Batam vs Batangas City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Batam edges it, 52 to 51, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Batam is stronger on safety; Batangas City on quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Indonesian factory island an hour's ferry from Singapore
Full Batam profile →Plan a trip to Batam →Port city south of Manila, the jumping-off point for Mindoro and dive coasts
Full Batangas City profile →Plan a trip to Batangas City →Where they differ
- Safety. Batam leads on safety, 67 to 47, against Batangas City. Homicides per 100,000: 0.41 vs 4.31.
- Quality of life. Batangas City leads on quality of life, 61 to 49, against Batam.
- Getting there & around. Batam leads on getting there & around, 31 to 23, against Batangas City. Non-stop airport destinations: 181 vs 88.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, visa ease, healthcare, air quality.
Pick Batam if you want
- to spend about $150 less a month
- the safer country figures
Pick Batangas City if you want
- no clear edge over Batam in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 ✓ | 67 |
| Safety | 67 ✓ | 47 |
| Healthcare | 65 ✓ | 63 |
| Internet | 51 ✓ | 46 |
| Visa ease | 54 | 58 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 31 ✓ | 23 |
| Climate | 8 | 17 ✓ |
| Air quality | 74 | 76 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 49 | 61 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 ✓ | $1,150 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 ✓ | 4.31 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 ✓ | 51 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 69 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs ✓ | 70.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 12.8 Mbps ✓ | 11.8 Mbps |
| Upload | 7.8 Mbps ✓ | 3.2 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Digital nomad visa (DNV) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival ✓ | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 181 ✓ | 88 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Batam | Batangas City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 1 | 2 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 16.7 µg/m³ | 16 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Batam or Batangas City?
- Batam is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,150 for one person.
- Is Batam or Batangas City safer?
- Batam scores higher on safety (67 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Batam or Batangas City?
- Batam: a measured median of 12.8 Mbps versus 11.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.