---
title: "Almaty vs Palembang for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/almaty-vs-palembang
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | 74 | — |
| Safety | 61 | 67 | Palembang |
| Healthcare | 77 | 65 | Almaty |
| Internet | 39 | 51 | Palembang |
| Visa ease | 60 | 54 | Almaty |
| Getting there & around | 33 | 17 | Almaty |
| Climate | 0 | 0 | tie |
| Air quality | 67 | 65 | Almaty |
| Quality of life | 63 | 49 | Almaty |

## Cost

| Metric | Almaty | Palembang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | $1,000 | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Almaty | Palembang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 2.55 | 0.41 | Palembang |
| Political stability (0–100) | 62 | 52.7 | Almaty |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 83 | 67 | Almaty |
| Life expectancy | 74.8 yrs | 72.7 yrs | Almaty |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Almaty | Palembang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 6.6 Mbps | 13.9 Mbps | Palembang |
| Upload | 4.7 Mbps | 6.3 Mbps | Palembang |

## Visa

| Metric | Almaty | Palembang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Neo Nomad visa (B12-1) | Remote worker visa (E33G) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $3,000/mo | $5,000/mo | Almaty |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Palembang |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Palembang |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Palembang |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Almaty | Palembang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 88 | 12 | Almaty |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Almaty |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Almaty | Palembang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 0 | 0 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 20 µg/m³ | 20.7 µg/m³ | Almaty |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Almaty](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/almaty) · [Palembang](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/palembang). 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/almaty-vs-palembang