Florencevs
JakartaFlorence vs Jakarta: cost, size & quality of life compared
Trying to decide between Florence and Jakarta? Here's the honest bottom line first — then the full, sourced breakdown on cost of living, salary, safety and quality of life.
Florence comes out ahead overall — by a clear margin.
But the "winner" depends on what you care about. Here's who takes each dimension:
FlorenceJakartaFlorenceFlorenceComposite scores
Overall: Florence wins by 1.2 points
Population & size
Is Florence bigger than Jakarta?
Jakarta is the bigger city: about 11M people versus Florence's 380k — roughly 28× larger.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
National income
Is Florence richer than Jakarta?
The two sit on different measures, so we are not ranking them: Italy is reported as average annual wage ($51,019), Indonesia as income per capita (GNI, PPP) ($16,010). A full-time wage and a whole-population income per head are not the same quantity.
Country-level figures — Florence is not Italy and Jakarta is not Indonesia, and both cities typically pay above their national average. Gross, before tax: see take-home pay by country for what lands in the account.
Distance
How far is Florence from Jakarta?
Florence is about 10,930 km (6,790 mi) from Jakarta in a straight line — roughly 13 h 35 m of nonstop flight time.
Great-circle distance, not a routed itinerary; flight estimate assumes ~850 km/h cruise plus 45 minutes of taxi, climb and descent.
Climate
Is Florence warmer than Jakarta?
Jakarta is the warmer city: January highs average 30°C vs 10°C, and July 32°C vs 32°C. Annual sunshine is comparable between the two.
| Month | Florence | Jakarta |
|---|---|---|
| January (high / low) | 10° / 2°C | 30° / 24°C |
| July (high / low) | 32° / 18°C | 32° / 24°C |
Mediterranean-continental hybrid in the Arno basin — hot stifling summers (the valley traps heat), cool damp winters. Spring and autumn are the sweet spots.
Tropical monsoon — hot and humid every day. Wet season Nov-Apr brings flooding rains; the 'dry' season is merely less wet.
Florence edges Jakarta by a narrow margin at 6.1 versus 5.1, suggesting both cities serve distinctly different needs rather than one being objectively superior.
Most city rankings show wider gaps between leaders and followers, so this 1.0-point difference indicates comparable utility depending on your priorities.
Compare Florence and Jakarta directly against your specific criteria—livability, culture, infrastructure, cost—rather than relying on aggregate scores to pick between them.
Data signals
What separates Florence and Jakarta
How decisive
Florence comes out ahead by 1.2 composite points — a clear edge.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is healthcare, where Florence leads by 4.0 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on remote-work friendliness — within 0.9 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Jakarta run about 67% lower than in Florence.
Where budgets split most
Housing is the line item that diverges most: roughly 75% cheaper in Jakarta than Florence.
Size difference
Jakarta is the larger metro — about 27.6× the population of the other, which shapes commute times, housing supply and how "big-city" daily life feels.
Home internet
Florence has the faster typical broadband (180 vs 50 Mbps median) — worth weighing if you work remotely or move large files.
Safety
Florence scores higher on safety (58 vs 45 / 100) — a common deciding factor for families.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
The exact scores and winners:
| Axis | Florence | Jakarta | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 6.3 | 8.7 | Jakarta +2.4 |
| Quality of life | 6.4 | 4.2 | Florence +2.2 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 6.5 | 5.6 | Florence +0.9 |
| Healthcare | 7.6 | 3.6 | Florence +4.0 |
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)41
- Rent index (weight 40%)32
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Florence: ((100 − 41)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 32)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 6.3.
Florence is mid-range on absolute cost. Affordability is reasonable but not its main advantage.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)58
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)72
- Air quality index (weight 25%)62
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Florence: (58/100 × 0.4 + 72/100 × 0.35 + 62/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.4.
Florence has a mixed quality profile. Safety: good; healthcare: good; air: good. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)180 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)22.1%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)41
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Florence: (min(180/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.2208) × 0.3 + (100 − 41)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.5.
Florence works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 180 Mbps, income tax 22%, cost index 41.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)72
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)73
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Florence: (72/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 73/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 7.6.
Florence combines good system quality with a manageable out-of-pocket cost (~73 EUR/month). Travel insurance still recommended for non-residents.
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)16
- Rent index (weight 40%)9
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Jakarta: ((100 − 16)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 9)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 8.7.
Jakarta sits well below the New York baseline on both cost-of-living and rent. Budgets stretch further here than in benchmark Tier-1 cities.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)45
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)52
- Air quality index (weight 25%)25
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Jakarta: (45/100 × 0.4 + 52/100 × 0.35 + 25/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 4.2.
Jakarta has a mixed quality profile. Safety: fair; healthcare: fair; air: poor. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)50 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)10.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)16
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Jakarta: (min(50/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.1) × 0.3 + (100 − 16)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.6.
Jakarta works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 50 Mbps, income tax 10%, cost index 16.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)52
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)583757
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Jakarta: (52/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 583757/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 3.6.
Jakarta has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is fair, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~583757 IDR/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Monthly cost delta: Florence vs Jakarta
Normalized to EUR at 1 IDR = 0.0000 EUR.
| Category | Florence | Jakarta | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | €1,306 | IDR 6,532,857 | -75% |
| food | €339 | IDR 2,772,844 | -59% |
| transport | €39 | IDR 210,000 | -73% |
| utilities | €197 | IDR 1,959,852 | -51% |
| leisure | €348 | IDR 3,283,632 | -53% |
| healthcare | €73 | IDR 583,757 | -60% |
Where each city's money goes
Two cities can have the same monthly total but very different shapes — one might burn 50% on housing while the other splits more evenly. The composition matters as much as the headline.
The biggest shape difference is housing: Florence spends 14.2 percentage points more of its budget on it (57% vs. 43%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Buying property
Apartment prices: Florence vs Jakarta
Approximate asking prices in EUR per square meter (as of 2025-01), central vs mid-distance neighborhoods.
Buying in central Jakarta runs about 45% cheaper per square meter (€3,100/m² vs €5,600/m²).
Midpoints of public listing ranges — a scoping number for rent-vs-buy thinking, not a valuation. Renting comparisons live in the cost table above.
Getting around
Public transport: Florence vs Jakarta
Monthly pass and casual-ride pricing in EUR (as of 2025-01) plus the modes each network runs.
Autolinee Toscane monthly €39; the T1/T2 trams carry the airport and hospital corridors while the historic core stays bus-and-feet.
Single ride: €1.7 · Modes: Tram, Bus
TransJakarta BRT at a flat Rp 3,500 is the world's largest BRT network; MRT + LRT + KRL commuter lines stack on top. JakLingko cards integrate the lot.
Single ride: €0.23 · Modes: Bus, Metro, Light rail, Commuter rail
Salary equivalence: Florence ↔ Jakarta
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Florence = 41, Jakarta = 16); currency-converted at 1 IDR = 0.0000 EUR. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Florence gross | Jakarta equivalent |
|---|---|
| €40,000 | IDR 314,520,976 |
| €75,000 | IDR 589,726,829 |
| €120,000 | IDR 943,562,927 |
| Jakarta gross | Florence equivalent |
|---|---|
| IDR 40,000 | €5 |
| IDR 75,000 | €10 |
| IDR 120,000 | €15 |
Equivalence here means same cost-of-living purchasing power, not same net take-home. Effective tax rates differ between countries; a salary equivalent on cost can still net more or less depending on the destination's tax regime. Use the calculator for tax-adjusted figures at a specific lifestyle tier.
Pros and cons
Why pick Florence
- Wins on quality of life (+2.2 points vs Jakarta).
- Wins on remote-work friendliness (+0.9 points vs Jakarta).
- Wins on healthcare (+4.0 points vs Jakarta).
Why pick Jakarta
- Wins on affordability (+2.4 points vs Florence).
Florence trade-offs
- Trails Jakarta on affordability by 2.4 points.
Jakarta trade-offs
- Trails Florence on quality of life by 2.2 points.
- Trails Florence on remote-work friendliness by 0.9 points.
- Trails Florence on healthcare by 4.0 points.
Remote work logistics
Time zones and language: Florence vs Jakarta
Florence (Europe/Rome) and Jakarta (Asia/Jakarta) sit 6 hours apart in standard time. A 9-to-5 in one overlaps the other's for 2 hours a day. Note: Florence observes daylight saving while Jakarta doesn't, so the gap shifts by an hour part of the year.
Official: Italian · English: Moderate · Local language: Recommended
Italian required for anything beyond the tourist core. English works in hospitality and the study-abroad ecosystem; bureaucracy is Italian-only.
Official: Indonesian · English: Moderate · Local language: Useful
Bahasa Indonesia is famously easy to learn and unlocks the city. English is moderate in corporate Jakarta and malls, limited in street life and bureaucracy.
Who should choose which
The composite winner doesn't always match what matters to you. These four reader profiles weigh the axes differently — find the closest fit.
Single, salaried remote worker, 25-40, optimizing for runway + bandwidth.
Axes scored: affordability, remoteWork
Couple with school-age children, prioritizing safety, healthcare, and air quality.
Axes scored: qualityOfLife, healthcare
Fixed income, healthcare-sensitive, prefers low cost and stable infrastructure.
Axes scored: healthcare, qualityOfLife, affordability
Salary stretch matters most. Cuts everything else if it lowers the burn rate.
Axes scored: affordability
Profiles use simple axis averaging — for a deeper read with your own weights, use the per-axis breakdown above.
Going deeper
Visa landscape for both countries — and case studies that touch this corridor.
Tools that work for either choice
Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
How this page is calculated
Data sources
- Mundevo per-city dataset. Cost basket, rent index, safety, healthcare, air quality and median internet for both cities. Reference date: 2026-06-10 (Florence) and 2026-06-10 (Jakarta).
- FX rate. 1 IDR = 0.0000 EUR, used to normalize cost baskets.
- CityScoreCalculator. Four axes (Affordability, Quality of life, Remote work, Healthcare) computed with explicit weights and explanations. See per-axis calculation strings rendered on this page.
- ComparisonService. Per-category cost deltas (housing, food, transport, utilities, leisure, healthcare) normalized to the origin currency.
Update cadence
Data as of . Last reviewed .
Calculation
For each of the four axes we compute an independent 0–10 score using the formulas printed beside each axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes. The overall winner is the city with the higher composite, unless the margin is under 0.05 points — in which case Florence is shown first as a tiebreaker to keep results stable.
Limitations
- Climate is not scored — we don't yet hold a maintained climate dataset, so weather-driven preferences are not modeled.
- Tax differences between cities in the same country are not modeled (Spain and Germany don't have material regional differences for this dataset).
- Indices are population-level. Personal cost varies with neighborhood, employer benefits and family status.
- Quality-of-life axis weights (safety 0.4 / healthcare 0.35 / air 0.25) are editorial defaults — readers with strong preferences should re-weight manually.
Frequently asked questions
Florence vs Jakarta: which is cheaper?
Jakarta is roughly 67% cheaper than Florence on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Florence has cost index 41 vs Jakarta at 16 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Florence scores 6.7/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Jakarta at 5.5/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Florence wins overall by 1.2 points.
Is Florence or Jakarta better for remote work?
Florence has 180 Mbps median internet vs Jakarta at 50 Mbps. The four-axis decision rubric on this page (affordability, quality of life, remote work, healthcare) gives a per-dimension breakdown rather than a single answer.
Is Florence bigger than Jakarta?
Jakarta is larger — about 10.5M people versus Florence's 380k, roughly 27.6× the size.
Is Florence safer than Jakarta?
Florence scores higher on safety — 58 vs 45 / 100 on the Mundevo safety index (crime and personal-security signals).
Should I move to Florence or Jakarta?
It depends on what you weight. Florence wins the overall Mundevo composite by 1.2 points, but Jakarta is cheaper, and the two split differently across affordability, quality of life, remote work and healthcare. Use the per-axis table and the reader-profile section above to match the verdict to your own priorities.