FAMILY REUNION · JAKARTA + BANDUNG · 18 DEC 2026 – 8 JAN 2027

Indonesia Dec '26 Budget

Full-trip cost model for all 15 travellers, built from the group's own numbers — the pinned trip doc, the Singapore Airlines quotes in the chat, and the actual SkyHouse BSD Airbnb listing — cross-checked against live December fare data and Indonesian price research. All figures USD; IDR converted at 16,000.

Lean

$22,062

≈ $1,471 / person

Realistic ★

$31,084

≈ $2,072 / person

Comfortable

$45,007

≈ $3,000 / person

Whole trip, all 15 travellers, everything included — flights, lodging, food, transport, sightseeing, clothes shopping, shipping it home, medical, sundries, visas. NYC flights are already booked — excluding them, the cash still to be spent is $18.8k / $26.9k / $39.3k.

Audited by a five-model council (28 Aug). Independent models re-checked every figure: the arithmetic verified clean three times over, and the SQ fare, Airbnb rate and fare bands held up. The council's real catches are now in the model: a sundries line ($300–1,000 — SIM/data for 15, laundry, Singapore-transit meals, tips, CGK airport runs), an explicit note that the Jakarta units are consciously kept during the 4 Bandung nights (~$1,000 of paid-but-empty nights in Realistic; peak-season minimum stays make split bookings impractical), and an FX caution — IDR can move 8–12%, so the workbook's FX cell is editable.

One date conflict to settle. You told me Sydney→Jakarta Dec 15–22; the pinned trip doc has the Australia crew arriving Dec 19 and leaving Jan 1–2 (and "sydney" is never discussed in the group chat). Both are modelled below — the difference to the total is only ~$400, but the 15–22 version means missing Bandung, Christmas and New Year with everyone. Worth confirming in the group.

Who's where, when

Malé ×10

Sydney ×2

New York ×3

Dec 18Dec 25–29 Bandung (amber)Jan 2Jan 8

Maldives crew departs 18 Dec, returns 2 Jan (15 nights). Australia crew per the trip doc: 19 Dec – 1/2 Jan (14 nights). NYC crew: 18 Dec – 8 Jan (21 nights), last week just them with Tanita's parents. Bandung villa retreat 25–29 Dec is the one window everyone overlaps. Phase 1 (Dec 20–23) is the medical check-up window for the Malé family.

Flights — $13.2k to $17.9k of the total

Flights are half this budget, so they deserve the most care. December is the peak month on every one of these routes.

Route	Pax	Status	Low	Typical	High
Malé → Jakarta via Singapore (SQ), 18 Dec → 2 Jan	10	quote in hand	$862	$862–944	$1,100
Sydney → Jakarta, 19 Dec → 1–2 Jan	2	not booked	$650	$900–1,150	$1,400
Sydney → Jakarta, 15 → 22 Dec variant	2	not booked	$600	$820–1,050	$1,250
New York JFK → Jakarta, mid-Dec → 8 Jan	3	booked ✓	$1,100	$1,250–1,650	$2,200

The group's own SQ quotes are good. $861.70/person (25 kg return baggage) vs $943.70 (30 kg throughout) — both sit inside the fair-price band for these dates; independent research puts MLE↔CGK holiday round-trips at $700–950 typical. The $82/person saving on the 25 kg fare is real money on 10 seats (~$820), and Maverick's point in the chat stands: travelling as a group, the shared allowance absorbs it. Buying this weekend, as planned, is right — these fares rise toward December.

Accommodation

Jakarta — SkyHouse BSD (Cisauk), the family's own pick

The exact listing shared in the group — 3BR / 2 bath "Kopenhagen" unit, sleeps 6, Superhost, 4.84★ — prices at $1,246 all-in for Dec 18 – Jan 2 (15 nights ≈ $83/night). That is genuinely cheap for what it is; comparable 3BR units in the same towers run $75–100/night on those dates.

Scenario	Configuration	Cost
Lean	2 × 3BR units, 15 nights (Malé crew + Sydney couple squeeze in; NYC crew stays with Tanita's parents)	$2,250
Realistic ★	2 × 3BR units 15 nights + 1 unit for NYC crew 21 nights	$4,233
Comfortable	3 × 3BR units 15 nights (Sydney couple get their own) + NYC unit 21 nights	$6,600

Bandung — one villa for everyone, Dec 25–29

Christmas week is peak pricing in Lembang / Dago Pakar. For a 13–15 person villa with pool: Lembang mid-range runs IDR 4–6M/night ($250–375), Dago Pakar IDR 5–8M ($315–500), premium villas to IDR 14M. Model: 4 nights at $250 / $400 / $650 → $1,000 / $1,600 / $2,600. Book early — big Christmas-week villas go first.

Food — the honest number

Solo travellers average $26/day on food in Jakarta (BudgetYourTrip). A 15-person family with two apartment kitchens, a villa kitchen, and local hosts eats differently. Real anchors: warung meal IDR 20–45k ($1.5–3), mall food court IDR 30–80k ($2–5), mid-range restaurant IDR 100–250k/person ($6–16).

Tier	Eating pattern	Per adult-day	Trip total*
Lean	Home cooking + warung/food courts, restaurants rarely	$10	$2,086
Realistic ★	Cook breakfasts, food courts for lunch, restaurant dinners a few times a week, one NYE dinner out	$18	$3,755
Comfortable	Mostly eating out, mid-range +, café runs	$28	$5,841

*Kids counted at 60% of an adult. ≈209 adult-equivalent days across the whole trip (10 adults, 5 kids, staggered stays).

Getting around

Item	Basis	Lean	Realistic ★	Comfort
Jakarta / BSD days	Grab cars vs Hiace van + driver (IDR 1.2–1.6M/day) — 11 group days	$440	$880	$1,650
Bandung leg	Whoosh HSR (IDR 250–350k pp) or 2 Hiace vans (IDR 1.7–2.2M one-way) + villa-week vans	$450	$800	$1,300
Activities & outings	Tangkuban Perahu (foreigner ~IDR 200–300k), floating market, Jakarta outings, NYE	$600	$1,200	$2,400

Practical call: for 15 people with luggage, two vans door-to-door to Bandung (~$260–300 each way incl. tolls) beats 15 Whoosh tickets (~$600 return) plus shuttles at both ends — unless the kids would love the 350 km/h train, which is also a fair reason to take it one way.

Medical week (Malé crew)

Four family members need consultations (orthopaedics, ENT, haematology, rheumatology, dermatology) per the trip doc — roughly 9 specialist visits, plus imaging and possibly check-up packages for Mom and Dad. Jakarta private-hospital anchors: specialist consult IDR 300–800k ($19–52), MRI knee/lumbar IDR 2.6–3.5M ($165–225), comprehensive check-up package IDR 3.4–9.8M ($219–632) at RS Pondok Indah Bintaro / Medistra.

Tier	What it covers	Total
Lean	9 consults + 1 MRI + basic labs	$950
Realistic ★	9 consults + 2 MRI + labs + 2 comprehensive MCU packages	$1,600
Comfortable	Executive MCU tier + full imaging	$2,600

Context: the same work-up at ADK in Malé runs $150–400 per consult — the Jakarta medical week partly pays for itself.

Sightseeing — what tickets actually cost

Real 2026 tariffs, per person. The one that bites: Tangkuban Perahu charges foreigners Rp 200k weekday / Rp 300k weekend versus Rp 30–40k for locals — and 12 of your 15 pay the foreigner rate. Most Lembang family spots are genuinely cheap.

Attraction	IDR / person	USD	Note
Ragunan Zoo	4,000 adult / 3,000 child	$0.25	Official Mar 2026 — cheapest family day out
Ancol gate	35,000	$2.2	+ Rp 35k car parking
Farmhouse Lembang	35,000	$2.2	Includes milk/food voucher; flat through holidays
Floating Market Lembang	30,000 (combo 40,000)	$2–2.5	+ Kota Mini; kids' activities Rp 20–25k each
The Great Asia Africa	50,000	$3.1	Flat all week
Sea World Ancol	120,000 / 165,000	$7.5–10	Weekday / weekend
Museum Nasional	50,000 WNI / 150,000 foreigner	$3 / $9.4	New official tariff from 1 Jan 2026
Tangkuban Perahu	30–40,000 local / 200–300,000 foreigner	$2.5 / $12.5–19	Go on a weekday; car parking Rp 30k
Trans Studio Bandung	200,000 / 300,000	$12.5–19	Weekday / weekend-peak; promos to Rp 138k
Dufan (Ancol)	275,000 wkday / 400,000 holiday	$17–25	Kompas Apr 2026; Traveloka deals ~Rp 241k

Model: Lean $250 (cheap outings only — Ragunan, Floating Market, Farmhouse, TMII), Realistic $700 (adds a weekday Tangkuban run and Dufan for the kids' team), Comfortable $1,400 (full-group Dufan on a holiday date + Trans Studio + all-access add-ons). One Dufan holiday day for all 15 alone is ≈ Rp 6.6M (~$415) with gate and parking.

Shopping — what clothes actually cost

Jakarta is the family's chance to shop cheap, and Bandung's factory outlets are on the way. Live-checked prices, 28 Aug:

Item	IDR	USD	Where
Basic t-shirt	30–50,000	$2–3	Tanah Abang / Mangga Dua markets
Hijab (basic → pashmina)	10–60,000	$0.6–4	Tanah Abang; wholesale kodi ≈ Rp 15–20k/pc
Kids clothes	50–120,000	$3–8	Matahari / Ramayana; promo racks Rp 50k
Gamis / abaya	105–495,000	$7–31	Tanah Abang (designer 500k–2M)
Uniqlo t-shirt	99–299,000	$6–19	Official Indonesia pricing (kids 149–199k)
Jeans	185–599,000	$12–37	H&M 185–400k; Numbeo mid 359k; Uniqlo to 599k
Zara dress	760,000–1.3M	$48–81	Zara Indonesia site, Aug 2026
Bandung factory-outlet branded piece	100–300,000	$6–19	Rumah Mode / Summit / Heritage — 30–80% off labels
Batik shirt (print → premium silk)	350,000 → 4M+	$22 → $250+	Batik Keris / Danar Hadi

Model: per adult-equivalent (kids at 0.6) — Lean $50 (market-only basket: ~10 market pieces), Realistic $110 (≈ Rp 1.75M: market haul + a few Uniqlo/Matahari pieces + one batik), Comfortable $220 (mall brands + factory-outlet spree + premium batik). 13 adult-eq → $650 / $1,430 / $2,860 group total. Local guides put a typical family clothes-shopping trip at Rp 1–3M — the Realistic tier is ~2 such trips per family unit over the fortnight.

Getting the shopping home

Option	Rate	~50 kg	Verdict
Free checked allowance	25–30 kg × 10 pax = 250–300 kg family total	$0	Use this first — it's huge
SQ prepaid extra baggage	~USD 8–23/kg (Maldives = Band 2)	$400–750	Buy in Manage Booking pre-departure
Courier (DHL/FedEx/consolidators)	IDR 230–400k/kg + surcharges; Rp 531k/kg at 10 kg+	$1,000–2,000+	Avoid for clothes
Sea LCL freight	~USD 105–115/CBM + handling both ends	$150–300	10–20 days; only for a big haul

The $943.70 fare is secretly the shopping fare. The two SQ quotes differ by baggage: $861.70 gives 25 kg on the return legs, $943.70 gives 30 kg throughout. The +$82/person buys the family +50 kg of return capacity at ~$16/kg — cheaper than courier, no forwarder, no customs broker. And Malé customs allows MVR 10,000 (~$650) duty-free per passenger (clothing pays 12% only above that) — across 10 passengers that's ~$6,500 of headroom, so spread the bags and nobody pays duty.

With vs without shopping

What the clothes haul (and getting it home) actually adds to the bill:

	Lean	Realistic ★	Comfortable
Trip without shopping & shipping	$21,412	$29,404	$41,397
Shopping — clothing (13 adult-eq)	+$650	+$1,430	+$2,860
Shipping / excess baggage	$0	+$250	+$750
Trip with shopping	$22,062	$31,084	$45,007
Per person, with shopping	$1,471	$2,072	$3,000

Of the Realistic shopping spend, roughly $924 + $250 shipping sits with the Malé crew, $220 with the Sydney couple, $286 with the NYC family (per adult-equivalent split). To see the no-shopping view in the workbook, zero the Shopping and Shipping rows on the Model sheet.

The three scenarios, side by side

Lean

$22,062

Realistic ★

$31,084

Comfortable

$45,007

FlightsLodgingFood TransportSightseeingShopping & shippingMedicalVisas & sundries

Line item	Lean	Realistic ★	Comfortable
Flights — Malé crew (10)	$8,617	$8,617	$9,437
Flights — Sydney crew (2)	$1,300	$1,950	$2,800
Flights — NYC crew (3) booked	$3,300	$4,200	$5,700
Jakarta Airbnbs (SkyHouse BSD 3BR)	$2,250	$4,233	$6,600
Bandung villa, 4 nights	$1,000	$1,600	$2,600
Food & groceries	$2,086	$3,755	$5,841
Local transport, Jakarta	$440	$880	$1,650
Bandung transfers + vans	$450	$800	$1,300
Sightseeing & attractions	$250	$700	$1,400
Shopping — clothing (13 adult-eq)	$650	$1,430	$2,860
Shipping / excess baggage	$0	$250	$750
Medical — Malé crew	$950	$1,600	$2,600
Sundries — SIM/data, laundry, tips, transfers (council-added)	$300	$600	$1,000
Visa on arrival ×15 (IDR 500k each)	$469	$469	$469
Whole trip	$22,062	$31,084	$45,007
Still to spend (NYC flights already booked)	$18,762	$26,884	$39,307

Sydney Dec 15–22 variant: totals shift by about $400 (shorter stay, slightly cheaper fare — Realistic becomes $30,682).

How sure is the number? (Monte Carlo)

20,000 simulations drawing every line item from its low–typical–high range, holding the Realistic structure fixed:

P10 $30.3k

P50 $31.6k

P90 $32.7k

mean $31.6k

Within a chosen lifestyle tier, price noise mostly cancels across 14 line items — the honest planning band for "Realistic" is $30.3k–$32.7k. The big swings come from choices, not luck: Sydney fares booked late (+$900), a Dago Pakar villa over Lembang (+$1,000), a fourth Jakarta unit (+$1,160), eating out daily (+$2,100), a mall-brand shopping spree over the markets (+$1,400). That's why Lean→Comfortable spans $23k while the Monte Carlo band spans $2.4k.

What each family should budget (Realistic)

Family	Includes	Total	Per person
Malé crew (10)	SQ flights, 2 Jakarta units, food share, medical week, shopping, shipping, shared costs, visas	$19,515	$1,952
Sydney crew (2) — Ismail & Thasneem	Flights, food share, shopping, shared costs, visas (lodged in the family units)	$3,347 ≈ A$5,150	$1,674
NYC crew (3)	Flights (booked), own unit 21 nights, food share, shopping, shared costs, visas	$8,222	$2,741

Shared costs (villa, vans, sightseeing, sundries) split per head across 15; shopping per adult-eq; the shipping line sits with the Malé crew. If you and Thasneem take your own 3BR unit for 14 nights, add ≈$1,160 → $4,507 (≈A$6,900). On the Dec 15–22 dates instead: ≈$2,950 (≈A$4,500).

Sanity check against "average people spending"

BudgetYourTrip's crowd-sourced Jakarta averages: budget $30 / mid-range $68 / luxury $128 per person-day including hotel. This model's Realistic on-ground spend (everything except international flights, medical, shopping, shipping, visas) works out to ≈$52 per person-day — right between budget and mid-range, which is exactly where a large family group sharing apartments and kitchens should land. The model is neither optimistic nor padded.

What's still open

Buy the 10 SQ tickets — planned for this weekend in the chat; the $861.70 fare is fair, and waiting costs money. Check travel-agent MVR pricing Saturday as discussed, but don't let it slip the purchase.
Confirm Sydney dates — Dec 15–22 vs the doc's Dec 19–Jan 2 changes little in money, everything in time together.
Book Sydney fares soon after — December is the most expensive month on SYD–CGK (Kayak avg ≈A$1,200 return); one-stops via SIN/KUL are the value play.
Reserve 2–3 SkyHouse units — the shared listing has free cancellation before Nov 18; locking now is risk-free.
Book the Bandung villa — Christmas-week villas for 15 sell out earliest of everything here.
e-VOA before flying (IDR 500k each) to skip airport queues; a fee rise to IDR 750k has been floated but isn't in force.
Pick the baggage strategy with the tickets — if the family plans to shop (they will), the $943.70 30kg fare or prepaid SQ excess (~$15/kg) is the plan; rule out couriers now.

Assumptions & sources

Dates and party composition from the pinned trip itinerary doc and group chat (checked 28 Aug 2026): Malé ×10 Dec 18→Jan 2, NYC ×3 Dec 18→Jan 8 (booked), Australia ×2 per doc Dec 19→Jan 1/2, Bandung Dec 25–29.
MLE–SIN–CGK: Singapore Airlines quotes screenshotted in the group — $861.70 (SQ431/SQ961, 25 kg return) and $943.70 (30 kg). Cross-check: SriLankan $598, typical band $700–950 (Perplexity sonar-pro, 28 Aug).
SYD–CGK: Kayak/Cheapflights AU — December avg ≈A$1,200 return, typical A$835–1,109 shoulder; cheapest recent A$539–743. JFK–CGK: December avg $1,435, deals $785–900 (Skyscanner/Cheapflights); Cathay $1,151 on near dates.
Jakarta lodging: the exact shared Airbnb listing (3BR SkyHouse BSD Kopenhagen) scraped 28 Aug — $1,246/15 nights all-in, Dec 18–Jan 2, free cancellation to Nov 18.
Bandung villas: gudangvilla / Traveloka / jasasewavilla — 13–15 pax villas IDR 2.75–8M/night, Christmas premium applied.
Ground costs: Whoosh IDR 150–600k by class (KCIC/Traveloka); Hiace + driver IDR 1.2–1.6M/day Jakarta, 1.7–2.2M JKT–BDG (rental co. tariffs); food anchors per Numbeo/BudgetYourTrip + warung/food-court guides; VOA IDR 500,000 (imigrasi.go.id).
Medical: Medistra & RS Pondok Indah Bintaro published MCU tariffs (IDR 3.4–10.3M), Siloam MRI price list (knee IDR 2.84M, lumbar 2.57M), specialist bands IDR 300–800k.
FX: IDR 16,000 / USD; AUD figures at 0.65 USD. Kids weighted 0.6 adult for food/activities. Excludes: shopping, travel insurance (~$40–80/person for the Malé crew, worth adding), and the Singapore side-trip option some of the family discussed.
Council audit (28 Aug 2026): five independent models (Qwen 3.7-Max, Grok 4.3, GLM 5.2, DeepSeek V4 Pro, Kimi K2.6) re-checked figures and research. Arithmetic verified independently three times; sundries line added on their finding; Jakarta-units-held-during-Bandung flagged and accepted as a conscious cost; FX volatility (±8–12%) noted. An Excel workbook with editable assumptions accompanies this report.
Shopping / sightseeing / shipping (researched 28 Aug 2026): clothing from Uniqlo & Zara Indonesia official pricing, Numbeo Jakarta, Matahari/Ramayana store listings, Tanah Abang guides (incl. Kompas wholesale piece), Bandung factory-outlet reports; tickets from Ancol official + Kompas (Dufan Apr 2026), TWA Tangkuban Perahu tariff, Lembang attraction guides 2026, Museum Nasional's 1 Jan 2026 tariff; shipping from DHL/FedEx Indonesia 2026 export rate cards, Jakarta→Malé forwarder tariffs (repack.id, divex.id, intrasia.id), Singapore Airlines additional-baggage tables (Maldives = Band 2), Maldives Customs MVR 10,000 traveller allowance (clothing 12% above).