How Indonesian resort island Bali became a refuge for Ukrainians and Russians

[Hawk256]

I don't think Jakarta's pollution is any worse than any other big city in Asia, including the crowded parts of Bali. And as Ruserious says it floods once or twice a year, if that, and only for a few hours. No-one I know has respiration problems due to pollution, whatever the figures say. Way more people have breathing difficulties because of smoking.
The thing I can't stand in Bali is being treated like a tourist wherever you go (Hey, Boss, want a taxi), constant tourist rip-offs, and also the hoardes of tourists themselves, Russians, Chinese, Bogans - it would drive me mad living there. In Jakarta you can just blend in. I've never once been overcharged in a taxi in over 10 years. The food and entertainment options in Jakarta are excellent. Some of the big malls are amazing. And it's not difficult to drive around if you know what times to go, and what times to avoid.

You had me agreeing with you until the last sentence. In the area I live there is no good time to avoid traffic into or out of Jakarta, unless you want to travel at 1:00 AM. I am acutally outside of Jakarta proper but at the current time there is one road in and one road out. Hopefully that will change soon.

 

[Bob]

I don't think Jakarta's pollution is any worse than any other big city in Asia, including the crowded parts of Bali. And as Ruserious says it floods once or twice a year, if that, and only for a few hours. No-one I know has respiration problems due to pollution, whatever the figures say. Way more people have breathing difficulties because of smoking.
The thing I can't stand in Bali is being treated like a tourist wherever you go (Hey, Boss, want a taxi), constant tourist rip-offs, and also the hoardes of tourists themselves, Russians, Chinese, Bogans - it would drive me mad living there. In Jakarta you can just blend in. I've never once been overcharged in a taxi in over 10 years. The food and entertainment options in Jakarta are excellent. Some of the big malls are amazing. And it's not difficult to drive around if you know what times to go, and what times to avoid.

IQAir begs to differ: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...l-named-worlds-most-polluted-city-2023-08-09/
They're not good on water or soil pollution either. If you walk much you'll have to learn to suppress your gag reflex.
Flooding depends on what part of town you're in, as does traffic. Most areas of Jakarta I know have bad to terrible traffic the bigger part of the day.

 

[Balifrog]

Anybody who prefers Jakarta to Bali, except if he works there, should have his head examined....
Pollution, traffic, crowds, rat race, not speaking about the 5 prayers a day....

I lived / worked in London, Paris, Saigon, Pusan, Bangkok, HKG for long time, plus some missions in KL, SGP, Moscow, Dubai for my job.
No more city life for me !

Very happy to live in a relaxed atmosphere, near the sea, with smiling people in Bali.

Traffic ? Of course if you choice to stay in Cangu or Seminyak expect to have plenty of it.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

What about the din 5 times a day , I prefer to get woken by the birds

Yes, I forgot that, a big disadvantage of Jakarta. Sadly I don't think it is many years until Bali will be similar, considering all the muslims that move there every year.

 

[Samoerai]

Very happy to live in a relaxed atmosphere, near the sea, with smiling people in Bali.

Yes, I can relate .. but isn't it boring? Not much to do over there ..

 

[scouser59]

Yes, I forgot that, a big disadvantage of Jakarta. Sadly I don't think it is many years until Bali will be similar, considering all the muslims that move there every year.

Honestly now bali is no advantage for indonesians to migrate ,the salaries and benefits are better in java , most tourism work now is daily worker rates , low and without benefits bpjs etc .There are mosques here of course ,but under control volume wise , not like java, every corner tiny but with 2 meter fog horns .
Ya whatever floats your boat , but I prefer peace and the sounds of nature , and of course good sleep quality is important for health .

 

[Balifrog]

Yes, I can relate .. but isn't it boring? Not much to do over there ..

it would have been boring if I was 40 or 50 and still very "active"
At 70 it suits me perfectly, every kind of restaurant possible, music bars, pubs...
I usually eat out 2 or 3 times a week and go have some drinks 2 times a week.
And if one really misses the "action" Legian street is 30 minutes away !

Of course it doesn't compare with BKK or HKG nightlife, but I lived both intensively for nearly 20 years, so I can relax now.

 

[harryopal1]

it would have been boring if I was 40 or 50 and still very "active"
At 70 it suits me perfectly, every kind of restaurant possible, music bars, pubs...
I usually eat out 2 or 3 times a day and go have some drinks 2 times a week.
And if one really misses the "action" Legian street is 30 minutes away !

Of course it doesn't compare with BKK or HKG nightlife, but I lived both intensively for nearly 20 years, so I can relax now.

Don't relax too much. At 70 you might experience a mid life crisis.

 

[snpark]

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/south-korea-digital-nomad-visa-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[fastpitch17]

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/south-korea-digital-nomad-visa-intl-hnk/index.html

Indonesia sure doesn't worry about a reduction in population.

 

[pantaiema]

Living In Bali 2025 with Budget of less than USD$1k pm. This guy demonstrates it, it is doable for foreigners.

The main takeaway is to avoid overpaying for a villa and simply stay in a guesthouse instead. Many digital nomads, pressed for time and unable to do thorough research, assume they’re getting a great deal on a villa because the price seems low compared to what they’d pay in Western countries.

Villa rentals in Bali are often overpriced when you consider the relatively low costs of construction, poor construction materials, low costs of maintenance, and staffing. With many people now building villas, it's only a matter of time before the market becomes saturated and the bubble bursts.

The reality is, not everyone needs daily access to a private courtyard, swimming pool, or views of rice fields and the beach, the one you will often get when renting a villa. If you want to sunbathe or swim, you can just head to a beach club, hotel pool, or the beach itself, many of which are inexpensive or free. You could just find a good spot in cafe and order drink, food, and you could stay there to work for hours.

As for food, eat at local warungs, there are reasonable number of hygienics warung, affordable, and popular among tourists.

 

[Balifrog]

Living In Bali 2025 with Budget of less than USD$1k pm. This guy demonstrates it, it is doable for foreigners. It seems to me he has not included the stay permit, other immigration cost.

The main takeaway is to avoid overpaying for a villa and simply stay in a guesthouse instead. Many digital nomads, pressed for time and unable to do thorough research, assume they’re getting a great deal on a villa because the price seems low compared to what they’d pay in Western countries.

Villa rentals in Bali are often overpriced when you consider the relatively low costs of construction, poor construction materials, low costs of maintenance, and staffing. With many people now building villas, it's only a matter of time before the market becomes saturated and the bubble bursts.

The reality is, not everyone needs daily access to a private courtyard, swimming pool, or views of rice fields and the beach, the one you will often get when renting a villa. If you want to sunbathe or swim, you can just head to a beach club, hotel pool, or the beach itself, many of which are inexpensive or free. You could just find a good spot in cafe and order drink, food, and you could stay there to work for hours.

As for food, eat at local warungs, there are reasonable number of hygienics warung, affordable, and popular among tourists.

At 600$ per month it's not living, it's barely survival.
And at that age

Please don't give me the "locals live with 3 m per month".... My aim in life is not to live like a poor local in a developing country !

 

[jstar]

There are people in my home country who live on a similar budget. They sit in the IKEA the whole morning with the breakfast promo. Then going to the Aldi or Lidl for their groceries. In fact you can live ‘cheap’ almost everywhere.

 

[harryopal1]

There are people in my home country who live on a similar budget. They sit in the IKEA the whole morning with the breakfast promo. Then going to the Aldi or Lidl for their groceries. In fact you can live ‘cheap’ almost everywhere.

Yes, but the big killer, in Australia and now many other countries is the cost of accommodation. Hard to find a small unit for under $450 a week or under $650 a week for a small house. Then the cost of utilities. And certainly food is three to four times the price compared to Indonesia.

 

[jstar]

Well, Australia is rather exceptional. In areas of Spain and Portugal for instance, prices are much more acceptable. Don’t we even mention Latin America.

The cheapest areas to rent a house on the Costa del Sol

Spanning from the tip of Tarifa to Nerja, the Costa del Sol is one of Spain’s most coveted coastal destinations.

www.idealista.com

Also the groceries and eating out is much cheaper in the south than for instance in the BENELUX.

 

[pantaiema]

There are people in my home country who live on a similar budget. They sit in the IKEA the whole morning with the breakfast promo. Then going to the Aldi or Lidl for their groceries. In fact you can live ‘cheap’ almost everywhere.

It is certainly the case. It is discussed In another thread in here

Homelessness

The videos above just a few examples. YouTube and other social media platforms will reveal countless stories of individuals embracing life on the road. I completely agree that some homeless individuals are decent people who have unintentionally found themselves in that situation, and I...

www.expatindo.org

A notable example can be seen in people who reside illegally in developed European countries. These individuals often live in constant fear of detection and deportation, so will need to hide, receiving little to no benefits except for emergency medical assistance.

Another example is gypsies living and wandering around the European countries.

Similarly, survival is a fundamental instinct for all humans, without it, we would face extinction.
In the Southern United States, particularly in Texas, there are ample natural resources that can support basic human needs. Wild boars roam freely, there a lot of them, carp are abundant along the Mississippi River, and forests offer essential materials all available without cost to those who know or want to learn how to utilise them.

In Indonesia just look at the traditional tribes living in the deep jungle of Papua and/or Borneo.

 

[pantaiema]

Yes, but the big killer, in Australia and now many other countries is the cost of accommodation. Hard to find a small unit for under $450 a week or under $650 a week for a small house. Then the cost of utilities. And certainly food is three to four times the price compared to Indonesia.

There are illegal immigrants in Australia, aren't there?
I wonder how they manage to survive on a budget that's probably even lower than that. Also keep in mind as illegal immigrants, they receive very little to no benefit.

More extreme example is living in Scandinavian countries for these undocumented immigrants, the living cost, accommodation, energy bill in Scandinavian countries is certainly higher than in Australia. Also it is certainly much colder than in Australia. How do they manage to live on a budget much lower than the people solely relying on benefit ??