LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Money & Costs
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Costs vary depending on where you go, but Indonesia remains one of the cheapest travel destinations in Asia. Hotels, food and transport are all inexpensive in US dollar terms.
Accommodation is usually the greatest expense of Indonesian travel, followed by ‘luxury’ foreign articles such as electronics. A stream of price hikes in petrol during 2005 increased the cost of bus travel, although it’s still inexpensive by any standard. Three square warung (food stall) meals can cost you as little as US$2 (less than 10,000Rp per meal), but even if you dine in decent local restaurants, you still won't be spending much more than US$10 per day (around 30,000Rp per meal) on food.
If you confine yourself to Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara, a shoestring traveller can spend as little as US$15 per day. A midrange budget starts at about US$40 per day, which will get you an air-conditioned hotel room, an occasional tour and car hire. Midrange accommodation is more expensive in Balinese resorts, so budget for around US$50 per day there. Top-end travellers will end up spending anything between US$50 and US$250 per day, although if you stick to the best of the luxury resorts, that figure can blow out to US$2000 a day.
Travellers’ centres with lots of competition, such as Danau Toba, Yogyakarta and Bali, can be superb value for accommodation and food. Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara are also good budget options.
Elsewhere, budget accommodation can be limited and prices are higher because competition is less fierce. Accommodation prices in Maluku and Papua can be twice as high as in tourist towns, and transport costs on Kalimantan are relatively high.
Transport expenses also increase once you get into the outer provinces. In Bali, Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara there’s very little need to take to the air, but in the interior of Papua you have no choice but to fly. Flying is much more expensive than other forms of transport, though still cheap in dollar terms.
HOW MUCH?
Snorkel hire: 20,000Rp-50,000Rp
Bike hire: 15,000Rp-30,000Rp
Ikat (hand-dyed cloth): 500,000Rp, and up
Internet access per hr: 6000Rp
Cup of fresh coffee: 2000Rp-5000Rp
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance
