Cost of Living in Jakarta

The figures here are definitely for locals. I suggest expats to add about +40% to most categories.

The most widely available (and safest) taxi brand in Jakarta, Blue Bird, starts at Rp15.000 (so I don't know which brand this table took from).

I live in a 45m2 1BR apartment in Sudirman area (city center), and it costs me Rp7.500.000/mo. I see many expats living there as well.

My utilities (electricity, water, garbage, etc.) is at Rp2.300.000/mo.

@Penny:
I'm a couple living in a 102m2 apartement in city center. Electricity + water + cleaning etc. costs us about Rp2.75-3mill/month. So I'd say the figure listed here is on the lower side.

The wages reported above is not accurate, formal wages is $500 but in reality, the wages are around $100 - $200

Jakarta is Disneyland for the Devil's Offsprings.
I love it

If you see some comments that contain only bad things about Jakarta, then don’t believe it 100%. It cold be black campaign for the former Governor of Jakarta that will be a one of presidential election candidate in 2024.
You can see one of the commenter uses “Anusbasedan” name which is a derogatory pun of “Anies Baswedan” the former governor of Jakarta which was incumbent between 2017 and 2022

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.