Batam at a glance
- Batam ranks 7th of 9 priced cities in Indonesia on cost: $375 a month in essentials, 29% above Manado, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $343 covers that 0.9×.
- 100 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at regency/city level.
- PM2.5 averages 14.3 µg/m³ a year, 3× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 9 Indonesia cities we track, so every row says whether Batam is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $375 | $366 | $9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $149 | $149 | same |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $273 | $250 | $23 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $75 | $78 | $3 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $42 | $38 | $4 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $93 | $88 | $5 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $16 | $12 | 1.33× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $343 | $272 | 1.26× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $503 | $382 | 1.32× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $825 | $555 | 1.49× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Batam, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $1.96 | $1.40 | 1.40× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $8.39 | $11.15 | 1.33× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $3.92 | $3.19 | $0.73 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.10 | $1.53 | 1.37× as much |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.52 | $2.52 | same |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.64 | $3.36 | $0.28 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.63 | $0.46 | 1.37× as much |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.30 | $0.24 | 1.25× as much |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.16 | $1.13 | $0.03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.09 | $1.09 | same |
| White rice, 1 kg | $0.80 | $0.84 | $0.04 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.26 | $1.40 | $0.14 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $7.39 | $7.39 | same |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $2.45 | $2.99 | $0.54 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.22 | $2.32 | $0.10 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.02 | $1.32 | 1.53× as much |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.03 | $1.03 | same |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.93 | $1.07 | $0.14 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.94 | $1.95 | $0.01 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.43 | $0.43 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.39 | $0.28 | 1.39× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi start | $1.12 | $0.84 | 1.33× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.62 | $0.33 | 1.88× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.74 | $0.74 | same |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $70.04 | $69.67 | $0.37 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $23.31 | $19.12 | $4.19 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $4.20 | $4.36 | $0.16 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $27.04 | $20.39 | 1.33× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $2.66 | $2.66 | same |
Dating-age sex ratio
Batam has 100 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (regency/city level). That is the 7th-highest of 12 Indonesia cities we track. Indonesia's national figure is 104.8, so Batam runs 5 below the country as a whole.
Every Indonesia region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Batam ranks against every city we track
Batam sits ahead of 93% of the 542 cities we track on cost of living. On city-centre rent it is ahead of 88% of 553. Its weakest measure is local salary, ahead of only 13% of 545.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Batam sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Need the full Indonesia model?
Open the gated deep-dive for city shortlist, cost detail, weather, visa, tax, dating-market signals, and subregion rankings.
Unlock Indonesia deep-dive
Photo: Abelard Fuah, CC BY-SA 3.0.
