Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batam and Jakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $586 a month against $772 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$586

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Batam and in Jakarta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $586 in Batam versus $772 in Jakarta.

Batam $586
Jakarta $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $984 in Batam versus $1,257 in Jakarta.

Batam $984
Jakarta $1,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,382 in Batam versus $1,741 in Jakarta.

Batam $1,382
Jakarta $1,741

Living in Batam costs roughly 24% less than in Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Batam 57% lower, Jakarta 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

$2.71 Rp 49.1K

-28.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.07 Rp 146.3K

$16.34 Rp 296.0K

-50.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 Rp 70.7K

$3.24 Rp 58.7K

20.37%

Cappuccino

$2.05 Rp 37.1K

$2.02 Rp 36.6K

1.49%

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

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

$0.41 Rp 7,467

48.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 Rp 5,449

$0.26 Rp 4,715

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 Rp 44.7K

$2.49 Rp 45.2K

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$3.89 Rp 70.6K

-5.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Rp 20.3K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

-3.57%

Eggs

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

$1.76 Rp 32.0K

-30.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 Rp 135.0K

$9.22 Rp 167.2K

-19.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 Rp 44.8K

$2.95 Rp 53.5K

-16.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.31 Rp 78.1K

$7.34 Rp 133.1K

-41.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.2K

$2.73 Rp 49.4K

-20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 36.2K

$1.35 Rp 24.4K

48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$2.48 Rp 44.9K

-20.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-25.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

-30.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

-3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

35.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 8,036

$0.50 Rp 9,022

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$2.79 Rp 50.6K

-2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 Rp 249.8K

$21.05 Rp 381.5K

-34.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

$2.03 Rp 36.8K

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.3K

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

-21.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,419

$0.16 Rp 2,939

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.69 Rp 211.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$0.49 Rp 8,944

130.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 Rp 10.6K

$0.32 Rp 5,780

81.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Rp 62.0K

$3.28 Rp 59.5K

4.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

-2.33%

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

$27.6K Rp 499.6M

$27.0K Rp 489.2M

2.12%

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

$24.6K Rp 445.8M

$32.7K Rp 592.4M

-24.75%

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

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$107 Rp 1.9M

-36.65%

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

$4.09 Rp 74.2K

$5.99 Rp 108.5K

-31.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 Rp 409.2K

$19.06 Rp 345.4K

18.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.03 Rp 489.9K

$19.34 Rp 350.5K

39.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.66 Rp 102.5K

$13.90 Rp 251.8K

-59.28%

Cinema Ticket

$2.66 Rp 48.3K

$3.11 Rp 56.3K

-14.47%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$238 Rp 4.3M

-65.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,186 Rp 57.7M

$8,010 Rp 145.1M

-60.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.46 Rp 570.0K

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

-45.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.99 Rp 326.0K

$27.82 Rp 504.2K

-35.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

-8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.72 Rp 429.9K

$103 Rp 1.9M

-76.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 Rp 4.8M

$355 Rp 6.4M

-25.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 Rp 2.6M

$191 Rp 3.5M

-24.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 Rp 14.4M

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

-29.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 Rp 9.0M

$544 Rp 9.9M

-8.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$542 Rp 9.8M

$2,742 Rp 49.7M

-80.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 Rp 27.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$334 Rp 6.0M

$441 Rp 8.0M

-24.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.17

9.46

39.22%

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

Last update for Batam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Batam

$172 29.3%

Jakarta

$214 27.7% 24.8% $43

Accommodation & Living

Batam

$145 24.8%

Jakarta

$191 24.7% 31.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batam

$94 16.1%

Jakarta

$132 17.1% 39.8% $38

Eating Out

Batam

$75 12.8%

Jakarta

$79 10.2% 4.6% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Batam

$62 10.6%

Jakarta

$116 15.1% 88.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Batam

$32 5.5%

Jakarta

$26 3.3% 21% $6.8

Getting Around

Batam

$5.7 * 1%

Jakarta

$14 1.9% 154% $8.7

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 $265 in Batam and $355 in Jakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jakarta pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $8 in Batam vs $16 in Jakarta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $214 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Batam

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Batam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,396

11,337,563 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Batam Jakarta 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Batam
Jakarta

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 Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Batam. 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: $265 in Batam versus $355 in Jakarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Jakarta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $586 per month in Batam versus $772 in Jakarta – Batam is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Batam wins on affordability, Jakarta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.