How is life in Jakarta, Indonesia?

hiya there, wow…what a “fateful” coincidence! just right when I opened my Fluther, I saw this question about living in Jakarta, Indonesia! ‘cuz I’m an Indonesian & living in Jakarta :)
some info about Jakarta that I hope would help you a bit:
– now I might not be an expert in the money issue, but I can somewhat say that 30,000,000 IDR / yr is quite ok for “average” nice living, that is most Indonesians can already afford paying for rent, food, and clothes. Unless you’re looking for a more “upper class” kind of living, like for example: eating in expensive restaurants, going to clubbing & open up a table & lots of wines etc, then I guess you would be just fine with that amount of money :)
the living expenses here is not that much/expensive, you can even spend like around just 1,00,000 IDR a month, and that’s already “better” than many people here. again, i’m talking about an “average” nice living, not a “luxury, upper-class” kind of living. which brings to the 2nd point:
– I can tell you & even testify correctly that Indonesia, including Jakarta, is the HEAVEN
of “cheap things with GOOD quality” things, such as shopping for foods, then nice variety of foods & “affordable” verryy nice restaurants & foods, and other entertainments!
I think if your aim is to enjoy GREAT things at affordable, cheap prices, then you would probably like staying here in Jakarta ^^
– if I may know, what nationality are you? Here in Jakarta, I can say that it’s a pretty “open”, multi-culture. There’re quite a number of Westerners, Indians, and many Koreans, Chinese, and some Japanese (but Bali is VERY multi-culture, there are a lots of foreigners there, and enjoying themselves a lot! with beautiful beach & resorts & clubs! a much more “relaxed” life than in Jakarta).
– I wouldn’t say that it’s “freaking hot”, but rather very HUMID, and that’s what makes you sweat a lot! long sleeves & jackets are not necessary in Jakarta (but it’s good to bring one or two, just in case). if you’re going to Bandung, or near-mountain areas, then it’s different story. but not in Jakarta. just go casual and “metropolitan” style, no need heavy jackets & stuff. make it simple :)

Well, that’s all for now,
btw, I myself always LOVE to make new friend with person from other culture,
so just private message me if you would like to correspond/talk more with me, I would definitely be more than happy to be ur friend, and show you around when you’re here! :)

oh, forgot to mention FOUR other very important things about Jakarta:
– Jakarta has the most vibrant “night-life” , and that’s including clubs, bars, karaoke, live bands/music scene, etc..basically all the “city-metropolitan” lifestyle
– and if you enjoy shopping a lot, then you come to the rightest place: with soo many kinds of markets, from lower, to upper range of beautifully-designed shopping malls soo abundant & many here in Jakarta, your eyes will never get bored
But,..the ‘negative’ things about this city that I might warn you before hand is:
– Traffic jam! Jakarta has some of the worst traffic jams in the world,...so just be prepared & expect it to happen to you! But nowadays, there is a busway system, so it might ‘help’ alleviate the traffic jam problem by a bit :)
– be careful of some areas, as it’s been an experience of my foreigner friend, that he just got robbed. I know it’s not a pretty thing, but it’s a fact that you really need to know.
if possible, try to always go to a crowded area, instead of an empty, and look dangerous places! it’s a common sense, but sometimes foreigners & tourists here often forgot of the “bad” things about Jakarta.
if you’re here, then I can definitely guide & point you in which areas you have to be careful, & possibly avoid. so your stay in Jakarta would be FUN & very pleasant! :)

Let’s see what I can add:
1. Jakarta is hot. You might want to wear just shorts and t-shirts don’t where long sleeves. Always prepare an umbrella because the rain here is really unexpected lately
2. The traffic here is bad and dangerous. If you’re driving, you might have to be careful of the motorists because for them, it seems like no rules on the road. Once you hit a motorist, you should pay for the consequences, no matter whose mistake.
3. There are so many pirated items: pirated CD, DVD, bags, clothes, you buy them with very cheap price.
4. (no direspect to the Muslims) You will get used to the noise of people praying (especially in the morning, about 4am)
5. Be careful of robbery.
6. Police here are not as helpful as you think. People here are sometimes rude.

I don’t know what else to add. Maybe asking some more questions might help.

well, you’re gonna have lotsa fun living in Jakarta!