Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batam and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $596 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$596

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Batam and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $596 in Batam versus $934 in Cebu.

Batam $596
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,010 in Batam versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Batam $1,010
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,424 in Batam versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Batam $1,424
Cebu $1,896

Living in Batam costs roughly 36% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Batam 56% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

$3.03 ₱191

-34.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.33 Rp 149.0K

$23.48 ₱1,476

-64.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 Rp 71.7K

$4.09 ₱257

-1.96%

Cappuccino

$2.12 Rp 37.9K

$2.52 ₱158

-15.87%

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

$0.65 Rp 11.6K

$1.54 ₱97.2

-57.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 Rp 5,617

$0.49 ₱31.06

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 Rp 45.3K

$1.79 ₱113

41.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Rp 65.5K

$2.26 ₱142

61.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$1.95 ₱122

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 Rp 19.8K

$1.43 ₱89.9

-22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

$1.02 ₱64.0

-20.59%

Eggs

$1.24 Rp 22.1K

$2.06 ₱129

-39.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 132.4K

$9.81 ₱617

-24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.0K

$4.61 ₱290

-47.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.35 Rp 77.7K

$7.70 ₱484

-43.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.3K

$3.31 ₱208

-32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

$1.45 ₱91.2

35.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.2K

$2.36 ₱148

-14.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.54 ₱96.6

-35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 Rp 17.4K

$2.36 ₱148

-58.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

$1.99 ₱125

-3.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 Rp 23.6K

$1.15 ₱72.3

14.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,951

$0.67 ₱42.26

-34.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$3.00 ₱189

-8.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 Rp 248.9K

$6.35 ₱399

119.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.4K

$1.31 ₱82.1

29.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 43.7K

$1.73 ₱109

41.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 Rp 6,667

$0.25 ₱15.82

48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.5K

$0.74 ₱46.44

55.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 Rp 11.3K

$0.21 ₱13.15

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 Rp 63.4K

$4.33 ₱272

-18.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$1.33 ₱83.7

-38.35%

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

$28.3K Rp 506.8M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

30.16%

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

$24.4K Rp 436.2M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

25.69%

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

$68.6 Rp 1.2M

$121 ₱7,583

-43.09%

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

$4.08 Rp 72.9K

$14.45 ₱909

-71.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.00 Rp 411.5K

$28.29 ₱1,779

-18.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.70 Rp 477.7K

$32.68 ₱2,055

-18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.69 Rp 101.8K

$6.39 ₱402

-10.95%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

$5.46 ₱343

-52.01%

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

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

$273 ₱17.2K

-69.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,273 Rp 58.6M

$8,156 ₱512.9K

-59.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.39 Rp 561.6K

$49.57 ₱3,117

-36.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.43 Rp 329.8K

$24.87 ₱1,564

-25.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 Rp 1.2M

$76.6 ₱4,817

-14.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.41 Rp 436.7K

$59.3 ₱3,727

-58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 Rp 4.8M

$506 ₱31.8K

-46.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$309 ₱19.5K

-52.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 Rp 14.6M

$1,052 ₱66.1K

-22.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 Rp 8.9M

$619 ₱38.9K

-19.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$559 Rp 10.0M

$2,915 ₱183.4K

-80.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 Rp 6.1M

$341 ₱21.5K

0.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.17

7.2

82.92%

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

Last update for Batam: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Batam

$173 29.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 21.7% $38

Accommodation & Living

Batam

$148 25%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 109% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batam

$96 16.1%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 70.6% $68

Eating Out

Batam

$77 13%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 14.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Batam

$63 10.6%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 50.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Batam

$32 5.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 36.5% $12

Getting Around

Batam

$5.8 * 1%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 167% $9.6

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 $270 in Batam and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batam pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $8.00 in Batam vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $210 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Batam

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h ahead of Batam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,396

964,169

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Batam Cebu 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Batam
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Batam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $270 in Batam versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Cebu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $596 per month in Batam versus $934 in Cebu – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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.

For families, Batam is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Batam and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Batam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.