What quality of life am I to expect?
Teachers have a reasonable quality of life. Compared to the average Indonesian wage our teachers are extremely rich and you must understand that in some circumstances you will be treated as "rich". This can be irritating when you are trying to organize some transport, especially in either very touristy or very remote areas. It is best not to show your irritation and accept that the value of some services or commodities depends entirely on what people are prepared to pay. Bargaining is the common in local markets, however you cannot bargain supermarket/malls prices.
Here is a list of sample prices which I hope give you an idea of how cheap it is here. These prices are generally the cost of things at local markets (especially for food). The prices in supermarkets are slightly higher.
one USD is equivalent to Rp 9.250,- and one Poundsterling is equivalent to Rp 16.100,-
| Item |
Indonesia |
United
States |
United
Kingdom |
Taxi to or from work
(1 way) |
Rp 20.000-40.000 |
USD 2.16-4.32 |
GBP 1.24-2.48 |
| Movie ticket at the cinema (1 person) |
Rp 20.000-25.000 |
USD 2.16-2.70 |
GBP 1.24-1.55 |
| DVD/VCD Rental |
Rp 2.000-5.000 |
USD 0.22-0.54 |
GBP 0.12-0.31 |
| A bottle of beer (600 ml) |
Rp 12.000 |
USD 1.30 |
GBP 0.75 |
| Big Mac |
Rp 22.500 |
USD 2.43 |
GBP 1.40 |
| French Fries |
Rp 5.000 |
USD 0.54 |
GBP 0.31 |
| Steak in restaurant |
Rp 30.000-100.000 |
USD 3.24-10.81 |
GBP 1.86-6.21 |
| A bottle of coca-cola/soft drink |
Rp 2.000 |
USD 0.22 |
GBP 0.12 |
| A pack of Marlboro (20) |
Rp 6.000 |
USD 0.65 |
GBP 0.37 |
| Compact Disc (music) |
Rp 80.000 |
USD 8.64 |
GBP 4.97 |
| Gasoline/petrol (1 litre) |
Rp 4.500 |
USD 0.48 |
GBP 0.28 |
| Train Surabaya to Jogyakarta |
Rp 75.000 |
USD 8.11 |
GBP 4.66 |
| Land transport to Bali (return) |
Rp 250.000 |
USD 27.01 |
GBP 15.53 |
| Return ticket to Bali |
Rp 600.000 |
USD 64.87 |
GBP 37.27 |
| Hotel in Bali |
Rp 100.000 |
USD 1.08 |
GBP 6.21 |
Teachers usually travel to work by taxi and easily have enough money for frequent weekend breaks and/or an active social life. Eating in 4 or 5 star restaurants is affordable and many teachers are members of the pool & gym at a 4 star hotel.
Teachers live very comfortably with a live-in maid cooking and cleaning for the house. They travel to work by taxi and easily have enough money for frequent weekend breaks and/or an active social life. Eating in 4 or 5 star restaurants is affordable and many teachers are members of the pool & gym at a 4 star hotel. |