Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palembang and Jakarta

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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$614

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palembang and in Jakarta

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 Jakarta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Palembang $614
Jakarta $772

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

Palembang $962
Jakarta $1,257

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

Palembang $1,310
Jakarta $1,741

Palembang is about 21% cheaper than Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.11 Rp 20.3K

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

-59.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.66 Rp 284.7K

$16.34 Rp 296.9K

-4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.78 Rp 50.5K

$3.24 Rp 58.9K

-14.20%

Cappuccino

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

-34.65%

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

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

$0.41 Rp 7,490

95.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 Rp 4,369

$0.26 Rp 4,730

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

$2.49 Rp 45.3K

-35.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

$3.89 Rp 70.8K

-16.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-19.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

-2.38%

Eggs

$1.27 Rp 23.0K

$1.76 Rp 32.1K

-27.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 Rp 131.0K

$9.22 Rp 167.7K

-21.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.86 Rp 52.0K

$2.95 Rp 53.7K

-3.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 Rp 135.1K

$7.34 Rp 133.5K

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 Rp 38.7K

$2.73 Rp 49.6K

-21.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

$1.35 Rp 24.5K

-9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

$2.48 Rp 45.1K

-35.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$1.38 Rp 25.1K

-7.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 Rp 22.4K

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

-10.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

-18.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 Rp 14.1K

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

-18.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,196

$0.50 Rp 9,049

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 Rp 39.8K

$2.79 Rp 50.7K

-21.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.54 Rp 373.3K

$21.05 Rp 382.6K

-2.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$2.03 Rp 36.9K

-11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.9K

$2.97 Rp 54.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 Rp 7,270

$0.16 Rp 2,948

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.18 Rp 203.1K

$11.69 Rp 212.5K

-4.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,688

$0.49 Rp 8,972

8.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 Rp 6,018

$0.32 Rp 5,797

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 Rp 48.3K

$3.28 Rp 59.7K

-18.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$0.86 Rp 15.7K

-1.16%

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

$23.0K Rp 418.2M

$27.0K Rp 490.6M

-14.76%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.1M

$32.7K Rp 594.2M

-4.05%

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

$70.7 Rp 1.3M

$107 Rp 1.9M

-33.92%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.8K

$5.99 Rp 108.8K

-29.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.90 Rp 343.5K

$19.06 Rp 346.4K

-0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.31 Rp 332.8K

$19.34 Rp 351.6K

-5.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.75 Rp 140.8K

$13.90 Rp 252.6K

-44.24%

Cinema Ticket

$2.67 Rp 48.6K

$3.11 Rp 56.5K

-14.15%

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

$100 Rp 1.8M

$238 Rp 4.3M

-57.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,925 Rp 125.9M

$8,010 Rp 145.6M

-13.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.58 Rp 773.8K

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

-25.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.81 Rp 505.4K

$27.82 Rp 505.7K

-0.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

$70.5 Rp 1.3M

4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

$103 Rp 1.9M

-32.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$225 Rp 4.1M

$355 Rp 6.4M

-36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$191 Rp 3.5M

-25.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$499 Rp 9.1M

$1,123 Rp 20.4M

-55.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 Rp 5.9M

$544 Rp 9.9M

-40.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,157 Rp 21.0M

$2,742 Rp 49.8M

-57.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$754 Rp 13.7M

$1,506 Rp 27.4M

-49.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$299 Rp 5.4M

$441 Rp 8.0M

-32.24%

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 Palembang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palembang

$190 31%

Jakarta

$214 27.7% 12.6% $24

Accommodation & Living

Palembang

$143 23.3%

Jakarta

$191 24.7% 33.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Palembang

$96 15.6%

Jakarta

$116 15.1% 21.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palembang

$94 15.3%

Jakarta

$132 17.1% 40.7% $38

Eating Out

Palembang

$52 8.5%

Jakarta

$79 10.2% 51.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Palembang

$24 3.9%

Jakarta

$26 3.3% 8% $1.9

Getting Around

Palembang

$15 2.4%

Jakarta

$14 1.9% 3.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $225 in Palembang versus $355 in Jakarta. 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 Palembang versus $16 in Jakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $214 – making Palembang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Palembang

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

Same time as Palembang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,708,413

11,337,563 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Palembang Jakarta 420 km

From you

Palembang
Jakarta

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 Jakarta: 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 $920 per month in Palembang and $1,159 in Jakarta. 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 $614 in Palembang and $772 in Jakarta, 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.