• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work & Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
      • Readers’ Choice Awards
        • Moving house? Get your Wi-Fi connection right!
        • earth hour festival earth hour Singapore WWF SingaporeSwitch Off for Earth Hour by WWF Singapore
        • Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singaporeWatch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!
        • real estate in united states owning property in USOwning Real Estate in the United States
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • Elke & man k9 empawer walkWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • St Patrick's Day 2023 - irish pubs and drinking spotsSt Patrick’s Day: Great bars to celebrate at
        • Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singaporeWatch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • 10 places for teenagers to hang out in Singapore
        • Mental health support for toddlers to teens
        • Fun obstacle course in Singapore for kids and adultsHomeTeamNS challenges you to the ultimate obstacle course!
        • education system in Singapore Astor international schoolAstor: Small Singapore school with big impact
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • Beautiful interior design by Arete CultureNeed decorators, home stylists or interior designers?
        • Affordable art in SingaporeBuying affordable art in Singapore – it is possible!
        • Where to buy a really good bed and mattress in Singapore
        • co living Singapore coliwoo5 reasons to choose co-living in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • property in sydneyBuying property in Sydney
        • international health insurance for singapore expatsHealth insurance for Singapore expats
        • Travel News & Hotel Deals
        • Chloe from E&A InteriorsBuilding a holiday villa in Sri Lanka from start to finish!
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • St Patrick's Day 2023 - irish pubs and drinking spotsSt Patrick’s Day: Great bars to celebrate at
        • local desserts in singapore - Rainbow ice cream breadMust-try local desserts in Singapore
        • Best Restaurants in Singapore – Where to eat for foodies!
        • 3 Greek restaurants for your Mediterranean food fix!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • Niessing gold jewellery in SingaporeI discovered a 150-year-old jeweller in Singapore!
        • Boutique Fairs Singapore fairs in Singapore6 New brands at the Spring edition of Boutique Fairs Singapore!
        • hairdressers in singapore balayage and blonde highiightsBest salons for blonde highlights and balayage
        • ultherapy amaris bLook attractive with or without your face mask!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • Here’s why sleep is so important
        • core exercises in singapore7 Singapore Pilates studios for core exercises & more!
        • at-home personal training yoga in singaporeYoga classes in Singapore, and the benefits!
        • Here’s what inspires a top urologist in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • BOOKS
    • Close

How to buy a property in Batam: Tropical homes on Singapore’s doorstep

19th December 2017 by Expat Living 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/how-to-buy-a-property-in-batam-tropical-homes-on-singapores-doorstep/

With tighter curbs on Singapore property, residents are increasingly looking for luxury homes in the region that are in close proximity but cost a fraction of what they would here. Many expats working in Singapore who go searching for a tranquil, tropical escape with top-class food, golf, spas and the rest, usually look to Bali, Phuket, Samui and Lombok only to find they’re not always that practical. The cost of airfares, the availability of flights, and the travel downtime all become factors – what if you suddenly have an urgent meeting to attend back in Singapore?

It was by pure chance that we stumbled across Batam as a prospect a few years ago, and found that it ticked all the boxes. One of Indonesia’s Riau Islands (along with Bintan), Batam sits 20km off the south coast of Singapore, and is just a 35- to 45-minute ferry ride away. It therefore makes for a perfect marriage of convenience for commuters, expats working in Batam, retirees, companies or those seeking a holiday home. That might come as a surprise to some, since Batam doesn’t have a reputation as a tropical escape, yet I know quite a few expats there – some have lived there for over 20 years – who really enjoy the lifestyle and the fact that it’s much more affordable than Singapore.

It’s also far less populated. Batam is approximately the same size as Singapore but with just one fifth of the people. Yet it maintains close economic ties with Singapore and, as a Free-Trade Zone, has hugely encouraged investment and business connections between the two islands.

According to one Batam website (expat.or.id), there are over 3,000 expats living on the island. Approximately 80 percent are from other Asian countries and the rest from the likes of the UK, Europe, Australia and the US. Popular areas for expats include the golf and resort area of Nongsa (there’s a direct 35-minute ferry from Tanah Merah to Nongsapura) and the area around the Indah Puri Golf Resort (45 minutes from Harbourfront to Sekupang). Up to 30 ferries a day mean no long delays, no traffic jams, and a very safe bet you will get to your destination (door to door) within two hours.

Return ferry fares range from $40 to $60 (compare that with an airfare) and there’s a $10 visa charge at the other end for non-ASEAN residents. Yes, this can take up a chunk of your passport if you’re regularly heading over, but arranging a business visa and a smart card to minimise immigration procedures is neither difficult nor expensive.

As with any lifestyle purchase, it’s best not to look at property here as an investment (keep that for Singapore!); rather, enjoy it for what it provides – any financial profit is pure bonus. Having said that, people who bought units at Montigo Resorts Nongsa off the plan three years ago have already doubled their money.

All land in Batam is leased by BIDA (Batam Industrial Development Authority) from the Indonesian Land Authority for a period of 80 years, after which it is expected that contracts will revert to the Indonesian Land Authority and will probably be treated the same way as in the rest of Indonesia. In view of this, land in Batam can only be leased: 80 years for Indonesians, 75 years for foreigners. When a sale is effected, it usually takes one month to transfer the land lease contracts via BIDA.

Weighing up the running costs of buying a property in a resort complex compared with those of buying a standalone home, they seem to even themselves out. A complex such as Montigo Resorts gives you the hotel facilities with a monthly maintenance fee ranging from $500 to $800, plus the option of a rental package to enjoy a return on your investment. A villa independent of a resort also has the rental option, and the monthly cost of around $800 includes two live-in staff and maintenance of the swimming pool plus utilities.

Although Batam’s beaches aren’t fabulous, boating types have great fun visiting the much better beaches on many nearby islands; and, of course, keeping a boat in Indonesia is again a more affordable option. As far as shopping goes, you can find most of what you need in the shops in Batam, but for those hard-to-find-items most expats head over to Singapore once or twice a month. For golfers, some of the properties, such as the two Balinese villas near the Indah Puri Golf Club (see below), come with golf membership.

For us, the plan is simple. While we currently find time to go over for a night or two and enjoy a game of golf, in the future we will be based in Batam and will come back to Singapore for work commitments, appointments or events as required.

Like the sound of this? Check out our selection of properties for sale on Batam here…

For more helpful tips head to our living in Singapore section.

Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox
Get the latest events, stories and special offers sent to your inbox

Categories: Living in Singapore Property Tags: Batam Property in Batam

Expat Living

Expat Living has everything to help you make the most of living in Singapore! We've got information on neighbourhoods, things to do and see, dining, entertainment, schools, travel, fashion, furniture, finance, health and beauty. And more!

You May Also Like

Moving house? Get your Wi-Fi connection right!

Lydia Ko plays golf tournament in singapore

Watch a women’s golf battle for the Team Series title!

A landed property in Yio Chu Kang won this family over

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2023 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.