Typically, people choose Bali or Thailand for their digital nomad adventure but this time, I’d love to talk about the experience living in Papua, especially Jayapura as a hybrid remote worker and digital nomad. It is a unique place to feel the mixture of exoticism as well as tropical living with more relaxed neighborhood and atmosphere. I know that Papua won’t be the hottest spot or even a famous spot to live a digital nomad lifestyle but hey, it ticked every box and simple requirements for a digital nomad lifestyle. I must put an emphasize that this is the out-of-the-box option for adventurous nomads.
The internet in Papua is quite reliable. If you use local provider, especially Telkomsel or these days Starlink nomad, your need of internet is easily sorted. It is stable to host zoom or conference calls without any interruption. So, you can easily work from the area without worrying about the needs of Internet and connectivity.
If you are into sport and nature, Papua (especially Jayapura) is home to it. You can simply drive 5 minutes to the nearest beach where you can do a little snorkel and diving practice. If you have a whole day, there are numerous places where you can swim, dive, even hike.
And if safety is one of your concerns, Jayapura is relatively safe. The are diverse and is okay with foreigners. In fact, their grocery stores also accommodate needs of expats as there are many foreigners and mainly pilots living in the area.
The cost of living in Papua is relatively higher than many other places due to the logistics for many things to reach this part of the world. However, in Jayapura especially, you can easily feel the same western living standards.
The type of accommodation in the place is rarely apartment or condos. You typically will live in local houses that are for rent. They are priced around $60 to $150 depending on your needs. In some places, you can even bring your own AC and create a little cozy room for your needs.
During my time in Jayapura, every day I woke up to the view of the mountain range of cyclops, and the air was so fresh. Convenience was also within walking distance whether I want to visit Starbucks or mini markets. To do my weekly grocery, I could simply hop into Grab that takes me to a nearby shopping mall.
In fact, when I lived there, I felt like my productivity was boosted. It’s such an ideal place to build business from and going into zen mode. You can grind there everyday without feeling like you’re griding.
Whenever I get the chance to explore, I typically go to seaside café, the lake or the hills around the area. If you feel a bit more adventurous, Papua New Guinea is just next door.
It’s such an underrated place to experience and live. It has all the same combination of Bali but without the extreme noises and it is perfect if you enjoy tranquility, being introvert and love the idea of going to church every Sunday and connect with local church members.
Can you live for $1000 in Jayapura? For a single person, comfortably, yes. The typical living cost in Jayapura is a lot higher compared to Java and Bali. There are places when the living cost and standard is up to par to Australia. So you can imagine how costly can things be when compared to Java.
So, skip all the overrated places especially if you are not newbie. Try to go this part of the world to experience different vibe and environment Indonesia has to offer.
 | 𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍 & 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺; 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴. |
Oh wow, I am surprised that its living costs are higher than Bali even. That's an eye opener!
However I think the cost of living can be lowered when you maybe travel with a bike and have your own home brews (from Starbucks) and a little lower than $4000 might work too!
I am glad that you actually have a solitude kind of an environment to work on your business! Let's try to catch up again (online).
Take care dear sister!
Everything in Jayapura costs as much as living overseas. They have logistics problem but I love living there. I feel like fitting in there more than living in Java, though you know, with the same amount of $$ I'd rather live in Kuala Lumpur 😂 it has its own charms, you know.
I hope to catch up with you again!
You know you are always welcome here 😊
Yes! Let's catch up whenever we can!