Pros and Cons of Living in Indonesia

"Expats and digital nomads often appreciate the low cost of living in Indonesia, as well as the friendly and welcoming people. They also enjoy the diverse culture, the beautiful beaches, and the delicious food. On the other hand, some expats and digital nomads may find the traffic and pollution in some cities to be overwhelming, and the bureaucracy and paperwork associated with visas and permits to be tedious. Additionally, the language barrier can be a challenge for some," explained one expat living in Indonesia.

"Housing costs are very reasonable. I can easily get everything I need delivered to my door, and pay with bank transfer directly. The terms of rentals is sketchy, as it is generally month to month, with no real requirement to give notice, but which also makes it hard to move from one rental to the next when day of occupancy is usually NOW. Means you might lose money to move, if you have to move out early. Many rentals prefer tourists to long term, which puts pressure on long term rentals to locate something in an increasingly competitive market for long term rentals. There is no real niche being developed in the tourism profile for long term renters per se, as it is assumed that short term tourist turn overs can be much more lucrative. There is no long term planning in Bali for accommodating the capacity of the country to sustain the level of tourism that the country is experiencing going forward. Government is considering different kinds of visas for people who are like digital nomads. Visas are expensive. . My retirement visa costs $600 a year, and I use an agent. It is less expensive if you do it yourself, but also the Immigration Beaurocracy can be tricky. Important to get clear about what can and cannot be imported into the country. I bought a renewed phone from the United States and it is still sitting in Customs after over 10 weeks, and since they won't let me have it because it's used, I am subject to the whims of a beaurocracy that does not seem to want to return it but to run out the clock and confiscate it. On health issues, I have decided that I am no longer wanting to live in the tropics as my immune system is not strong enough to handle the level of exposure to parasites that I encounter. I as given inatravenous antibiotics during a nominal procedure at a hospital, and now my gut micro biome is destroyed and I have a horrible case of worms that no one seems to know what to do about. There is no one in Bali who can do a comprehensive stool test, and they cost $500 to be sent to Jakarta and back which takes over a month. The response to protocols for Covid is a huge issue, as Balinese don't understand social distancing, do not bother to use masks much of the time, etc. Despite the rules issued by the government. Being in a third world country during a pandemic, is dicey, and the government struggled a long time to frame a response and also rushed to acquire vaccines way too early in the phase of evaluating the vaccine's success rate. Also, the plan for how to vaccinate westerners is still vague and undeveloped and changing as Westerners will not be able to get the vaccines available from the government for Indonesians, and how and who and whether private companies can purchase vaccines that are not earmarked for Indonesians has still not been worked out," said one expat in living in Bali, Indonesia.