Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $612 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
Learn more

Palembang Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Palembang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Palembang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,443 in Barcelona versus $612 in Palembang.

Barcelona $2,443
Palembang $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,519 in Barcelona versus $961 in Palembang.

Barcelona $3,519
Palembang $961

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,595 in Barcelona versus $1,310 in Palembang.

Barcelona $4,595
Palembang $1,310

Living in Barcelona is roughly 299% more expensive than in Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 81% above, Palembang is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.77

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

1550.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.3

$15.64 Rp 284.1K

331.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.61 €12.16

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

386.07%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.77

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

150.00%

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

$3.00 €2.68

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.24 Rp 4,364

704.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 €3.43

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

128.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

17.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.90

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

96.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

143.21%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.25

$1.21 Rp 22.0K

293.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.24

$7.22 Rp 131.0K

136.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.96 €8.00

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

211.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.65 €18.44

$7.33 Rp 133.1K

181.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.15 Rp 39.1K

46.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

51.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

67.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 €2.58

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

142.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

63.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.91 Rp 34.6K

14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

93.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.40 Rp 7,227

142.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 €6.22

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

219.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.05

$20.64 Rp 374.9K

-61.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

-21.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

-10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.96

$0.40 Rp 7,248

727.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.87

$11.46 Rp 208.2K

123.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.53 Rp 9,692

481.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.32 Rp 5,762

362.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.36

$2.81 Rp 51.1K

1069.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

117.44%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$22.8K Rp 413.3M

44.84%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$32.4K Rp 587.9M

-1.31%

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

$183 €163

$63.4 Rp 1.2M

188.27%

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

$14.24 €12.72

$4.33 Rp 78.6K

228.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.56 €30.87

$18.77 Rp 340.9K

84.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.93

$18.37 Rp 333.6K

179.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.64

$8.15 Rp 148.0K

100.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.06 €9.88

$2.83 Rp 51.4K

290.81%

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

$944 €843

$94.4 Rp 1.7M

900.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$8,086 Rp 146.9M

175.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.3

$43.62 Rp 792.1K

101.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 €34.63

$28.51 Rp 517.7K

35.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.4

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

38.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$69.2 Rp 1.3M

70.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 €1,516

$223 Rp 4.1M

660.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,194

$148 Rp 2.7M

803.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,405

$560 Rp 10.2M

380.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,855

$364 Rp 6.6M

470.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,155 €6,391

$1,145 Rp 20.8M

525.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,079 €4,537

$778 Rp 14.1M

552.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,241 €2,002

$307 Rp 5.6M

630.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

9.46

-66.28%

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

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Last update for Palembang: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7%

Palembang

$148 24.2% 88.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$328 13.4%

Palembang

$190 31.1% 42% $138

Eating Out

Barcelona

$267 10.9%

Palembang

$51 8.3% 80.9% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$232 9.5%

Palembang

$87 14.1% 62.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$157 6.4%

Palembang

$97 15.9% 37.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Palembang

$24 3.9% 67.3% $50

Getting Around

Barcelona

$49 2%

Palembang

$15 2.5% 69.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,697 in Barcelona and $225 in Palembang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Barcelona vs $16 in Palembang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $190 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇮🇩 Palembang

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

6 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

1,708,413

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Palembang 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Palembang

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

Barcelona vs Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,443 in Barcelona and $612 in Palembang, so Palembang is about 75% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 7.5 times higher, 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: $1,697 in Barcelona versus $225 in Palembang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $944 in Barcelona versus $100 in Palembang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $612 in Palembang versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palembang but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Palembang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Palembang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.