An honest expat family guide - 2026
Published by The Independent School of Jakarta · Updated February 2026 · ISJ is located in Pondok Indah. We've aimed to be accurate and genuinely useful - including about things Pondok Indah doesn't have.
Quick summary
- Best for: Expat families with school-age children - ISJ and JIS are both located here
- Housing: Gated compound houses $2,500-$9,000/month; apartments from $1,800/month - most leases annual, paid upfront
- School commute: ISJ 5-15 min; JIS 10-20 min; BSJ (Bintaro) 45-70 min - don't choose a Bintaro school and live here
- What it has: Excellent international infrastructure, established expat community, manageable traffic, secure housing
- What it doesn't have: Green space, walkability, nightlife - Jakarta is not a gentle posting
Pondok Indah is where most internationally mobile families with school-age children in Jakarta end up. This isn't a coincidence - it's the result of geography, school placement, lifestyle infrastructure, and a self-reinforcing expat community that has built up over decades. If you're arriving in Jakarta with children and you're not committed to a specific neighbourhood for work reasons, Pondok Indah is the default recommendation you'll hear from almost every relocation consultant and school admissions team.
This guide is an honest assessment of what Pondok Indah is actually like to live in - what works, what doesn't, and what you should know before signing a lease.
In this guide
- Where is Pondok Indah?
- Why families choose Pondok Indah
- Housing - what you'll find and what it costs
- The school run
- Daily life - food, healthcare, practical essentials
- What Pondok Indah doesn't have
- Making the most of it
Where Is Pondok Indah?
Pondok Indah is a planned district in South Jakarta, developed from the 1980s onwards as an upmarket residential area with its own shopping infrastructure. It sits on the southwestern edge of central Jakarta, bordering Kebayoran Lama to the north and extending toward the TB Simatupang ring road to the south. The two main shopping centres - Pondok Indah Mall (PI 1 and PI 2) and Lotte Mall Pondok Indah (formerly PI 3) - are the informal centre of gravity for the area.
The neighbourhood is not a compact village. "Pondok Indah" covers a substantial area with a mix of housing types, price points, and sub-neighbourhoods. Where exactly within Pondok Indah you live matters for your school commute and daily convenience - the northwest edge of the area is a different proposition from the southeast corner near TB Simatupang.
Why Families with Children Choose Pondok Indah
School access. The Independent School of Jakarta (ISJ) is in Pondok Indah - specifically on Jl. Metro Pondok Indah, within 5-15 minutes of most addresses in the area. Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS) has its lower school campus in Pondok Indah and its upper school in nearby Cilandak. For families at either of these schools, Pondok Indah is the obvious base. See the commute time calculator for precise journey times from specific street areas.
Lifestyle infrastructure. The Pondok Indah and Lotte Malls are both excellent - better than most equivalents in comparable Southeast Asian cities at this price point. International supermarkets (Ranch Market, Grand Lucky, the supermarket inside Lotte Mall) stock international groceries reliably. There's a wide range of international restaurants. The Pondok Indah Water Park is a genuine asset for families with young children.
The expat community. A large, established expat community means children find English-speaking friends quickly, parents connect easily, and there's a wealth of informal knowledge available - good paediatricians, reliable domestic staff agencies, which restaurants are consistently good, which compounds have the best management. For newly arrived families, this social infrastructure makes settlement considerably faster and easier.
Relative calm. Compared to SCBD or Sudirman, Pondok Indah is quieter and more residential. Traffic within the gated compounds is manageable. Children can ride bikes or scooters within gated estates in a way that's simply not possible in denser parts of the city. The streets adjacent to the malls are busy; the residential pockets are not.
Housing: What You'll Find and What It Costs
Pondok Indah offers two main housing types: houses within gated compounds (cluster housing), and apartments.
Gated compound houses are the preferred option for most families with children. They offer private gardens or outdoor space, access to communal facilities (pool, playground, sometimes tennis court), and the security of a gated perimeter. Size ranges from modest 3-bedroom terrace houses to large detached villas. A 3-bedroom house in a well-managed compound costs roughly $2,500-$4,500 per month; a 4-5 bedroom villa in a premium compound runs $5,000-$9,000 or more.
Apartments are available at various price points. International-standard apartments (quality finish, functioning AC, reliable elevators, managed lobby) in Pondok Indah and adjacent Gandaria typically start around $1,800-$2,500/month for 2 bedrooms and $2,500-$4,000 for 3 bedrooms.
What to check before signing
- Service charge - often 10-25% on top of the stated rent and not always disclosed upfront
- Electricity costs - AC-heavy households face bills of $300-$600/month or more in larger properties
- Compound management - some are excellently maintained, others are poorly run with security gaps and maintenance that never happens. Ask other residents before committing.
- Flooding history - some parts of Pondok Indah flood during the November-March rainy season. Ask specifically about the property's history before committing.
Practical note on leasesMost Jakarta leases are annual, paid in advance or in two six-month tranches. Very few landlords accept monthly payment. Budget for a substantial upfront cash outlay when you arrive.
The School Run
| School |
From central Pondok Indah |
Notes |
| ISJ |
5-15 minutes |
Metro Pondok Indah - walkable from some compounds |
| JIS (lower school) |
10-20 minutes |
Pondok Indah campus |
| JIS (upper school) |
15-25 minutes |
Cilandak campus |
| AIS (Pejaten) |
15-20 minutes |
Manageable |
| BSJ (Bintaro) |
45-70 minutes |
If BSJ is your school, live in Bintaro - not here |
Jakarta traffic is not a minor inconvenience - it's a structural constraint on daily family life. The school run happens during the Jakarta rush hour every morning, in a city with some of the worst traffic congestion in Southeast Asia. A school that looks excellent on paper wears down a family quickly if it requires a daily 50-minute drive each way. The proximity of ISJ and JIS to Pondok Indah is not an accident; it's one of the primary reasons the area became the dominant expat neighbourhood. See our guide to Jakarta school commutes for the full picture.
Daily Life: Food, Healthcare, and the Practical Essentials
Groceries. Ranch Market (multiple branches in the area) is the go-to for international groceries - reliable imported produce, Western cheeses, a reasonable wine selection given Indonesian import restrictions, and consistent supply of the basics. Lotte Mall has a large, well-stocked supermarket. For specialist items, the Kemang area (15 minutes) has additional options. Local markets and warungs are cheap and good for everyday fruit, vegetables, and cooked food - learning to use them makes a real difference to monthly costs.
Restaurants. Pondok Indah has a wide range - international chains, good Japanese and Korean restaurants, a growing independent dining scene. The food court in Lotte Mall is excellent value and covers most Asian cuisines well. If you specifically want a strong café culture, Kemang has more of it.
Healthcare. Several reputable private hospitals are accessible from Pondok Indah - Pondok Indah Hospital Group has two facilities in or near the area and is the default for most expat families. Ciputra Hospital is a bit further south but also well-regarded. Good options exist for dental, paediatric specialist, and mental health services. Comprehensive health insurance covering emergency evacuation is standard for expat families in Jakarta - don't rely on out-of-pocket payment for hospital admissions.
Domestic staff. A domestic helper (pembantu) typically earns Rp 3-5 million/month ($180-$320) for a live-out arrangement, or somewhat more for live-in. A driver costs Rp 4-7 million/month. Most expat families with children employ both - the driver solves the Jakarta traffic problem for non-school runs and errands; domestic help makes running a household in a different culture considerably more manageable. There are reputable local agencies that can help with vetting and contracts. Ask the ISJ admissions team or other school parents for recommendations when you arrive.
What Pondok Indah Doesn't Have
Green space. Jakarta is not a city of parks. Within Pondok Indah, outdoor access is essentially limited to your compound, the golf course (if you're a member), and the Water Park. There are no parks where children can simply run around freely. Families who need regular outdoor space build it into weekend plans - trips to private beach clubs, hill stations, or the compound pool.
Walkability. Pondok Indah is not walkable in any meaningful sense. You take a car or ojek (motorbike taxi) to go almost anywhere. For families arriving from European or Australian cities where walking and cycling are part of daily life, this is a genuine adjustment that takes time.
A city buzz. Pondok Indah is residential and family-oriented. If you want the restaurant and nightlife scene of SCBD or Sudirman, that's 20-30 minutes away. The malls are lively during the day; the area goes quiet by 10pm.
Air quality. Jakarta's air quality is poor by global standards. The AQI regularly exceeds levels considered safe for prolonged outdoor activity, particularly during certain months. Download an AQI monitoring app and build indoor alternatives for high-pollution days. This is a real consideration for families with young children or anyone with respiratory sensitivity.
Making the Most of It
Families who are happiest in Pondok Indah tend to have done a few things well.
They solved the commute first - school and housing are within 20 minutes of each other, and everything flows from that. The families who struggle most are usually the ones who chose a school before choosing a neighbourhood, then spend two years paying for that decision in daily traffic time.
They built local knowledge quickly. The best doctor, the most reliable domestic agency, where to buy Western groceries at reasonable prices, which restaurants are consistently good, which compounds have the best management. This knowledge exists in abundance within the expat community and is freely shared; the fastest way to acquire it is to meet other school parents. ISJ's community is particularly active in this respect - new families are typically connected with a buddy family before they arrive.
They found something to do on weekends. Jakarta rewards people with a plan. Beach clubs (most families end up with a membership at one of the clubs on the north coast or Thousand Islands), Bandung for a weekend escape, hiking in the hills south of the city, and regular trips to Bali are the standard playbook. The families who try to recreate a Western lifestyle by staying within the neighbourhood typically find Jakarta flatter than it needs to be.
And they accepted the trade-offs: the traffic, the air quality, the lack of green space, the intensity of the city. Jakarta is not a gentle posting. But families who adapt to how it works - rather than resisting it - typically find it genuinely rewarding. The expat community is warm, the school is excellent, and the experience of living in one of the world's great cities, even a difficult one, is something most families look back on positively.
Thinking about ISJ? School tours are hosted by the head, with live classroom access, and are the best way to see the school and meet the community before committing. Book a tour here →
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