Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batam and Bandung

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.

Batam, Indonesia
Bandung, Indonesia
Batam
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$584
/mo nomad
Bandung
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$624
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Batam and in Bandung

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

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

  • Batam $584
  • Bandung $624

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

  • Batam $984
  • Bandung $926

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

  • Batam $1,384
  • Bandung $1,228

Living in Batam costs roughly 6% less than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.92 Rp 34.6K
$1.36 Rp 24.5K
41.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$8.10 Rp 146.3K
$14.59 Rp 263.6K
-44.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.82 Rp 69.1K
$3.29 Rp 59.5K
16.11%
Cappuccino
$2.03 Rp 36.7K
$1.53 Rp 27.7K
32.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 Rp 10.7K
$0.43 Rp 7,691
37.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 Rp 5,006
$0.24 Rp 4,350
16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.46 Rp 44.4K
$3.02 Rp 54.5K
-18.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 Rp 63.1K
$3.07 Rp 55.5K
13.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 Rp 20.2K
$1.07 Rp 19.4K
4.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 Rp 19.9K
$1.03 Rp 18.6K
6.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.82 Rp 14.7K
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
1.23%
Eggs
$1.26 Rp 22.8K
$1.45 Rp 26.3K
-13.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.18 Rp 129.9K
$7.20 Rp 130.1K
-0.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.45 Rp 44.2K
$2.93 Rp 52.9K
-16.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.30 Rp 77.8K
$7.83 Rp 141.6K
-45.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.16 Rp 39.0K
$2.22 Rp 40.1K
-2.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 Rp 35.3K
$1.06 Rp 19.1K
83.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.05 Rp 37.0K
$1.51 Rp 27.3K
35.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.98 Rp 17.8K
$0.95 Rp 17.2K
3.16%
Potato (1kg)
$0.89 Rp 16.0K
$1.03 Rp 18.6K
-13.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 Rp 34.3K
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
1.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 Rp 23.9K
$0.68 Rp 12.4K
94.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 Rp 7,992
$0.39 Rp 7,112
12.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.80 Rp 50.5K
$2.57 Rp 46.5K
8.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.05 Rp 253.9K
$21.68 Rp 391.9K
-35.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 Rp 31.7K
$1.81 Rp 32.8K
-3.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 Rp 44.2K
$3.24 Rp 58.5K
-24.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Batam
Bandung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 Rp 7,350
$0.27 Rp 4,868
51.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.75 Rp 230.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 Rp 20.4K
$0.87 Rp 15.7K
29.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 Rp 10.5K
$0.54 Rp 9,713
7.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.37 Rp 61.0K
$2.22 Rp 40.2K
51.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
$0.90 Rp 16.3K
-10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K Rp 505.4M
$20.6K Rp 372.9M
35.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K Rp 436.3M
$32.1K Rp 581.0M
-24.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.3 Rp 1.2M
$33.82 Rp 611.3K
101.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.05 Rp 73.2K
$4.21 Rp 76.1K
-3.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.69 Rp 410.1K
$18.89 Rp 341.5K
20.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.38 Rp 476.7K
$16.42 Rp 296.7K
60.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.59 Rp 101.1K
$5.87 Rp 106.1K
-4.77%
Cinema Ticket
$2.55 Rp 46.1K
$2.82 Rp 51.0K
-9.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$83.6 Rp 1.5M
$92.2 Rp 1.7M
-9.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,187 Rp 57.6M
$10.4K Rp 188.6M
-69.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.47 Rp 568.8K
$39.00 Rp 704.9K
-19.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.31 Rp 331.0K
$31.17 Rp 563.5K
-41.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.1 Rp 1.1M
$75.4 Rp 1.4M
-16.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$23.66 Rp 427.6K
$69.3 Rp 1.3M
-65.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Batam
Bandung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$273 Rp 4.9M
$216 Rp 3.9M
26.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$145 Rp 2.6M
$176 Rp 3.2M
-17.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$808 Rp 14.6M
$380 Rp 6.9M
112.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$506 Rp 9.2M
$260 Rp 4.7M
94.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$562 Rp 10.2M
$720 Rp 13.0M
-21.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$304 Rp 5.5M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Batam
Bandung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$344 Rp 6.2M
$282 Rp 5.1M
21.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.75
12.12
-19.55%

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

Last update for Batam: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bandung: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Batam
$172
Bandung
$191 11.4% $20
Accommodation & Living
Batam
$145
Bandung
$176 21.6% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Batam
$95
Bandung
$57 40.1% $38
Eating Out
Batam
$74
Bandung
$63 14.8% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Batam
$61
Bandung
$97 57.3% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Batam
$31
Bandung
$22 29.9% $9.4
Getting Around
Batam
$5.7 *
Bandung
$17 207% $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 $273 in Batam and $216 in Bandung. 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: $8 in Batam vs $15 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $191 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Batam
🇮🇩 Bandung
🕒 Local time
05:08 5:08 AM
05:08 5:08 AM
Same time as Batam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,196,396
2,390,120
💱 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 = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Batam Bandung 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Batam
  • Bandung

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
Batam vs Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Batam or Bandung?
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.
Are salaries higher in Batam or in Bandung?
Average pay runs 22% higher in Batam, 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 Batam compared to Bandung?
Rent for a central apartment: $273 in Batam versus $216 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Batam and in Bandung?
Childcare runs $84 in Batam versus $92 in Bandung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Batam and in Bandung?
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.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Batam or in Bandung?
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.

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