[retirebatam]

Retiring in Batam

Batam& JB are the nearest neighbour, each has its own pros & cons. Below are the summary of comparison between the two cities and what they both can offer to a spore retiree :

Cost of living (JB cheaper)
It is a well known fact that JB has a lower cost of living compare to batam. From the weekend horrible traffic jam at cause way to the super long queue experience at customs on both sides, you could tell how sporean like to travel to JB for shopping. There are many products that were sold in spore was actually made in bolehland. (e.g. medicine, food, appliances, etc) Therefore buying exactly the same products in JB in bulk will certainly save you tonnes of money.
Unlike JB, Batam produced/manufacture less local products however majority are still imported. Due to the fact that it is a small island city and the price are strongly influence by nearby spore, the cost tend to be slightly more costly than JB in general.

Public Transport (Batam better)
In terms of public transport around the city area, Batam has an upper hand. From angkot (mini van) to taxi to bus to ojek and due to the fact that Batam city (nagoya/jodoh) is small (2km radius) and more concentrated, it is easier to move around the city. You will never be helpless as batam ojek will always be around offering their service to you.
On the other hand, JB city area is very congested and their bus schedule are always not in time. I once waited for a bus for an hour but never turn up. Cabs are sometimes difficult to call as the city area is more dispersed. The bus route mainly serve the two main road (jalan tebrau and jalan skudai) Therefore those inner small roads or housing estate are not served by bus. In conclusion JB public transport is still very lousy given that it is msia second largest city.

Private Transport (Batam & JB equally good)
For those who prefer to travel by private transport, JB is paradise. Cars are super cheap be it local made or imported, on the average, you buy one car in singapore equals to buying 3 cars price in JB. Furthermore you buy one litre of petrol in spore equal to buying three litres of petrol price in JB. Cars in spore has 10 years life span but cars in bolehland is freehold. Servicing, road tax, insurance, repair, etc of the car are relatively cheaper too. Petrol in msia is the cheapest in Asia due to the fact that Msia is an oil producing country and has surplus for export. 1 litre petrol cost RM2.00-2.20
Whereas for Batam, cars are also cheap e.g toyota Agya cost only sing dollar 13000 because their sale tax and import tax is low. Furthermore the petrol cost about 8500 rp per litre = RM2.70 (slightly higher than JB)
I think bro newyorker is in a better position to comment..hehe