Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $614 a month against $772 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $772 per month in Jakarta vs $614 in Palembang, rent included.

Jakarta $772
Palembang $614

A couple spends around $1,257 per month in Jakarta vs $962 in Palembang, rent included.

Jakarta $1,257
Palembang $962

A family of three spends $1,741 per month in Jakarta vs $1,310 in Palembang, rent included.

Jakarta $1,741
Palembang $1,310

Jakarta costs about 26% more than Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jakarta and Palembang are more affordable than the global median – Jakarta 43% lower, Palembang 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

$1.11 Rp 20.3K

144.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.34 Rp 296.9K

$15.66 Rp 284.7K

4.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.24 Rp 58.9K

$2.78 Rp 50.5K

16.55%

Cappuccino

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

53.03%

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

$0.41 Rp 7,490

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

-48.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,730

$0.24 Rp 4,369

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 Rp 45.3K

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

54.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 Rp 70.8K

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

19.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

2.44%

Eggs

$1.76 Rp 32.1K

$1.27 Rp 23.0K

38.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 Rp 167.7K

$7.21 Rp 131.0K

27.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 Rp 53.7K

$2.86 Rp 52.0K

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 Rp 133.5K

$7.43 Rp 135.1K

-1.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

$2.13 Rp 38.7K

28.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 Rp 24.5K

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

10.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 Rp 45.1K

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

55.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

7.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

$1.23 Rp 22.4K

11.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

$0.77 Rp 14.1K

23.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Rp 9,049

$0.40 Rp 7,196

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 Rp 50.7K

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

27.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 Rp 382.6K

$20.54 Rp 373.3K

2.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

13.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 Rp 2,948

$0.40 Rp 7,270

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.69 Rp 212.5K

$11.18 Rp 203.1K

4.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 Rp 8,972

$0.53 Rp 9,688

-7.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,797

$0.33 Rp 6,018

-3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 Rp 59.7K

$2.66 Rp 48.3K

23.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

1.18%

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

$27.0K Rp 490.6M

$23.0K Rp 418.2M

17.32%

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

$32.7K Rp 594.2M

$31.4K Rp 570.1M

4.22%

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

$107 Rp 1.9M

$70.7 Rp 1.3M

51.33%

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

$5.99 Rp 108.8K

$4.22 Rp 76.8K

41.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.06 Rp 346.4K

$18.90 Rp 343.5K

0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.34 Rp 351.6K

$18.31 Rp 332.8K

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 Rp 252.6K

$7.75 Rp 140.8K

79.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

$2.67 Rp 48.6K

16.48%

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

$238 Rp 4.3M

$100 Rp 1.8M

137.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,010 Rp 145.6M

$6,925 Rp 125.9M

15.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

$42.58 Rp 773.8K

34.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.82 Rp 505.7K

$27.81 Rp 505.4K

0.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

-4.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 Rp 1.9M

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

48.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 Rp 6.4M

$225 Rp 4.1M

57.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 Rp 3.5M

$143 Rp 2.6M

33.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

$499 Rp 9.1M

125.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 Rp 9.9M

$323 Rp 5.9M

68.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,742 Rp 49.8M

$1,157 Rp 21.0M

136.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,506 Rp 27.4M

$754 Rp 13.7M

99.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 Rp 8.0M

$299 Rp 5.4M

47.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Palembang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$214 27.7%

Palembang

$190 31% 11.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$191 24.7%

Palembang

$143 23.3% 25.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$132 17.1%

Palembang

$94 15.3% 28.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$116 15.1%

Palembang

$96 15.6% 17.6% $20

Eating Out

Jakarta

$79 10.2%

Palembang

$52 8.5% 34.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$26 3.3%

Palembang

$24 3.9% 7.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Jakarta

$14 1.9%

Palembang

$15 2.4% 3.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Jakarta versus $225 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 48% higher in Jakarta. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Jakarta versus $16 in Palembang. Groceries tell a different story – $214 in Jakarta vs $190 in Palembang – so Palembang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇮🇩 Palembang

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

1,708,413

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Jakarta Palembang 420 km

From you

Jakarta
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

Jakarta vs Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta costs about 26% more than Palembang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,159 per month in Jakarta and $920 in Palembang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palembang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $225 there versus $355 in Jakarta.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Palembang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Jakarta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $772 in Jakarta and $614 in Palembang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Palembang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Palembang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jakarta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.