A big chunk of Jakartans’ paychecks goes to pay for basic necessities. But the high cost of living in the capital is not matched by a high quality of life, according to some.
Amanda Putri Afrili, a Tangerang resident who works in Jakarta, said that, she spent Rp 800,000 (US$93.80) on transportation – more than a third of her monthly income.
The 22-year-old said a typical one-way trip cost her Rp 10,000 for a motorcycle taxi, Rp 6,000 for a train ticket and Rp 2,500 for a minivan ride.
Jakarta’s high cost of living was recognized internationally after a survey by Mercer, a human resource consulting, outsourcing and investment services firm, said the capital was Southeast Asia’s second most expensive city to live in.
High rent: High rise apartments loom over Jl. KH Mas Mansyur in Central Jakarta in this fi le photograph. Jakarta residents have felt the impact of what is considered one of the most expensive cities in Southeast Asia, according to a survey by the London-based Mercer firm. JP/P.J. Leo
The survey compared the cost of over 200 items, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
Local residents were not surprised by the findings.
“It’s tough. Everything is just so expensive, be it transportation, electricity or telephone,” Parama Firdusia, a seasonal food caterer in East Jakarta, said.
Parama said that her business recently could not pay its utility bills.
“I’m forced to keep prices where they were, even though the price of staples has risen, in order to hold on to my customers,” she said.
Iece Muliawati, a mother in South Jakarta, said that the high cost of living would not be a problem if it were matched by a high quality of life.
“Here, we pay a lot of money for things that are not worth the price,” she said.
Iece, said the cost of living in Jakarta did not differ much from the foreign cities that she lived in previously. The difference, however, lay in what residents received in return.
“Take the [Transjakarta] busway for example. At first it was fine and comfortable. Look at it now: It’s not looked after, but we pay the same amount for it,” she said.
Endras Hadianto, who works for a private company in East Jakarta, said that the high cost of living in Jakarta was obvious, given the low regional monthly minimum wage of Rp 1,290,000.
“People earning minimum wage clearly cannot afford a house, as the price of a house is around Rp 200 million.”
According to Endras, the average Jakartan spent about Rp 8,000 per meal, or about Rp 720,000 a month. “If you have a family, just multiply that by the number of family members. And then you have to think about school.”
Such conditions left little money available for entertainment although others living a more comfortable life probably had a different perspective, he added.
“For the middle class or celebrities, for instance, of course this will not be a problem,” he added.
Another resident, Muhammad Zakky, said that the cost of living in Jakarta depended on a person’s lifestyle. “In Jakarta it is relatively cheap because you can travel, near or far, by paying Rp 2,000 for a minibus,” he said.
“You can also find cheap boarding houses and cheap food,” he added.
