Americans were asked to guess Indonesia's minimum wage. They were nowhere close to it

An Indonesian man living in the US has left Americans baffled. The TikTok creator, Steven Apriliano (@stevenaprilianohas), went viral for asking Americans about the average income of people in Indonesia. As it turns out, Americans were highly uninformed with their guesses missing the mark by thousands of dollars. 

Here's what Indonesians make on average

In the video, Apriliano goes around asking different people to guess how much Indonesians earn per month on average. The first person he comes across thinks $5,000 would be the right number. However, the creator hints that it is much lower. The woman then lowers the number to $2,000 and appears to be shocked when the creator says it's even lower. Finally, he tells her that the average income of an Indonesian is just $300 per month or 4,500 Indonesian Rupiah. The woman's jaw drops as she hears the number. 

Apriliano asks more people who guess different amounts like $3,000, $4,000, or $5,000, and every time the creator tells them the true number, the reaction is the same.

The only person that came closest was a woman who guessed $1,500. The shock is rather natural as $300 seems to be less when compared to the average monthly income in the US, which is over $5,000, according to the latest available data.

The reaction of one woman was probably the most striking. After guessing $3,000 and learning the original number, she wonders how people live there and if they are okay. However, another participant had earlier pointed out that the cost of living must also be cheaper compared to the US.

While the participant's deduction tends to make sense, the viewers in the comment section made it clear that it is not the case. "they are okay?" no mam we're not okay that's why if I graduate from college I wanna go outside looking for any job. i wont work in my country," expressed user @shy_boy_118.  "crying in pain," added another user @salzzie.

Meanwhile, some users clarified that $300 was not the average for all. "$300 only in major cities. if in a small town $150 even less," explained user @good_boywr.

Are the claims true?

As per the website ASEAN Briefing, the minimum wage in Indonesia varies across regions. In some provinces, the wage is as high as the creator mentioned but in the majority of places, the minimum monthly wage is much lower. For instance, in the capital, Jakarta, the minimum wage was reported to be 5,067,381 Rupiah or $325 per month in 2024.

However, going further to places like Bali the minimum monthly wage drops significantly to 2,813,672 Rupiah or $180.  Thus, the creator's estimate which shocked the participants in the video, turns out to be rather high or optimistic. 

For more such experiments, vlogs, sketches, and entertaining content, follow Steven Apriliano (@stevenaprilianohas) on TikTok.