Pricele #38: Big Mac in Indonesia 🇮🇩
The puzzle for 7 August 2026 asked what a Big Mac costs in Indonesia. Here is the answer and the context behind it.
The answer
Big Mac · Indonesia
$2.52
42,500 IDR
About 69 minutes of the average local wage buys a Big Mac.
Cheaper than 98% of the 45 countries in the game.
Source: The Economist Big Mac Index, Jan 2026.
About big mac
The Big Mac is the most-quoted price in economics. The Economist started publishing its Big Mac Index in 1986 as a light-hearted way to test purchasing-power parity, the theory that a currency should buy the same basket of goods anywhere. Because the burger is close to identical everywhere it is sold, the gap between what it costs in two countries is a rough read on whether a currency is over- or undervalued.
Where Indonesia sits
Of the 45 countries priced for big mac, Indonesia ranks #44 from the top at $2.52, 54% below the median of $5.53.
Indonesia is among the cheapest countries in the game for prepared food and fuel, both of which have long histories of state price management. Dairy is the outlier: little is produced domestically, so milk is imported and priced accordingly. VAT rose to 12% recently, with basic necessities exempt, which keeps the tax wedge off exactly the staples that dominate an Indonesian household budget. The interesting tension in the Indonesian row is between cheap prepared food and expensive imported dairy: two items from the same shop with completely different explanations behind their prices.
| Nearby on the big mac table | USD | Local | Work time |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | $2.51 | 227 INR | 60 min |
| Indonesia | $2.52 | 42,500 IDR | 69 min |
| Egypt | $2.65 | 125 EGP | 88 min |
| Philippines | $2.84 | 169 PHP | 84 min |
What else costs what in Indonesia
| Item | USD | Local | Work time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola (330ml can) | $0.63 | 10,000 IDR | 17 min |
| Cappuccino | $1.54 | 27,778 IDR | 42 min |
| Milk (1 litre) | $1.18 | 21,285 IDR | 32 min |
| Eggs (dozen) | $1.49 | 26,877 IDR | 41 min |
| Apples (1 kg) | $2.50 | 45,095 IDR | 68 min |
| Gasoline (1 litre) | $0.74 | 13,348 IDR | 20 min |
| Diesel (1 litre) | $1.23 | 21,910 IDR | 34 min |
| Electricity (100 kWh) | $8.10 | 144,470 IDR | 3.7 h |
| Cigarettes (20-pack) | $2.45 | 40,000 IDR | 67 min |
| Beer (330ml) | $1.84 | 30,000 IDR | 50 min |
| Spirits (750ml bottle) | $13.13 | 214,285.71 IDR | 6.0 h |
| Mobile data (1 GB) | $0.28 | — | 8 min |
| A day's healthy diet | $1.57 | 25,800.17 IDR | 43 min |
Go deeper
See the full table for big mac in every country or everything priced in Indonesia.