Depok Tops Indonesia’s Costliest Cities for Transport, See Where Jakarta Ranks

KOMPAS.com - The Transportation Ministry has released data on the cities with the highest transportation costs in Indonesia.

According to the Ministry’s latest report and the data from Statistics Indonesia, Depok tops the list as the city with the most expensive transportation expenses.

The list shows that Depok ranks as the city with the highest transportation costs by percentage of total daily living expenses, reaching for 16.32 percent of total daily living expenses.

As a comparison, Jakarta is the sixth most expensive city in terms of transportation, with residents spending 11.82 percent of their total living expenses on transport.

“On average, Jakarta residents spend a total of Rp 1,590,000 per person per month on transportation costs,” Transportation Ministry’s Director General of Multimodal Transportation Integration, Risal Wasal, said during a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday, July 31.

Bekasi comes second, where residents spend an average of Rp 1,918,751 per person per month, equivalent to 14.02 percent of total daily living expenses.

Surabaya ranks third, with residents spending around Rp 1,629,219 per person per month on transportation, which makes up 13.61 percent of their overall living costs.

In fact, according to World Bank standards, ideal spending on transportation should not exceed 10 percent of total income.

However, in rupiah terms, residents of Bekasi spend around Rp 1.9 million per month just for transportation costs.

Risal stated that Bekasi is the city with the highest transportation costs in Indonesia, even surpassing Jakarta.

“Bekasi residents spend Rp 1,918,142 per month, while the average transportation spending for Jakarta residents is Rp 1,590,000 per person per month,” he said.

Buffer cities surrounding the capital, such as Bekasi and Depok, bear the heaviest burden. The average monthly transportation expenditure in Bekasi reaches Rp 1.9 million, followed by Depok at Rp 1.8 million.

The expenses cover not only public transportation fares but also the cost of getting to train stations or bus stops, known as the first mile.

“For example, if people take the train today, the ticket is cheap, about Rp 3,500 to Rp 6,000. But the first mile costs, like an online motorcycle taxi, can be Rp 25,000, plus parking fees of Rp 10,000. This is what we are studying,” Risal said.

Through this study, the Transportation Ministry hopes to formulate concrete solutions targeting the root causes, such as the lack of feeder transportation, high online ride-hailing fares, and the shortage of affordable parking spaces near stations.

“This will be the focus of our study, covering travel needs for work, shopping, or leisure. The goal is to find ways to reduce this cost burden,” Risal added.

If left unaddressed, the phenomenon of “wages drained by transport costs” will continue to weigh heavily on the daily lives of millions of residents in Indonesia’s major cities.

The complete list of the 10 cities with the highest transportation costs is as follows:

1. Depok: Rp 1,802,751 per month or 16.32 percent of total daily living expenses
2. Bekasi: Rp 1,918,142 per month or 14.02 percent of total daily living expenses
3. Surabaya: Rp 1,629,219 per month or 13.61 percent of total daily living expenses
4. Bogor: Rp 1,235,613 per month or 12.54 percent of total daily living expenses
5. Jayapura: Rp 1,127,798 per month or 12.45 percent of total daily living expenses
6. Jakarta: Rp 1,590,544 per month or 11.82 percent of total daily living expenses
7. Makassar: Rp 1,156,528 per month or 11.52 percent of total daily living expenses
8. Balikpapan: Rp 981,842 per month or 11.51 percent of total daily living expenses
9. Banjarmasin: Rp 852,207 per month or 11.09 percent of total daily living expenses
10. Surakarta: Rp 712,955 per month or 10.27 percent of total daily living expenses

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