Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $612 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisbon, Portugal
Palembang, Indonesia
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,206
/mo nomad
Palembang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$612
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $612 in Palembang.

  • Lisbon $2,206
  • Palembang $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $961 in Palembang.

  • Lisbon $3,276
  • Palembang $961

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,310 in Palembang.

  • Lisbon $4,346
  • Palembang $1,310

Living in Lisbon is roughly 260% more expensive than in Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Palembang is 55% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.86 €15.06
$1.07 Rp 19.5K
1475.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.0 €54.5
$15.64 Rp 284.1K
290.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.98 €9.81
$2.80 Rp 50.9K
292.14%
Cappuccino
$3.05 €2.72
$1.24 Rp 22.6K
145.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.04
$0.80 Rp 14.6K
185.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 €1.50
$0.24 Rp 4,364
600.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €3.07
$1.68 Rp 30.5K
104.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.91 €3.49
$3.27 Rp 59.4K
19.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.06 Rp 19.3K
8.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.08 Rp 19.6K
75.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 €1.34
$0.81 Rp 14.8K
85.19%
Eggs
$4.12 €3.68
$1.21 Rp 22.0K
240.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 €11.62
$7.22 Rp 131.0K
80.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 €7.18
$2.88 Rp 52.3K
179.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 €15.98
$7.33 Rp 133.1K
144.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.27 €2.03
$2.15 Rp 39.1K
5.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 €1.56
$1.30 Rp 23.6K
33.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 €1.63
$1.58 Rp 28.7K
15.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 €2.40
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
126.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.77 €1.58
$1.26 Rp 22.9K
40.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 €1.73
$1.91 Rp 34.6K
1.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 €1.31
$0.79 Rp 14.4K
84.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 €0.68
$0.40 Rp 7,227
90.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.66 €5.95
$2.18 Rp 39.6K
205.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.64 €5.04
$20.64 Rp 374.9K
-72.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.81 Rp 32.8K
-28.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 €1.91
$2.99 Rp 54.3K
-28.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 €2.06
$0.40 Rp 7,248
475.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.02 €39.32
$11.46 Rp 208.2K
284.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 €3.56
$0.53 Rp 9,692
650.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 €0.57
$0.32 Rp 5,762
100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.93 €16.90
$2.81 Rp 51.1K
573.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.28 €2.03
$0.86 Rp 15.6K
165.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K €29.8K
$22.8K Rp 413.3M
46.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K €34.4K
$32.4K Rp 587.9M
18.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 €141
$63.4 Rp 1.2M
149.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.54 €15.67
$4.33 Rp 78.6K
305.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 €27.85
$18.77 Rp 340.9K
66.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €39.88
$18.37 Rp 333.6K
143.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.98 €16.95
$8.15 Rp 148.0K
132.88%
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 €8.55
$2.83 Rp 51.4K
238.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$674 €602
$94.4 Rp 1.7M
613.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K €16.7K
$8,086 Rp 146.9M
131.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.3
$43.62 Rp 792.1K
134.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.90 €41.00
$28.51 Rp 517.7K
61.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 €91.3
$75.3 Rp 1.4M
35.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 €109
$69.2 Rp 1.3M
76.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,641 €1,465
$223 Rp 4.1M
635.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 €1,060
$148 Rp 2.7M
702.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,825 €2,523
$560 Rp 10.2M
404.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,018 €1,803
$364 Rp 6.6M
454.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,836 €6,999
$1,145 Rp 20.8M
584.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,701 €4,199
$778 Rp 14.1M
504.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisbon
Palembang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,687 €1,507
$307 Rp 5.6M
449.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.82
9.46
-59.62%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Palembang: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisbon
$1.2K
Palembang
$148 87.5% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Lisbon
$275
Palembang
$190 30.7% $84
Eating Out
Lisbon
$245
Palembang
$51 79.2% $194
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisbon
$207
Palembang
$87 58.2% $120
Clothing & Footwear
Lisbon
$168
Palembang
$97 41.8% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Lisbon
$64
Palembang
$24 62.3% $40
Getting Around
Lisbon
$60
Palembang
$15 74.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $225 in Palembang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $16 in Palembang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $190 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🇮🇩 Palembang
🕒 Local time
11:37 11:37 AM
18:37 6:37 PM
7 h ahead of Lisbon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
545,923 Capital
1,708,413
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisbon Palembang 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisbon
  • 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
Lisbon vs Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Lisbon and in Palembang?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $612 in Palembang, so Palembang is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Lisbon or Palembang?
Average pay in Lisbon is about 5.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Lisbon and in Palembang?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $225 in Palembang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Lisbon and Palembang?
Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $100 in Palembang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $612 in Palembang versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palembang but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Palembang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Lisbon and Palembang?
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.
Where should expats move: Lisbon or Palembang?
Expats usually find Palembang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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