Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $522 a month against $615 in Palembang, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$522
/mo nomad
Palembang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$615
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Delhi 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 Delhi and in Palembang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $522 per month in Delhi vs $615 in Palembang, rent included.

  • Delhi $522
  • Palembang $615

A couple spends around $872 per month in Delhi vs $980 in Palembang, rent included.

  • Delhi $872
  • Palembang $980

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Delhi vs $1,344 in Palembang, rent included.

  • Delhi $1,222
  • Palembang $1,344

Delhi is about 15% cheaper than Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Palembang are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Palembang 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.70 ₹351
$1.14 Rp 20.4K
224.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.05 ₹1,999
$16.00 Rp 287.9K
31.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.73 ₹354
$2.82 Rp 50.8K
32.27%
Cappuccino
$2.35 ₹223
$1.29 Rp 23.1K
82.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ₹35.21
$0.84 Rp 15.1K
-55.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.93
$0.25 Rp 4,503
-40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.14 ₹203
$1.70 Rp 30.6K
25.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 ₹291
$3.27 Rp 58.9K
-6.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.69 ₹65.1
$1.12 Rp 20.1K
-38.39%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 ₹50.0
$1.15 Rp 20.6K
-53.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 ₹73.1
$0.82 Rp 14.7K
-6.10%
Eggs
$1.11 ₹105
$1.22 Rp 22.0K
-9.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.63 ₹440
$7.24 Rp 130.4K
-36.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.52 ₹334
$2.99 Rp 53.9K
17.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$7.44 Rp 133.9K
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 ₹190
$2.24 Rp 40.3K
-10.71%
Banana (1kg)
$0.74 ₹70.5
$1.11 Rp 20.0K
-33.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 ₹92.6
$1.47 Rp 26.5K
-34.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.53 ₹49.92
$1.37 Rp 24.6K
-61.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.30 ₹28.61
$1.17 Rp 21.1K
-74.36%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₹37.82
$1.95 Rp 35.0K
-79.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.42 ₹39.62
$0.65 Rp 11.7K
-35.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.81
$0.44 Rp 7,856
-29.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.94 ₹469
$2.21 Rp 39.8K
123.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.21 ₹779
$21.49 Rp 386.7K
-61.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₹150
$1.88 Rp 33.9K
-15.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ₹255
$2.94 Rp 52.9K
-8.50%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.19 ₹588
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.46 ₹43.46
$0.44 Rp 7,878
4.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.78 ₹1,498
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 ₹102
$0.53 Rp 9,526
101.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ₹25.66
$0.40 Rp 7,284
-32.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.58 ₹150
$2.84 Rp 51.2K
-44.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ₹101
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
30.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$10.7K ₹1.0M
$23.2K Rp 417.8M
-54.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K ₹1.8M
$31.6K Rp 568.7M
-40.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$42.37 ₹4,024
$71.6 Rp 1.3M
-40.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.03 ₹383
$4.39 Rp 79.0K
-8.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.95 ₹660
$19.20 Rp 345.5K
-63.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.18 ₹1,821
$19.72 Rp 355.0K
-2.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.92 ₹752
$7.99 Rp 143.8K
-0.88%
Cinema Ticket
$5.27 ₹500
$2.85 Rp 51.4K
84.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ₹9,525
$90.1 Rp 1.6M
11.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,247 ₹213.4K
$8,423 Rp 151.6M
-73.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$24.11 ₹2,290
$42.78 Rp 770.0K
-43.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.85 ₹2,645
$28.77 Rp 517.8K
-3.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$52.4 ₹4,977
$74.6 Rp 1.3M
-29.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.90 ₹4,074
$69.3 Rp 1.2M
-38.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$267 ₹25.4K
$230 Rp 4.1M
16.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$156 ₹14.8K
$147 Rp 2.6M
5.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$734 ₹69.7K
$532 Rp 9.6M
38.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$394 ₹37.5K
$361 Rp 6.5M
9.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,507 ₹238.0K
$1,254 Rp 22.6M
99.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,020 ₹96.8K
$886 Rp 15.9M
15.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Delhi
Palembang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$608 ₹57.7K
$309 Rp 5.6M
96.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.33
9.46
-11.95%

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

Last update for Delhi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palembang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Delhi
$156
Palembang
$147 5.6% $8.8
Groceries & Markets
Delhi
$109
Palembang
$194 78% $85
Eating Out
Delhi
$88
Palembang
$52 40.4% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Delhi
$66
Palembang
$97 46.3% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Delhi
$53
Palembang
$95 78.4% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Delhi
$30
Palembang
$25 14.4% $4.3
Getting Around
Delhi
$20
Palembang
$4.3 * 78.5% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Delhi versus $230 in Palembang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 97% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi versus $16.00 in Palembang. Groceries tell a different story – $109 in Delhi vs $194 in Palembang – so Delhi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Delhi
🇮🇩 Palembang
🕒 Local time
17:18 5:18 PM
18:48 6:48 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Delhi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,787,941 Capital
1,708,413
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Delhi Palembang 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Delhi
  • 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
Delhi vs Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Delhi and in Palembang compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Delhi, $615 in Palembang – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Delhi compared to Palembang?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $783 per month in Delhi and $923 in Palembang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Delhi and Palembang?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Delhi or Palembang?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Delhi and $615 in Palembang. That's a gap of about 18%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Delhi and Palembang?
Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Delhi and $90.1 in Palembang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $1,200 go in Delhi compared to Palembang?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $522 in Delhi and $615 in Palembang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Delhi or Palembang?
Families tend to lean toward Delhi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Delhi and Palembang?
If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Palembang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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