Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palembang and Barcelona

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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$612

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palembang and in Barcelona

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

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

Palembang $612
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $961 in Palembang versus $3,503 in Barcelona.

Palembang $961
Barcelona $3,503

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,310 in Palembang versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Palembang $1,310
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Palembang costs roughly 75% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palembang is 55% below, Barcelona is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

$17.66 €15.77

-93.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 Rp 284.1K

$67.5 €60.3

-76.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

$13.61 €12.16

-79.43%

Cappuccino

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

$3.10 €2.77

-60.00%

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

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

$3.00 €2.68

-73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,364

$1.93 €1.72

-87.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

$3.84 €3.43

-56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

$4.36 €3.89

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

$1.25 €1.11

-15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

$2.12 €1.90

-49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

$1.97 €1.76

-58.88%

Eggs

$1.21 Rp 22.0K

$4.76 €4.25

-74.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 Rp 131.0K

$17.07 €15.24

-57.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

$8.96 €8.00

-67.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 Rp 133.1K

$20.65 €18.44

-64.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 Rp 39.1K

$3.16 €2.82

-31.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

$1.97 €1.76

-34.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

$2.65 €2.37

-40.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

$2.88 €2.58

-58.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$2.06 €1.84

-38.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.6K

$2.18 €1.95

-12.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$1.53 €1.37

-48.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,227

$0.97 €0.87

-58.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$6.97 €6.22

-68.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.64 Rp 374.9K

$7.89 €7.05

161.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

$1.42 €1.26

27.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

$2.69 €2.40

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,248

$3.31 €2.96

-87.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 Rp 208.2K

$25.61 €22.87

-55.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,692

$3.08 €2.75

-82.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,762

$1.48 €1.32

-78.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.1K

$32.87 €29.36

-91.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$1.87 €1.67

-54.01%

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

$22.8K Rp 413.3M

$33.0K €29.4K

-30.96%

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

$32.4K Rp 587.9M

$31.9K €28.5K

1.33%

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

$63.4 Rp 1.2M

$183 €163

-65.31%

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

$4.33 Rp 78.6K

$14.24 €12.72

-69.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.77 Rp 340.9K

$34.56 €30.87

-45.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.37 Rp 333.6K

$51.4 €45.93

-64.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.15 Rp 148.0K

$16.38 €14.64

-50.24%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.4K

$11.06 €9.88

-74.41%

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

$94.4 Rp 1.7M

$944 €843

-90.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,086 Rp 146.9M

$22.3K €19.9K

-63.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.62 Rp 792.1K

$87.7 €78.3

-50.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.51 Rp 517.7K

$38.77 €34.63

-26.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

$105 €93.4

-28.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 Rp 1.3M

$118 €105

-41.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 Rp 4.1M

$1,697 €1,516

-86.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$1,337 €1,194

-88.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 Rp 10.2M

$2,692 €2,405

-79.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 Rp 6.6M

$2,077 €1,855

-82.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 Rp 20.8M

$7,155 €6,391

-84.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$778 Rp 14.1M

$5,079 €4,537

-84.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 Rp 5.6M

$2,241 €2,002

-86.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

3.19

196.55%

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

Last update for Palembang: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palembang

$190 31.1%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 72.3% $138

Accommodation & Living

Palembang

$148 24.2%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 804% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Palembang

$97 15.9%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 61% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palembang

$87 14.1%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 168% $145

Eating Out

Palembang

$51 8.3%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 423% $216

Sport & Entertainment

Palembang

$24 3.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 206% $50

Getting Around

Palembang

$15 2.5%

Barcelona

$49 2% 225% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Palembang and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Palembang vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $322 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Palembang

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

12:24 12:24 PM

6 h behind Palembang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,708,413

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

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).

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

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Palembang Barcelona 11,280 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Palembang
Barcelona

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

Palembang vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Palembang. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Palembang versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $100 in Palembang versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% 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.