Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $588 a month against $624 in Bandung, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bandung, Indonesia
Ambon, Indonesia
Bandung
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$624
/mo nomad
Ambon
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$588
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung and in Ambon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bandung and in Ambon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $624 in Bandung versus $588 in Ambon.

  • Bandung $624
  • Ambon $588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $926 in Bandung versus $995 in Ambon.

  • Bandung $926
  • Ambon $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,228 in Bandung versus $1,401 in Ambon.

  • Bandung $1,228
  • Ambon $1,401

Living in Bandung is roughly 6% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 54% lower, Ambon 56% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.36 Rp 24.5K
$1.11 Rp 20.1K
22.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.59 Rp 263.6K
$14.28 Rp 258.0K
2.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.29 Rp 59.5K
$3.83 Rp 69.2K
-14.10%
Cappuccino
$1.53 Rp 27.7K
$1.49 Rp 26.9K
2.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 Rp 7,691
$0.46 Rp 8,342
-6.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 Rp 4,350
$0.28 Rp 4,980
-14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.02 Rp 54.5K
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
35.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 Rp 55.5K
$3.46 Rp 62.6K
-11.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 Rp 19.4K
$1.03 Rp 18.7K
3.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 Rp 18.6K
$0.98 Rp 17.6K
5.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.79 Rp 14.3K
2.53%
Eggs
$1.45 Rp 26.3K
$1.37 Rp 24.7K
5.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.20 Rp 130.1K
$7.18 Rp 129.7K
0.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.93 Rp 52.9K
$2.85 Rp 51.5K
2.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.83 Rp 141.6K
$7.47 Rp 135.0K
4.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 Rp 40.1K
$2.18 Rp 39.4K
1.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 Rp 19.1K
$1.31 Rp 23.6K
-19.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 Rp 27.3K
$1.60 Rp 28.8K
-5.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.95 Rp 17.2K
$1.24 Rp 22.4K
-23.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 Rp 18.6K
$1.28 Rp 23.1K
-19.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
$1.90 Rp 34.4K
-1.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 Rp 12.4K
$0.80 Rp 14.4K
-15.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.39 Rp 7,112
$0.40 Rp 7,176
-2.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.57 Rp 46.5K
$2.19 Rp 39.6K
17.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 Rp 391.9K
$20.54 Rp 371.3K
5.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 Rp 32.8K
$1.81 Rp 32.7K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 Rp 58.5K
$2.92 Rp 52.8K
10.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 Rp 4,868
$0.25 Rp 4,538
8.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.75 Rp 230.4K
$11.45 Rp 206.9K
11.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 Rp 15.7K
$0.50 Rp 9,119
74.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 Rp 9,713
$0.29 Rp 5,330
86.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.22 Rp 40.2K
$2.71 Rp 48.9K
-18.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.90 Rp 16.3K
$0.80 Rp 14.4K
12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K Rp 372.9M
$23.7K Rp 428.4M
-12.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.1K Rp 581.0M
$35.6K Rp 642.8M
-9.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.82 Rp 611.3K
$55.9 Rp 1.0M
-39.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.21 Rp 76.1K
$5.62 Rp 101.6K
-25.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.89 Rp 341.5K
$19.16 Rp 346.3K
-1.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.42 Rp 296.7K
$18.90 Rp 341.5K
-13.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.87 Rp 106.1K
$7.07 Rp 127.7K
-16.97%
Cinema Ticket
$2.82 Rp 51.0K
$1.41 Rp 25.5K
100.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.2 Rp 1.7M
$94.9 Rp 1.7M
-2.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.4K Rp 188.6M
$8,975 Rp 162.2M
16.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.00 Rp 704.9K
$43.58 Rp 787.6K
-10.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.17 Rp 563.5K
$27.84 Rp 503.2K
11.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 Rp 1.4M
$75.7 Rp 1.4M
-0.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.3 Rp 1.3M
$70.6 Rp 1.3M
-1.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$216 Rp 3.9M
$211 Rp 3.8M
2.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 Rp 3.2M
$124 Rp 2.2M
41.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$380 Rp 6.9M
$612 Rp 11.1M
-37.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$260 Rp 4.7M
$420 Rp 7.6M
-38.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$720 Rp 13.0M
$1,295 Rp 23.4M
-44.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$304 Rp 5.5M
$756 Rp 13.7M
-59.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bandung
Ambon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$282 Rp 5.1M
$121 Rp 2.2M
132.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.12
9.45
28.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bandung: November 3, 2026

Last update for Ambon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bandung
$191
Ambon
$190 0.8% $1.5
Accommodation & Living
Bandung
$176
Ambon
$124 29.4% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Bandung
$97
Ambon
$98 1.3% $1.3
Eating Out
Bandung
$63
Ambon
$59 5.9% $3.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bandung
$57
Ambon
$81 41.7% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Bandung
$22
Ambon
$22 1.5% $0.3
Getting Around
Bandung
$17
Ambon
$14 17% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Bandung and $211 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Bandung vs $14 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $190 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Bandung
🇮🇩 Ambon
🕒 Local time
21:56 9:56 PM
23:56 11:56 PM
2 h ahead of Bandung
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,390,120
275,888
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18,075 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD). 1 EUR = 20,311 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bandung Ambon 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bandung
  • Ambon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Bandung vs Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bandung or Ambon?
Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bandung or in Ambon?
Average pay in Bandung is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bandung compared to Ambon?
Rent for a central apartment: $216 in Bandung versus $211 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Bandung compared to Ambon?
A monthly transit pass in Ambon runs roughly 10% less than in Bandung. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How much does it cost to live in Bandung compared to Ambon?
All in, you’ll spend $624 per month in Bandung versus $588 in Ambon – Ambon is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Bandung or in Ambon?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Ambon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bandung or Ambon?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
How safe is Bandung compared to Ambon?
Safety-wise, Bandung and Ambon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to Bandung or to Ambon?
It comes down to priorities – Ambon wins on affordability, Bandung on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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