Can't have the same standard of living/lifestyle as US?

[MrMan]

My wife and I were talking about life in Jakarta. She didn't think we could have the same standard of living.

When I lived there last, my nominal salary was less than my salary now, but that was before the inflation, so it was more money in inflation adjusted terms. I got a travel allowance and some other money soon after I went to work, so we were doing a lot better financially after I took the job.

My employer provided a driver during office hours. We could work him late, overtime, as long as we did not go over budget. But they wouldn't tell me how much he budget was. He didn't work weekends (when we really needed access to a vehicle. Uber and local players had entered the market, which made it fairly easy to travel all around the city, usually rather quickly.

We had access to four jakuzis (two male, two female), cold tubs, saunas, three swimming pools, and two near-identical fitness centers. Two of the pools were the same. We could access either tower's pool or fitness center in the complex where my employer put us up. They paid for a school, which did a bit of a bait and switch on us concerning our children's curriculum.

But my wife pointed out that we lived in a two-bedroom apartment. Our children were smaller then. We had three girls in one bedroom. The master bedroom was nice-sized. We had glass exterior walls in the skyscraper we lived in, so we had to keep the blinds closed in the bathroom to keep from putting on a show. But the size of our unit was smaller than our downstairs where we live. My wife gardens, and we had no yard there. We had quite a view, but it was of the garbage dump/recycling area down below, and a mosque, with a bit of skyline. My wife pointed out that we had cheap furniture. Of course, we were there on a two-year contract and we shopped for cheap stuff to supplement the furniture the employer provided.

And if we went a couple of miles down the street to the mall it could take a long time. Traffic was awful. Pollution could be pretty bad. My wife said she also had to manage a maid, which she considered to be a downside of living there. If you go out to shop, it can be quite an ordeal because of the traffic and all the places you have to go to get different things.

Life in the US is more convenient. We live in a bigger house. We have a social life in either location, friends from church, relatives to visit, people to hang out with.

School is free if you want public school in the US, which we aren't sending our kids too, not counting university, since two of our children are in state universities. Our kids are working towards degrees were average starting salaries are not less than $300/month, like in Indonesia.

If I knew what I knew now (language and culture included) and I had never married or maybe even if I were a widow, I would consider finding an Indonesian wife from over there. I understand an American man looking for a woman wanting to go abroad to find a woman who is more friendly, traditional, or more likely to be interested in him.

It's trade-offs, but there are advantages to living in the US. On the other hand, if you are used to the US, there may not be that sense of adventure you get from being overseas. A long-time expat I talked to in the 1990's who lived in Thailand then South Korea thought that the US was boring. He said everything was 'too easy.' He went back to Kentucky every so many years to visit relatives, then went back to Asia.

Indonesia became familiar and less adventurous after many years of experience living there. I've spent over a decade of my life there.

[88jose88]

I would go back to indonesia.the US is a degenerate place,man.I would live in a bamboo house with a wife if that were optional for me over living in the usa.

[Alfredo Effect]

Yeah Jakarta has gotten pricey. I've spent a few years there and was even thinking about checking out some satellite cities or kampungs haha.

How realistic do you think a young guy in his 30s can score a Kitas or kitap in a few years? Do you think it's worth it? Almost impossible to find a job there that ISNT at the director or executive level.

[publicduende]

My Lead Developer told me he found Tangerang quite convenient. It's a sprawling urban area just 30 minutes (or 45, depending on traffic) from Metro Jakarta and has quite a lot of new developments with communal green. He bought a 4-bedroom house on a 30-year mortgage.

Judging from the CVs I see, more and more young people are either from Tangerang or live in Tangerang.

[publicduende]

Yeah Jakarta has gotten pricey. I've spent a few years there and was even thinking about checking out some satellite cities or kampungs haha.

How realistic do you think a young guy in his 30s can score a Kitas or kitap in a few years? Do you think it's worth it? Almost impossible to find a job there that ISNT at the director or executive level.

I run a software company and most of my Team is from Indonesia. The salaries are lower than in the Philippines, and that's for one of the best paid industries (software development). In this kind of situation, it is only logical that the only jobs that have attractive salaries are those meant for Directors/Executives brought in on an expat package. Since expat packages are usually offered to Directors and Execs already working in a firm, the chance of finding such roles open to new hires is even lower.

Having said that, in industries such as IT and digital creative media, Indonesia is absolutely booming. I heard college graduates literally save on their food allowances so they can enrol on English classes and improve their international standing.

If you are keen to work in the South East Asia, I think Singapore and Malaysia have the best jobs for foreigners.

[MrMan]

Yeah Jakarta has gotten pricey. I've spent a few years there and was even thinking about checking out some satellite cities or kampungs haha.

How realistic do you think a young guy in his 30s can score a Kitas or kitap in a few years? Do you think it's worth it? Almost impossible to find a job there that ISNT at the director or executive level.

I run a software company and most of my Team is from Indonesia. The salaries are lower than in the Philippines, and that's for one of the best paid industries (software development). In this kind of situation, it is only logical that the only jobs that have attractive salaries are those meant for Directors/Executives brought in on an expat package. Since expat packages are usually offered to Directors and Execs already working in a firm, the chance of finding such roles open to new hires is even lower.

Having said that, in industries such as IT and digital creative media, Indonesia is absolutely booming. I heard college graduates literally save on their food allowances so they can enrol on English classes and improve their international standing.

If you are keen to work in the South East Asia, I think Singapore and Malaysia have the best jobs for foreigners.

I want to have someone set up and run a personal website for me to house my publications and work, a web page with a blog on it, maybe, and possibly some online advertising. I also want someone who can do some simple video and audio editing for myself and my wife. And I wanted someone to do some basic chores with spreadsheets so I wouldn't have to. Basically, I need a personal assistant who can learn some simple skills. The individual doesn't have to be an expert web designer, just willing to learn, anI was thinking of a college student.

Indonesian college grades make less than $300 a month. I'd then show me how to do stuff. I'm thinking maybe 10 hours a week.

I posted on Facebook in Indonesian asking if anyone know someone who could help me out. My niece suggested a cousin, but the cousin was so busy with college he didn't get the first task done I suggested, and I just ran out of time and forgot about the projects for a while.

My wife has a Fiverr account, but I haven't bothered finding an online digital personal assistant there. If I wanted an actual web programmer online to work for me 10 or 20 hours a week, how much would that cost?
If I wanted less than that, do you think I could get some help for $50 a month? What about $200?

[MrMan]

Yeah Jakarta has gotten pricey. I've spent a few years there and was even thinking about checking out some satellite cities or kampungs haha.

How realistic do you think a young guy in his 30s can score a Kitas or kitap in a few years? Do you think it's worth it? Almost impossible to find a job there that ISNT at the director or executive level.

I run a software company and most of my Team is from Indonesia. The salaries are lower than in the Philippines, and that's for one of the best paid industries (software development). In this kind of situation, it is only logical that the only jobs that have attractive salaries are those meant for Directors/Executives brought in on an expat package. Since expat packages are usually offered to Directors and Execs already working in a firm, the chance of finding such roles open to new hires is even lower.

Having said that, in industries such as IT and digital creative media, Indonesia is absolutely booming. I heard college graduates literally save on their food allowances so they can enrol on English classes and improve their international standing.

If you are keen to work in the South East Asia, I think Singapore and Malaysia have the best jobs for foreigners.

I want to have someone set up and run a personal website for me to house my publications and work, a web page with a blog on it, maybe, and possibly some online advertising. I also want someone who can do some simple video and audio editing for myself and my wife. And I wanted someone to do some basic chores with spreadsheets so I wouldn't have to. Basically, I need a personal assistant who can learn some simple skills. The individual doesn't have to be an expert web designer, just willing to learn, anI was thinking of a college student.

Indonesian college grades make less than $300 a month. I'd then show me how to do stuff. I'm thinking maybe 10 hours a week.

I posted on Facebook in Indonesian asking if anyone know someone who could help me out. My niece suggested a cousin, but the cousin was so busy with college he didn't get the first task done I suggested, and I just ran out of time and forgot about the projects for a while.

My wife has a Fiverr account, but I haven't bothered finding an online digital personal assistant there. If I wanted an actual web programmer online to work for me 10 or 20 hours a week, how much would that cost?
If I wanted less than that, do you think I could get some help for $50 a month? What about $200?