Question from Christian

What is the average cost of rent there?


ANSWER: Well, honestly I can only answer this question as an expat. I was recently house hunting and even though the company pays our rent, I wanted to find the perfect house at the right price. We are allocated a certain amount each month for housing and even if our rent is lower than that amount then the company will still pay us the difference which we can use to pay for our utilities, cable, internet, maid, gardener, and security or we can save it.

There are many housing options for expats living in Jakarta. You can choose an apartment and then it could be a serviced apartment where they provide house keeping and laundry service, the apartment could be unserviced but still have amenities such as swimming pool, gym, sauna, restaurant, and security; or you could choose a penthouse which is just a larger, usually 2-leveled apartment. The prices for these usually start at $1000 p/month and can go as high as (depending on the size of your apartment) as $5000 p/month.

If you choose to live in a house, there are several options for that as well. You could have a townhouse that is usually located in a complex with 24 hour security, you could have an individual house that is located in a compound with amenities and 24 hour security, or you could live in an individual house and hire your own private security which is what we chose to do. The prices vary depending on which area you want to live in, the amenities offered, if it's furnished or unfurnished, and how updated the house is. It can average anywhere from $1000 p/month up to $10,000, the higher price of course is more than likely for a mansion so size does matter in the price too. The house I chose is in a good neighborhood, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, updated kitchen and bathrooms, a front yard, back yard with swimming pool, and is about 3200 sq/feet and our rent is 25 million rupiah p/month or $2500. Keep in mind that most landlords know that expats will be renting their properties so they of course increase the price plus they ask for a full years rent up front plus security deposit, but they know that the company is paying for it so they have no problem doing that.

Of course we would never pay these prices if we were home and I'm sorry I don't know what the locals pay for rent, no matter how much research I did, I could only find numbers for expats cost of living. But I'm happy with the house and can't wait to move in at the end of this month.