Jakarta is one of the most famous cities in Southeast Asia. You could expect a warm climate all year long as Indonesia has only two seasons; dry and rainy. Jakarta is located in the heart of big islands called Java. We could say that every single aspect of life is centralized in Jakarta. You might find homeless people and beggars in the street just as much as you see BMWs pass as you walk your way.
When it comes to talk about metropolitan city, we could say Jakarta is one of them. You would see hundreds of high buildings, hotels, apartments, workplaces, and mall in Jakarta. What do you like about Jakarta? Too many, the friendliest people, the street food and all of the shopping places that other cities may not have. If you happen to be an Expat living in Jakarta, we dare you to try to live in other cities. In terms of facilities, people and infrastructure we recommend you to try Bekasi, Bandung, Surabaya and Malang. Why? Let’s get into details!
Bekasi
Bekasi is located just very close to Jakarta. The population of Bekasi is almost just as big as the population in Jakarta. Bekasi has the biggest industrial area located in the south of the city. If you like summer, well, in Bekasi you could have summer all year long. The best thing about Bekasi, you will have lower living cost but you can go to Jakarta anytime you want by only taking 30 minutes. There are apartments, good schools and shopping malls that you could find just like when you live in Jakarta. So, if you get to choose to work outside Jakarta, Bekasi is one of the best choice you could have.
Bandung
Another city we would recommend is Bandung. Bandung is known to have just as much as Expats living there just like Jakarta. Unlike Bekasi, Bandung is located in higher land which is surrounded by mountains. Yes, you can imagine a metropolitan city with colder weather around 27 degree Celsius surrounded by mountains. If your job drained you during weekdays, you can easily get a short getaway to many recreation area, the best one is Puncak Pass. If you just want to have a relaxing night, you can just come to town in the night, you will find bars and clubs along the way. In short, we could say Bandung is the perfect place to Balance your life between your work and your needs of entertainment.
Surabaya
If you like to live in a big city with big population, Surabaya is a good consideration for you. Surabaya is located in East Java. As an Expat, you might never heard much of Surabaya, but for local citizen Surabaya is surely a good place to live. It may not as sophisticated as Jakarta, but in the other way it has a lot more job opportunities as it is one of the most growing city in Indonesia. Just like Bekasi, you will find Surabaya with so many industrial areas. There are more than thousands of factories running there. You can get good facilities in the center of the town, decent clubs and café during the night and also good schools for your children. The weather in Surabaya is not as friendly as the weather in Bandung, it is hotter than Jakarta.
Malang
Another city we would recommend to live in East Java is Malang. Malang is located only 3 hours away from Surabaya. The best thing about Malang is you will find a lot of good universities both public and private. Malang is known as the best city for studying. There are a lot of students come from different countries studying there. Compared to Surabaya, Malang has much lower living cost. Imagine, as an Expat, what does IDR 10000 buy you? Nah, you’re thinking! In Malang you can have a very large portion of meals with only IDR 10000. You will enjoy how cheap but good food that they have, well, if you enjoy to eat Indonesian meals.
Then, now come different questions ‘how do I find a good place to live in those good cities you have mentioned?’ The answer is Serumah.com, it is room-and-housemate finder website for you. It is not easy to find trusted living place, so you can try to find some good apartment owner that post on Serumah.com. There are various rooms from the simple room to the luxurious apartment available on the website. You can just register yourself as the one looking for room or roommates, then let’s the local people call and respond to your ads. Find rooms and flats could never be this fun!