - $3.25
- Can of tuna 150grm - $3.89
- Flour 1kg - $1.63
- Strawberry Jam - $5.20
- Peanut Paste - $7.92
- Honey 350ml - $8.80
- Granola 400grm - $9.77
- Tea bags 50 - $1.12
- Nescafé 100grm - $15.85
- Chicken Whole fresh - $3.69
- Bread White sliced - $1.60
- Carton of UHT Milk 1lt - $1.50 - $2.50
- Cheese 250grm - $$8 - $10 for Colby Cheddar
- Yogurt 500grn - $6 - $10
- Beer in a Resto - $3.50 small $5.00 large
Here are some popular tourist attractions in Indonesia and the cost:
- Borobudur Temple: Entrance fee to $25
- Mount Bromo: A sunrise tour $40
- Ubud Monkey Forest: Admission fee $5
- Komodo National Park: Entrance fee $15
- Gili Islands: Boat transfers $30
- Uluwatu Temple: Entrance fee $3.
- Tanjung Puting National Park: A guided tour $150.
- Raja Ampat Islands: Snorkeling and diving tours range from $50 to $100.
Scuba-Diving:
- Fun Dive (Already Certified): $50
- Discover Scuba-Diving Course (No certification granted): $60
- "Open Water" PADI Lifetime Certification: $580
 |
| Air-conditioners are cheap, Rob certainly wanted one for the boat, at $320 it is cheap but it was staying right where it was on the shelf. |
 |
| Peanut Butter at $7.92 isn’t a cheap lunch option. |
 |
| Bakers Flour at $1.62 isn’t expensive but it isn’t readily available. |
 |
| Markets are certainly the way to keep your budget in check. Tip: learn to count in Indonesian. You can stand back and hear how much a local paid. It’s not that they are ripping you off by them asking for a higher price, if you agree to it without bartering it’s just good business. |
 |
| Susu, Milk is not something that is customary in Indonesian’s diet. Though now you can by it quite readily in the local convenience stores “Indomart” much like 7-11’s. |
 |
| Be aware of packaged juice lots of sugar is added. For that matter when ordering juice, coffee, tea etc … say no sugar! |
 |
| $1:12 for 50 tea bags |
 |
| Not sure what these are, found them in the frozen department. Lots of frozen produce is self serve by the scoop of quantity you want and get it weighed. |
 |
| Bread comes in many sizes. This loaf is equivalent to a loaf in Australia $3.65 |
 |
| Did you know this is the real size of a Chicken. |
 |
| Frozen Fries by the scoop |
 |
| Toilet paper you will only find in large supermarkets, as much of the population do not use it. Remember never offer your left hand and certainly don’t eat with your left hand |
 |
| Imported grapes $0.97 per 100grm |
 |
| Can of pineapple slices at $3.25 works out rather expensive when I bought 9 pineapples at the market for $5 |
 |
| Honey $8.80 |
 |
| You can certainly get well known brands at the Supermarket in the cosmetics, Personal hygiene, and household cleaning products. |
 |
| Eggs are not standard size so you choose and get them weighted. These trays hold 30 eggs, we took the tray and it cost a little over $6.00 |
 |
| My grandfather use to say a man over 80 can live on Ice-cream well at this price you could |
 |
| Apples ranging from $5.69 - $6.99 per kilo |
 |
| 200grms of butter for $7.69, I am pleased I have lots of canned butter onboard, margarine is hard to find. |
 |
| Tiny cans of Tuna for $3.89 |
 |
| Rob loves these, one at night after dinner or made up as Iced Coffee. A pack of 30 for $6.40 is a nice treat. |
 |
| Nescafé 100grm $15.86 😬 |
 |
| Frozen French fries $0.44 per 100grms |
 |
| Roll on deodorant $1.57 |
 |
| Romberg the size of the chook? $3.69 |
 |
| Toilet paper is not robust and thick, I would explain it as a three layered tissue separated into the three layers |
 |
| Strawberry Jam $5.19 |
 |
| Toothpaste the one we have found to be the thicker and tastier of the bunch $144 on special |
 |
| Pisang, Banana everywhere right unless not in season We have paid any where from $4 - $8 for a whole bunch |
 |
| Yoghurt still cheaper to make onboard $7.45 per ltr |
 |
| Cheese now this is where you need your platinum credit card This is the Kraft plastic cheese no refrigerator required. 165g $2.69 on special. |
 |
| 400 grams $9.77 |
We found paradise but we may never leave as our anchor is stuck solid. You can watch it here. 👉 http://tinyurl.com/DreamtimeSailEp87
No comments:
Post a Comment
We love to read your comments regarding our blog, what you enjoyed and what you might like to see more of. Please leave us your thoughts.