Living in Pekanbaru, Indonesia
Pekanbaru is a large city in Riau, Indonesia (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 26°C over the year with about 3,048 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,194 a month to live centrally, and Indonesia sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Indonesia is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $1,500 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,194
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 26°C
- 3,048 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 58/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~30 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Pekanbaru
- Self-funded residency from about $1,500 a month in income
- More affordable than 83% of the cities we compare
- Wet: about 3,048 mm of rain a year
Residency and visas
Comparatively open. Realistic long-term routes are the over-55 Retirement KITAS on proof of pension income, the Second Home Visa backed by a state-owned-bank deposit or property, the investor Golden Visa, and a remote-worker KITAS for the foreign-employed.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Indonesia:
- Income: about $1,500 a month (Indonesia Retirement KITAS (E33F, age 55+), commonly enforced at USD 18,000/yr = USD 1,500/mo; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $112k (Second Home Visa (E33) state-bank deposit, IDR 2,000,000,000 (~USD 112,000 at 17,854 IDR/USD, Jun 2026); cheaper than the Golden Visa's USD 350,000 fund route; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 13 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 185 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Indonesia runs at about 30 Mbps, faster than 8% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Climate
Pekanbaru averages 26°C across the year with about 3,048 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 81% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Indonesia scores 55 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 15% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Indonesia.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,194 a month to live centrally in Pekanbaru, 20% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 83% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Language and culture
Main languages: Indonesian. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 48 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Indonesia sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Pekanbaru in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Safety and stability
Indonesia scores 58 out of 100 on safety, safer than 44% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 6.5 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Indonesia. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Questions couples ask about Pekanbaru
Is Pekanbaru a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Pekanbaru scores well on affordability. It is weaker on healthcare, internet speed, English and social openness. Expect a warm, very wet climate (26°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Pekanbaru and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Pekanbaru?
We estimate about €2,194 a month for a couple living centrally, 20% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Pekanbaru?
Indonesia is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Pekanbaru in their results.
Can foreigners live in Indonesia long term?
Our assessment: comparatively open. Realistic long-term routes are the over-55 Retirement KITAS on proof of pension income, the Second Home Visa backed by a state-owned-bank deposit or property, the investor Golden Visa, and a remote-worker KITAS for the foreign-employed. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $1,500 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $112k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Pekanbaru?
Pekanbaru averages 26°C across the year with about 3,048 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 81% of the cities we track.
Cities like Pekanbaru
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Pekanbaru
Moving to Indonesia as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.