BINUS International Office

Accommodation and Utilities

20 Jun 2022

Accommodation

Where should I live in Jakarta? Check out our Accommodation Options page here.

Utilities

What are the additional elements should I know? If you prefer to stay in an apartment or a rented house, or kos-kosan, oftentimes you will find that the rental price does not include electricity fees, so you need to pay some amount for electricity aside from the rent price. Some apartments’ rental fee also excludes water usage charges and Ijin Penggunaan Lahan (Land Usage Permission annual fee). In addition, you will also need an internet package when you are outside even though your apartment provides Wi-Fi access.

Electricity

 

The budget for electricity depends on how often you use it. If you live alone in a studio room/ kos-kosan room, the electricity costs around IDR 200,000 – IDR 500,000 (USD 21 – USD 35) per month, depending on your electrical equipment’s Watt and how long you turn it on.
Note: IDR 200,000 will give you a 136 kWh (kilo Watt per hour) electricity quota. How to budget your electricity utility fee?

Here is an illustration of daily usage of Bob, a student living in a kos-kosan. He uses:

Appliances Appliances’ Watt Stays on for Total energy used per day (W*h)
2 low energy light bulb 5 W 8 hours/ day 80 Wh
Low energy AC 350 W 8 hours/day 2800 Wh
Mini-fridge 75 W 24 hours/day 1800 Wh
Laptop charging 350 W 2 hours/day 700 Wh
Total energy used per day 5380 Wh = 5,38 kWh

So if he purchased IDR 200,000 worth of electricity quota, it will last approx. 25 days (136 kWh : 5,38 kWh).

 

Counting your own? List down your appliances’ Watt, and multiply it by how many hours you use it per day. :)

Some tips to save your money on electricity and the environment:

 

  • Turn off unnecessary lights
  • Use natural light (sunlight) when studying in daylight and use task lighting for nighttime
  • Turn the water off when brushing teeth, etc.
  • Unplug unused electronics
  • Turn off the Air Conditioner when you are out

Connectivity

 

The internet/ data package is different for each provider and its type. Generally, the monthly package is around IDR 50,000 – IDR 100,000 (USD 3.5 – USD 7) for 10GB of internet quota. Some providers also allow costumization to your data packages, with various adds-on options available.

Phone credits are usually sold starting at IDR 5,000 (USD 0.3). Call and SMS prices varies from IDR 1,000/minute and IDR 50/text message.

Other utilities

 

Contact your landlords/ apartment’s operation management and confirm it before you sign the tenancy agreement whether there are any water usage charges/ taxes/ land usage permit fees charged to you.