Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Batam

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $584 a month against $624 in Bandung, rent and utilities included – about $480 less a year. The total is higher in Bandung despite lower rent and utilities.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$624

/mo nomad

Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung and in Batam

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 Batam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $624 in Bandung versus $584 in Batam.

Bandung $624
Batam $584

Estimated couple costs with rent: $926 in Bandung versus $984 in Batam.

Bandung $926
Batam $984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,228 in Bandung versus $1,384 in Batam.

Bandung $1,228
Batam $1,384

Living in Bandung is roughly 7% more expensive than in Batam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 54% lower, Batam 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

-29.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.59 Rp 263.2K

$8.10 Rp 146.1K

80.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.29 Rp 59.4K

$3.82 Rp 69.0K

-13.87%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.7K

$2.03 Rp 36.6K

-24.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,679

$0.59 Rp 10.7K

-27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,344

$0.28 Rp 4,999

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 Rp 54.5K

$2.46 Rp 44.4K

22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 Rp 55.5K

$3.49 Rp 63.0K

-12.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$1.12 Rp 20.2K

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 Rp 18.6K

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

-6.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

-1.22%

Eggs

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

15.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 Rp 129.9K

$7.18 Rp 129.7K

0.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 Rp 52.8K

$2.45 Rp 44.1K

19.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.83 Rp 141.4K

$4.30 Rp 77.7K

82.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

$2.16 Rp 39.0K

2.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 Rp 19.1K

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

-45.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.3K

$2.05 Rp 37.0K

-26.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.1K

$0.98 Rp 17.8K

-3.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 Rp 18.6K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

15.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

-1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 Rp 12.3K

$1.32 Rp 23.9K

-48.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,102

$0.44 Rp 7,981

-11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 Rp 46.5K

$2.80 Rp 50.5K

-8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.68 Rp 391.4K

$14.05 Rp 253.6K

54.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

3.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 Rp 58.4K

$2.44 Rp 44.1K

32.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,861

$0.41 Rp 7,339

-34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 Rp 230.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

-23.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 Rp 9,699

$0.58 Rp 10.5K

-6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 Rp 40.2K

$3.37 Rp 60.9K

-34.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

11.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.6K Rp 372.4M

$28.0K Rp 504.7M

-26.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.1K Rp 580.1M

$24.1K Rp 435.7M

33.15%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$33.82 Rp 610.4K

$68.3 Rp 1.2M

-50.48%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$4.21 Rp 76.0K

$4.05 Rp 73.1K

3.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.89 Rp 341.0K

$22.69 Rp 409.5K

-16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.42 Rp 296.3K

$26.38 Rp 476.0K

-37.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.87 Rp 105.9K

$5.59 Rp 101.0K

5.01%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 50.9K

$2.55 Rp 46.0K

10.59%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$92.2 Rp 1.7M

$83.6 Rp 1.5M

10.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K Rp 188.3M

$3,187 Rp 57.5M

227.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.00 Rp 703.8K

$31.47 Rp 568.0K

23.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.17 Rp 562.6K

$18.31 Rp 330.5K

70.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 Rp 1.4M

$63.1 Rp 1.1M

19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

$23.66 Rp 427.0K

192.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 Rp 3.9M

$273 Rp 4.9M

-20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$145 Rp 2.6M

21.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.9M

$808 Rp 14.6M

-53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 Rp 4.7M

$506 Rp 9.1M

-48.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$720 Rp 13.0M

$562 Rp 10.1M

28.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$304 Rp 5.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$344 Rp 6.2M

-17.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

9.75

24.31%

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

Last update for Bandung: November 3, 2026

Last update for Batam: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$191 30.7%

Batam

$172 29.4% 10.2% $20

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$176 28.3%

Batam

$145 24.8% 17.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$97 15.5%

Batam

$61 10.5% 36.4% $35

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Batam

$74 12.7% 17.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Batam

$95 16.3% 66.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$22 3.5%

Batam

$31 5.4% 42.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Bandung

$17 2.8%

Batam

$5.7 * 1% 67.4% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Bandung and $273 in Batam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batam pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15 in Bandung vs $8 in Batam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $172 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇮🇩 Batam

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

1,196,396

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.54 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandung Batam 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
Batam

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 Batam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Batam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Bandung. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $216 in Bandung versus $273 in Batam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $92 in Bandung versus $84 in Batam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Batam – a meal for two runs $8 versus $15 in Bandung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Batam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.