Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palembang and Lisbon

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.

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

How much you'll spend in Palembang and in Lisbon

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

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

  • Palembang $612
  • Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $961 in Palembang versus $3,273 in Lisbon.

  • Palembang $961
  • Lisbon $3,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,310 in Palembang versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Palembang $1,310
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Palembang costs roughly 72% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palembang is 55% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.07 Rp 19.5K
$16.86 €15.06
-93.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.64 Rp 284.1K
$61.0 €54.5
-74.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.80 Rp 50.9K
$10.98 €9.81
-74.50%
Cappuccino
$1.24 Rp 22.6K
$3.05 €2.72
-59.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 Rp 14.6K
$2.28 €2.04
-64.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 Rp 4,364
$1.68 €1.50
-85.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.68 Rp 30.5K
$3.44 €3.07
-51.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 Rp 59.4K
$3.91 €3.49
-16.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 Rp 19.3K
$1.15 €1.03
-7.83%
White Bread (500g)
$1.08 Rp 19.6K
$1.89 €1.69
-42.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.81 Rp 14.8K
$1.50 €1.34
-46.00%
Eggs
$1.21 Rp 22.0K
$4.12 €3.68
-70.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.22 Rp 131.0K
$13.01 €11.62
-44.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.88 Rp 52.3K
$8.04 €7.18
-64.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.33 Rp 133.1K
$17.89 €15.98
-59.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 Rp 39.1K
$2.27 €2.03
-5.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 Rp 23.6K
$1.74 €1.56
-25.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 Rp 28.7K
$1.82 €1.63
-13.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
$2.69 €2.40
-55.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 22.9K
$1.77 €1.58
-28.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 Rp 34.6K
$1.94 €1.73
-1.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.79 Rp 14.4K
$1.46 €1.31
-45.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,227
$0.76 €0.68
-47.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.18 Rp 39.6K
$6.66 €5.95
-67.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.64 Rp 374.9K
$5.64 €5.04
265.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 Rp 32.8K
$1.29 €1.15
40.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 Rp 54.3K
$2.14 €1.91
39.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.40 Rp 7,248
$2.30 €2.06
-82.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.46 Rp 208.2K
$44.02 €39.32
-73.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.53 Rp 9,692
$3.98 €3.56
-86.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 Rp 5,762
$0.64 €0.57
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.81 Rp 51.1K
$18.93 €16.90
-85.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 Rp 15.6K
$2.28 €2.03
-62.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K Rp 413.3M
$33.4K €29.8K
-31.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.4K Rp 587.9M
$38.5K €34.4K
-15.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.4 Rp 1.2M
$158 €141
-59.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.33 Rp 78.6K
$17.54 €15.67
-75.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.77 Rp 340.9K
$31.18 €27.85
-39.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.37 Rp 333.6K
$44.64 €39.88
-58.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.15 Rp 148.0K
$18.98 €16.95
-57.06%
Cinema Ticket
$2.83 Rp 51.4K
$9.58 €8.55
-70.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.4 Rp 1.7M
$674 €602
-85.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,086 Rp 146.9M
$18.7K €16.7K
-56.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.62 Rp 792.1K
$102 €91.3
-57.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.51 Rp 517.7K
$45.90 €41.00
-37.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.3 Rp 1.4M
$102 €91.3
-26.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.2 Rp 1.3M
$122 €109
-43.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$223 Rp 4.1M
$1,641 €1,465
-86.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$148 Rp 2.7M
$1,187 €1,060
-87.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$560 Rp 10.2M
$2,825 €2,523
-80.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 Rp 6.6M
$2,018 €1,803
-81.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,145 Rp 20.8M
$7,836 €6,999
-85.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$778 Rp 14.1M
$4,701 €4,199
-83.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palembang
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$307 Rp 5.6M
$1,687 €1,507
-81.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.46
3.82
147.64%

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

Last update for Palembang: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Palembang
$190
Lisbon
$275 44.3% $84
Accommodation & Living
Palembang
$148
Lisbon
$1.2K 703% $1K
Clothing & Footwear
Palembang
$97
Lisbon
$168 71.9% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palembang
$87
Lisbon
$207 139% $120
Eating Out
Palembang
$51
Lisbon
$245 381% $194
Sport & Entertainment
Palembang
$24
Lisbon
$64 166% $40
Getting Around
Palembang
$15
Lisbon
$60 298% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $225 in Palembang and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Palembang vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $272 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Palembang
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
18:24 6:24 PM
11:24 11:24 AM
7 h behind Palembang
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,708,413
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Palembang Lisbon 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Palembang
  • Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Palembang and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $612 in Palembang and $2,206 in Lisbon, so Palembang is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 81% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Palembang and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $225 in Palembang versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Palembang and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $100 in Palembang versus $668 in Lisbon. 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 43% 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 Palembang and Lisbon?
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: Palembang or Lisbon?
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.

Palembang vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?