Almaty vs Palembang
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Almaty edges it, 50 to 49, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Almaty is stronger on getting there & around, quality of life, healthcare; Palembang on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
South Sumatra's river capital, home of pempek and the Ampera Bridge
Full Palembang profile →Plan a trip to Palembang →Where they differ
- Getting there & around. Almaty leads on getting there & around, 33 to 17, against Palembang. Non-stop airport destinations: 88 vs 12.
- Quality of life. Almaty leads on quality of life, 63 to 49, against Palembang.
- Healthcare. Almaty leads on healthcare, 77 to 65, against Palembang. Health coverage index: 83 vs 67.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, climate.
Pick Almaty if you want
- stronger healthcare
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Palembang if you want
- faster internet (13.9 Mbps measured)
- the safer country figures
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 74 |
| Safety | 61 | 67 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 77 ✓ | 65 |
| Internet | 39 | 51 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 60 ✓ | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 33 ✓ | 17 |
| Climate | 0 | 0 |
| Air quality | 67 ✓ | 65 |
| Quality of life | 63 ✓ | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.55 | 0.41 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 ✓ | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 ✓ | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 74.8 yrs ✓ | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 6.6 Mbps | 13.9 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 4.7 Mbps | 6.3 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,000/mo ✓ | $5,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 88 ✓ | 12 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Almaty | Palembang |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 0 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20 µg/m³ ✓ | 20.7 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Almaty or Palembang?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Almaty or Palembang safer?
- Palembang scores higher on safety (67 vs 61), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Almaty or Palembang?
- Palembang: a measured median of 13.9 Mbps versus 6.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.