Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batam and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $593 a month against $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Batam and in Ubud, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Batam versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali.

Batam $593
Ubud, Bali $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $998 in Batam versus $2,314 in Ubud, Bali.

Batam $998
Ubud, Bali $2,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,403 in Batam versus $3,260 in Ubud, Bali.

Batam $1,403
Ubud, Bali $3,260

Living in Batam costs roughly 57% less than in Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Batam is 56% below, Ubud, Bali is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

-42.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.49 Rp 152.9K

$35.18 Rp 633.2K

-75.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.84 Rp 69.0K

$5.80 Rp 104.5K

-33.79%

Cappuccino

$2.15 Rp 38.6K

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

-21.25%

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

$0.60 Rp 10.9K

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

-63.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 Rp 5,621

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 Rp 46.1K

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

-5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 Rp 64.1K

$4.30 Rp 77.4K

-17.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.50 Rp 27.1K

-24.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 Rp 19.1K

$2.30 Rp 41.4K

-53.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-33.90%

Eggs

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

-42.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 Rp 131.4K

$17.48 Rp 314.6K

-58.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 Rp 43.3K

$4.03 Rp 72.5K

-40.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.38 Rp 78.8K

$12.23 Rp 220.1K

-64.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

$3.55 Rp 63.9K

-36.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Rp 36.9K

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

30.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 Rp 37.7K

$2.24 Rp 40.2K

-6.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.93 Rp 34.7K

-48.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 Rp 16.2K

$1.88 Rp 33.9K

-52.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.5K

$2.29 Rp 41.3K

-16.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

30.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 Rp 8,020

$0.53 Rp 9,475

-15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

19.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

$23.01 Rp 414.2K

-38.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 Rp 31.8K

$2.34 Rp 42.2K

-24.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 Rp 44.7K

$2.91 Rp 52.4K

-14.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,325

$0.24 Rp 4,315

70.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 Rp 158.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

$0.48 Rp 8,684

135.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 Rp 10.8K

$0.46 Rp 8,233

30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Rp 61.7K

$5.45 Rp 98.2K

-37.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

-3.41%

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

$27.4K Rp 493.8M

$24.6K Rp 442.2M

11.66%

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

$25.0K Rp 450.0M

$31.2K Rp 561.4M

-19.84%

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

$69.9 Rp 1.3M

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

-15.77%

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

$4.17 Rp 75.0K

$6.45 Rp 116.0K

-35.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.06 Rp 415.0K

$18.57 Rp 334.2K

24.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.54 Rp 477.7K

$55.8 Rp 1.0M

-52.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.55 Rp 99.8K

$18.11 Rp 326.0K

-69.35%

Cinema Ticket

$2.58 Rp 46.5K

$4.38 Rp 78.9K

-41.10%

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

$83.7 Rp 1.5M

$493 Rp 8.9M

-83.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,298 Rp 59.4M

$5,754 Rp 103.6M

-42.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.64 Rp 569.6K

$46.19 Rp 831.4K

-31.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.69 Rp 336.4K

$35.33 Rp 636.0K

-47.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.8 Rp 1.2M

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

-18.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.98 Rp 431.6K

$78.4 Rp 1.4M

-69.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 Rp 4.9M

$1,142 Rp 20.6M

-76.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 Rp 2.6M

$676 Rp 12.2M

-78.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 Rp 14.6M

$3,503 Rp 63.1M

-76.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 Rp 9.2M

$1,700 Rp 30.6M

-70.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$563 Rp 10.1M

$2,784 Rp 50.1M

-79.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 Rp 6.1M

$165 Rp 3.0M

107.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.17

13.78

-4.43%

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

Last update for Batam: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Batam

$173 29.2%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.2% 67.7% $117

Accommodation & Living

Batam

$146 24.6%

Ubud, Bali

$676 49.4% 363% $530

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batam

$97 16.4%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 11.2% $11

Eating Out

Batam

$76 12.9%

Ubud, Bali

$109 8% 42.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Batam

$63 10.6%

Ubud, Bali

$108 7.9% 71.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Batam

$32 5.4%

Ubud, Bali

$65 4.7% 104% $33

Getting Around

Batam

$5.8 * 1%

Ubud, Bali

$13 0.9% 118% $6.8

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 $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Batam pays 107% 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $290 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Batam

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h ahead of Batam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,396

74,800

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Batam Ubud, Bali 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Batam
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 107% 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 $1,142 in Ubud, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Ubud, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $593 per month in Batam versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali – a 131% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $593 in Batam versus $1,368 in Ubud, Bali, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Batam but tight or insufficient in Ubud, Bali. The gap between the two cities makes Batam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Batam and Ubud, Bali 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 131% less than in Ubud, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.