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Padang, Indonesia
Photo: Zhilal Darma · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Padang

Indonesia · Asia · 965,050 people · Asia/Jakarta · IDR

Padang scores 49.1/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 1254 of 1501 cities. Expect about $1,000 per month (country-level estimate), a nomad visa (Remote worker visa (E33G)), and a measured median download speed of 12.8 Mbps.

Padang is the capital of West Sumatra and the Minangkabau heartland, the source of the nasi Padang food served across Indonesia, and the port for boats to the Mentawai Islands' surf breaks. The Bukittinggi highlands are about three hours inland. It is cheap and has direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, but it is conservative, sits on an active fault zone and was hit by a deadly earthquake in 2009.

  • Minangkabau food
  • Mentawai surf boats
  • Bukittinggi highlands nearby
  • Earthquake risk
Cost of living: 8.2 of 49 points (scores 74/100)Safety: 7.4 of 49 points (scores 67/100)Healthcare: 7.2 of 49 points (scores 65/100)Internet: 5.4 of 49 points (scores 49/100)Visa ease: 6.0 of 49 points (scores 54/100)Getting there & around: 1.3 of 49 points (scores 12/100)Climate: 0.0 of 49 points (scores 0/100)Air quality: 8.1 of 49 points (scores 73/100)Quality of life: 5.4 of 49 points (scores 49/100)49
Balanced score
out of 100
Vibe check
  • Cost8.2
  • Safety7.4
  • Health7.2
  • Internet5.4
  • Visa6.0
  • Mobility1.3
  • Climate0.0
  • Air8.1
  • QoL5.4

Rank 1,254 of 1,501 · its cost is a national estimate, so Top 10 lists rank it after cities with a local price

For US nomads

  • US passport entry
    visa on arrival
    check the consulate before booking
  • Time vs New York
    12 hours ahead of New York
    0h of a 9–6 day overlap with Eastern time
  • Time vs Los Angeles
    15 hours ahead of Los Angeles
    0h of a 9–6 day overlap with Pacific time
  • Non-stop from the US
    0 US airports
    Wikipedia, 2026-10

Prices are in US dollars. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income; the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and state residency rules are worth a look before a long stay.

Eating out

OpenStreetMap, 2026-1116

58restaurants within 3 km

Mapped around the centre of Padang: few restaurants mapped, which can also mean thin map coverage. A count of what is on the map, not a rating, and it does not affect the score.

How Padang scores, factor by factor

Superscripts link to the source list at the bottom. Country-level figures apply to all of Indonesia.

Cost of living

Monthly cost for one person (log-scaled, cheaper is better).
74
  • Monthly cost, one person: $1,0002 · country-level, 2026-09
  • Central one-bedroom rent: no data3 · city-level, 2026-09 — no city-level rent row in the WhereToEmigrate dataset

Safety

Homicide rate and political stability (country-level).
67
  • Homicide rate: 0.41 per 100k4 · country-level, 2024
  • Political stability: 52.7/1005 · country-level, 2025

Healthcare

WHO universal-health-coverage index and life expectancy (country-level).
65
  • UHC service coverage: 67/1006 · country-level, 2023
  • Life expectancy: 72.7 years7 · country-level, 2023

Internet

Median measured download and upload speed (M-Lab, city-level; the province or country aggregate where the city has too few tests).
49
  • Median download: 12.8 Mbps8 · city-level, 2024
  • Median upload: 4.6 Mbps8 · city-level, 2024
  • Tests measured: 38,3808 · city-level, 2024
  • Starlink: Available9 · country-level, 2026-10, not scored

Visa ease

How easily your passport gets in and stays: visa-free days, eTA, visa on arrival, e-visa or consular visa, plus a nomad visa and how affordable its income threshold is. Averages US, EU and UK passports until you pick yours.
54
  • Nomad visa: Remote worker visa (E33G)10 · min income $5,000/mo
  • Entry, US passport: visa on arrival11 · country-level, 2026-02
  • Entry, EU passport: visa on arrival11 · country-level, 2026-02
  • Entry, UK passport: visa on arrival11 · country-level, 2026-02

Getting there & around

Non-stop airport destinations (hub size) plus editorial walkability and transit ratings.
12
  • Non-stop destinations from PDG: 1412 · city-level, 2026-10
  • Walkability: 2/513 · editorial, 2026-09
  • Public transit: 2/513 · editorial, 2026-09

Climate

Share of months that are comfortable: 59–82°F (15–28 °C) mean, at most 5.9 in (150 mm) rain, at most 85% humidity.
0
  • Comfortable months: 0 of 1214 · city-level, 2001–2020 normals

Air quality

Annual mean PM2.5 on a fixed scale: 5 µg/m³ (WHO guideline) scores 100, 50 µg/m³ or worse scores 0.
73
  • Annual mean PM2.5: 17.1 µg/m³15 · city-level, 2023

Quality of life

Human Development Index and English proficiency (country-level).
49
  • Human Development Index: 0.72817 · country-level, 2023
  • English proficiency: low18 · country-level, 2024

What does Padang cost per month?

Total, one person$1,000country estimate
One-bedroom rent, centreno datacity-level rent unavailable
Country cost index (US = 100)28country

Can you stay legally?

Digital nomad visa · Indonesia

Remote worker visa (E33G)

Not yet reviewedSubmit a review →
Income
$5,000/month
Initial stay
1 year, renewable
Apply
Online
Read the Indonesia remote worker visa guide →for Padang
Nomad visaRemote worker visa (E33G)
Minimum income$5,000/month
US passportvisa on arrival
EU passportvisa on arrival
UK passportvisa on arrival

Visa rules change often. Verify with the issuing government before you book.

Do you pay tax here on income from abroad?

Tax status · Indonesia

Residents pay 5%–35% on worldwide income, and the E33G remote worker visa carries no tax exemption

Worldwide income

Once you are tax resident, Indonesia taxes your worldwide income at 5% to 35%. A one-year stay permit such as the E33G remote worker visa counts as intent to reside, so residence can start on arrival. No law exempts E33G holders. The 4-year foreign-income exemption is only for approved foreign experts. Foreign dividends reinvested in Indonesia are exempt. There is no wealth or inheritance tax.

  • Remote work income

    Salary from a foreign employer or fees from foreign clients

    Taxed

    5%–35% progressive after an allowance of Rp54 million a year

  • Investments and pensions

    Dividends, interest, gains, rent and pensions from abroad

    Taxed

    5%–35% progressive on foreign interest, gains, rent and pensions; foreign dividends exempt if reinvested in Indonesia

  • Wealth

    Net wealth and inheritance

    No wealth tax

    No inheritance tax

Tax resident after
183 days a year
Top income tax rate
35%

On the nomad visa

The E33G remote worker visa gives a one-year limited stay permit (ITAS) to employees of companies established outside Indonesia. Neither the Directorate General of Immigration's E33G page nor any tax regulation found here exempts holders from income tax. Under PER-23/PJ/2025, an ITAS valid for more than 183 days shows intent to reside, so holders are normally tax resident from arrival and owe 5%–35% on worldwide income, including the foreign salary earned while working from Indonesia. Claims that E33G holders are tax-free on foreign income do not appear in any official source checked on 2026-10-27. The 4-year foreign-expert regime needs an Indonesian employer's foreign manpower plan (RPTKA), which an E33G holder does not have.

Not yet reviewed by a person · compiled from official pages read on 2026-10-27

General information, not tax advice. Tax treaties, your citizenship and your home country's exit rules can change the answer. US citizens are taxed by the US wherever they live.

Airports and nonstop flights

Padang is served by one airport.

AirportNonstop destinationsInternationalFrom US airports
PDGMinangkabau International Airport1440

Wikipedia airport pages as of 2026-10: seasonal routes included, charters and announced-but-not-started routes excluded.

What is the weather like through the year?

No month meets the comfort rule here. Rank cities for Dec–Feb →

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean °F747575757675757574747474
Rain in10.610.912.5128.99.48.59.511.713.917.413.7
Humidity %868686888787878787888988

Green temperatures mark months that meet the comfort rule (59–82°F, ≤5.9 in rain, ≤85% humidity). NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology at the city coordinates.

Where can you stay in Padang?

Three ways to live here, and what each does to the monthly budget. Rents are the one-bedroom figures from the cost table; hotels and short lets are priced per night and cost more, most of all in high season.

OptionRent per monthMonthly totalNotes
One-bedroom outside the centre——No city-level cost here; the total is a national estimate.
One-bedroom in the centre——No city-level rent figure for this city.
Hotel or short let——For the first weeks or a stay under a month. Compare hotels on Navoy →

Monthly rents assume an unfurnished lease of six months or more; furnished monthly lets usually cost 20 to 50 percent more.

Cities with a similar profile

Also in Asia: Abbottabad, Agra, Ahmedabad, Ahvaz, Akita, Almaty

Ready to see Padang for yourself?

Nostos tells you where. Navoy, the AI travel planner behind it, builds the trip: itineraries, places to stay and what to book before you land.

Opens on navoy.io.

The vibe

What people post about living in Padang, read for its mood. It is a reading of opinions, not a fact, and it is not part of the score.

Mixed · 62Padang content is mostly friendly farewell vlogs and cultural warmth, with little direct feedback on living there long-term; mixed signals and thin evidence keep it near the middle.

People praise
  • hospitality
  • local food
  • warm families
  • cultural richness
  • friendly locals
People warn about
  • haze
  • little long-term expert feedback
  • thin content for remote workers
  • travel logistics
  • Locals are warm and welcoming to outsiders
  • Food, especially rendang and Padang cuisine, is a major draw
  • Haze from fires is a real concern at times
  • Content is mostly farewell or travel vlogs, not living-cost or work-life reports
  • Few sources address internet, cost, or remote work specifically

Read from 7 videos, 40 comments and 0 posts on 2026-11-07; the summary is written by a language model and can misread sarcasm.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to live in Padang as a digital nomad?
A single person typically spends about $1,000 per month in Padang (a country-level estimate for Indonesia). That is a 74/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.
Is Padang safe for digital nomads?
Padang scores 67/100 on safety. Indonesia records 0.41 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2024) and a political-stability score of 52.7/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.
Does Indonesia have a digital nomad visa?
Yes. Indonesia offers the Remote worker visa (E33G) with a minimum income of about $5,000 per month. Verify current rules with the issuing authority before applying. Full guide: https://nostos.navoy.io/visas/indonesia
How fast is the internet in Padang?
Measured median download speed in Padang was 12.8 Mbps (upload 4.6 Mbps) across 38,380 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.
Is Starlink available in Padang?
Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in Indonesia (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Padang. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.
Which airports serve Padang and how many nonstop flights are there?
Padang is served by Minangkabau International Airport (PDG) with 14 nonstop destinations, of which 4 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-10.
When is the best time of year to be in Padang?
No month meets our comfort rule (59–82°F / 15–28 °C mean, at most 5.9 in / 150 mm rain, at most 85% humidity). Mean temperatures range from 74°F (23°C) in Dec to 76°F (24°C) in May (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).
Padang or Palembang: which is better for digital nomads?
Palembang is the city with the closest factor profile to Padang in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

Sources

Dataset 2026.11.2, published 2026-11-09. Download the full dataset or read the methodology.

  1. 1.City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. City-proper figures; the per-city source URL is stored with the seed row.
  2. 2.2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Country-level monthly estimate used only where no city-level figure exists; cost_index kept for every city.
  3. 3.Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. monthly_cost_single_eur and rent_1br_center_eur, converted to USD at the ECB reference rate on the retrieval date (see ecb-frankfurter).
  4. 4.Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, dataUNODC. UNODC data, free to reuse with attribution. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Police- or statistics-office-recorded rates reported to UNODC's crime-trends survey, latest year per country (2024 for most), both sexes, all ages; the United Kingdom uses England and Wales. Replaces the WHO modelled estimate wherever UNODC has a figure from 2018 or later; WHO's 2021 estimates ran several times above recorded figures for El Salvador and Honduras. Workbook data_cts_intentional_homicide.xlsx (July 2026) reduced by scripts/build-dataset/inputs/convert-unodc-homicide.py.
  5. 5.Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  6. 6.UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  7. 7.Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  8. 8.M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Median of daily median download/upload throughput over 2024 for the city aggregate; sample count is the number of tests. Speeds reflect user-initiated tests, not advertised plans.
  9. 9.Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. Retrieved 2026-10-07. Residential service status per country from the file Starlink's map loads. Grouped as on the map: launched or available = available; coming soon, pending regulatory approval or test = coming soon; blacklisted = not offered; unknown or excluded = unknown. Shown on city pages and as a ranker filter; not part of any score. Roaming and maritime plans can work in more places.
  10. 10.Nostos long-stay visa guides, Navoy. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-04. One record per country in data/manual/visas/<iso2>.json, compiled into data/visa-guides.json. Each guide lists the official government pages it was compiled from with retrieval dates. A guide's `verification` field is set only when a named person has re-read every source; until then pages say the guide is not yet reviewed by a person.
  11. 11.Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Days per visit where stated; 'visa free' without a limit is credited as unlimited; eTA, visa on arrival, e-visa and visa required are credited 0 days for scoring but shown by kind. The default US/EU/UK figures use the US, German and British passports.
  12. 12.Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-24. Distinct destination airports listed in each airport article's passenger table, resolved through Wikidata. Seasonal routes count; charters and routes announced but not yet flying are excluded. The as-of date is the newest article revision among the city's airports. Falls back to the OpenFlights snapshot when an airport has no article or table.
  13. 13.Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Judgment ratings, not measurements. Explained on /methodology.
  14. 14.NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). Retrieved 2026-09-22. T2M, PRECTOTCORR and RH2M at the city coordinates (0.5° grid). Monthly precipitation = mm/day × days in month.
  15. 15.SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-07. Annual 2023 PM2.5 for the 0.1° grid cell at the city centre, from satellite aerosol retrievals combined with a chemical transport model and ground monitors. Used only for cities with no WHO database row. Where the same country has WHO-measured cities, values are scaled by the median measured/satellite ratio there (corrects desert-dust overestimates in the Gulf). Across 811 cities with both, log-correlation with WHO values is 0.89 and the median difference 2 µg/m³.
  16. 16.OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. Retrieved 2026-10-02. Count of OpenStreetMap elements tagged amenity=restaurant within 3 km of the city centre coordinate. Measures how many restaurants are mapped, which tracks real density well where OpenStreetMap is well maintained (Europe, the Americas, East and Southeast Asia) and under-counts where it is not (parts of Africa and Central Asia).
  17. 17.Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
  18. 18.EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. Retrieved 2026-09-22. Only the proficiency band is stored, transcribed by hand from the public ranking.