Need Indonesian Rupiah?

Getting real with rupiah

By 1971, the rupiah (IDR) had become the official currency of all of Indonesia’s 34 different provinces. Sen are to rupiah what pence are to pounds. One rupiah equates to 100 sen, but since even one rupiah does not carry much value, you will find next to nothing is priced in terms of sen.

Bargaining is a very typical practice in Indonesia, so never be afraid to negotiate the price on the items you want to buy. Before midday, you might be able to pay a ‘morning price’ for your goods – up to a 30% discount!

Frequently used banknotes

The banknotes in common usage are to the value of 1,000 (turquoise), 2,000 (brown), 5,000 (yellow), 10,000 (purple), 20,000 (green), 50,000 (blue) and 100,000 (red) IDR. Any notes that are dated 1998–1999 are no longer legal tender, although you can exchange these until 2018 for current currency.

Notes are used a lot more frequently than coins in Indonesia – even though 1,000 IDR equate to less than one British penny, you will still find small bills paid with cash made up of 1,000 IDR notes, rather than the coin for the same amount.