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RI diaspora still favors life in US despite high cost of living
Despite higher average incomes, everything is generally more expensive in the US than it is in Indonesia.
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A Kompas TV reporter stands by the Hudson River and takes pictures of Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge in the evening from Brooklyn, New York City, the US, on Nov. 15, 2024. (JP/Deni Ghifari)
M
embers of the Indonesian diaspora on the United States’ east coast say they are undeterred by the high cost of living in the country, maintaining that moving to US was still a better option for them than staying back home.
The Jakarta Post interviewed two members of the Indonesian diaspora who happened to be part of the team handling President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Washington, DC, this month, both of whom have become US citizens.
Fifty-five-year-old Ronald Phang has been living in Maryland since he was 35 years old. He makes around US$100,000 per year, a sum he says allows his household to live in financial security.
“This means I can pay for a mortgage, buy a new car and have some left for savings,” said Ronald, who was part of the advance team for the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) for Prabowo’s visit.
Ronald said he now only worked part-time for a catering company and rented apartments to Indonesian students in Rockville, a city close to Washington, DC, that offers cheaper housing than the capital.
“Even though the living cost in America is expensive, our income is larger. We can get a lot more compared to when we stay in Indonesia,” Ronald said, explaining his reasoning behind why he recommended fellow Indonesians move to the US.
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