Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alor Setar and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $623 a month against $868 in Alor Setar, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
Learn more

Bandung Living Index

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Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alor Setar and in Bandung

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alor Setar and in Bandung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $868 per month in Alor Setar vs $623 in Bandung, rent included.

Alor Setar $868
Bandung $623

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Alor Setar vs $925 in Bandung, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,310
Bandung $925

A family of three spends $1,752 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,226 in Bandung, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,752
Bandung $1,226

Alor Setar costs about 39% more than Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alor Setar and Bandung are more affordable than the global median – Alor Setar 36% lower, Bandung 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 MYR 8.40

$1.40 Rp 25.2K

47.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.28 MYR 50.2

$13.70 Rp 247.0K

-10.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.70

$3.22 Rp 58.0K

27.02%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MYR 7.86

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

29.73%

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

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.43 Rp 7,715

25.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.24

$0.22 Rp 3,961

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 MYR 16.76

$3.10 Rp 55.9K

32.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.48

$3.10 Rp 55.9K

45.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MYR 6.58

$1.11 Rp 19.9K

45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MYR 3.49

$0.97 Rp 17.4K

-12.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.13

$0.86 Rp 15.4K

103.49%

Eggs

$1.53 MYR 6.24

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

8.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 MYR 55.7

$6.94 Rp 125.1K

96.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MYR 17.67

$2.92 Rp 52.7K

47.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.47 MYR 34.62

$7.93 Rp 142.9K

6.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

38.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 MYR 10.65

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

78.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

65.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

-2.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.39

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

-44.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.47

$0.64 Rp 11.5K

70.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$0.43 Rp 7,751

32.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.18

$2.56 Rp 46.2K

73.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 MYR 77.3

$22.37 Rp 403.3K

-15.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.19

$1.89 Rp 34.1K

57.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 MYR 21.18

$3.15 Rp 56.9K

64.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.27 Rp 4,823

159.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.69 MYR 51.9

$12.56 Rp 226.5K

1.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MYR 7.05

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

105.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.54 Rp 9,657

-24.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 30.18

$2.32 Rp 41.9K

218.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.00

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

-41.67%

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

$45.3K MYR 185.1K

$20.8K Rp 374.1M

118.17%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

$32.2K Rp 580.9M

11.22%

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

$37.81 MYR 155

$33.56 Rp 604.8K

12.66%

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

$7.47 MYR 30.53

$4.22 Rp 76.1K

77.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 MYR 89.5

$19.17 Rp 345.6K

14.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.64 MYR 154

$16.35 Rp 294.8K

130.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.37 MYR 26.03

$5.92 Rp 106.8K

7.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.74

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

70.67%

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

$396 MYR 1,620

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

330.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

$8,239 Rp 148.5M

29.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 MYR 244

$38.89 Rp 700.9K

53.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.76 MYR 146

$31.30 Rp 564.1K

14.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 MYR 334

$74.7 Rp 1.3M

9.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 MYR 282

$69.3 Rp 1.2M

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 MYR 1,719

$208 Rp 3.8M

101.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,201

$176 Rp 3.2M

67.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,668

$372 Rp 6.7M

75.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 MYR 2,173

$264 Rp 4.8M

101.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,256 MYR 9,221

$706 Rp 12.7M

219.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,157 MYR 4,727

$298 Rp 5.4M

287.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 MYR 6,539

$277 Rp 5.0M

477.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

11.38

-64.50%

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

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alor Setar

$294 33.8%

Bandung

$176 28.2% 40.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Alor Setar

$245 28.3%

Bandung

$192 30.8% 21.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Alor Setar

$111 12.8%

Bandung

$96 15.5% 12.9% $14

Eating Out

Alor Setar

$85 9.8%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 25.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alor Setar

$67 7.7%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 15.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Alor Setar

$47 5.5%

Bandung

$22 3.5% 53.5% $25

Getting Around

Alor Setar

$19 2.2%

Bandung

$17 2.8% 10.9% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Alor Setar versus $208 in Bandung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alor Setar are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Alor Setar versus $14 in Bandung. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Alor Setar vs $192 in Bandung – so Bandung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

02:46 2:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

1 h behind Alor Setar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,868

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,025 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.55 USD). 1 EUR = 20,066 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alor Setar Bandung 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alor Setar
Bandung

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

Alor Setar vs Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alor Setar costs about 39% more than Bandung, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,303 per month in Alor Setar and $934 in Bandung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $421 in Alor Setar.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $868 in Alor Setar and $623 in Bandung. That’s a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Alor Setar and $92 in Bandung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bandung, where all-in costs run around $623, than in Alor Setar at $868. In Bandung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alor Setar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bandung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bandung. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alor Setar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.