Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alor Setar and Kharkiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $722 a month against $868 in Alor Setar, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
Learn more

Kharkiv Living Index

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Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $868 per month in Alor Setar vs $722 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Alor Setar $868
Kharkiv $722

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,072 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,310
Kharkiv $1,072

A family of three spends $1,752 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,421 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,752
Kharkiv $1,421

Alor Setar costs about 20% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alor Setar and Kharkiv are more affordable than the global median – Alor Setar 36% lower, Kharkiv 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$6.54 ₴298

-68.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.28 MYR 50.0

$30.03 ₴1,368

-59.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.65

$4.82 ₴220

-15.15%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MYR 7.84

$1.64 ₴74.9

17.07%

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

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$1.04 ₴47.57

-48.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.23

$0.50 ₴22.61

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 MYR 16.71

$0.96 ₴43.90

327.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.42

$1.67 ₴75.9

170.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$1.09 ₴49.49

47.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MYR 3.47

$0.68 ₴31.03

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.11

$1.22 ₴55.6

43.44%

Eggs

$1.53 MYR 6.22

$1.65 ₴75.0

-7.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 MYR 55.5

$8.34 ₴380

63.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MYR 17.62

$4.07 ₴185

6.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.47 MYR 34.51

$7.14 ₴325

18.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 MYR 12.50

$1.33 ₴60.4

130.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.51 ₴68.8

-21.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 MYR 10.61

$1.57 ₴71.4

65.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.98

$2.10 ₴95.8

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$0.72 ₴32.88

47.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$0.54 ₴24.72

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.20 ₴54.8

-9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.60 ₴27.26

-5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.13

$2.72 ₴124

63.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 MYR 77.0

$4.32 ₴197

337.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$0.83 ₴37.80

259.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 MYR 21.11

$1.19 ₴54.4

335.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.69 MYR 51.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MYR 7.03

$1.34 ₴61.1

29.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.32 ₴14.52

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 30.09

$2.13 ₴97.2

246.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.99

$1.80 ₴82.0

-72.78%

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

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

$30.3K ₴1.4M

49.52%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$23.7K ₴1.1M

51.10%

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

$37.81 MYR 154

$95.7 ₴4,359

-60.50%

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

$7.47 MYR 30.44

$5.93 ₴270

25.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 MYR 89.3

$6.78 ₴309

223.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.64 MYR 153

$24.11 ₴1,098

56.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.37 MYR 25.95

$13.50 ₴615

-52.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.68

$4.62 ₴210

4.55%

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

$396 MYR 1,615

$274 ₴12.5K

44.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$2,659 ₴121.1K

302.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 MYR 243

$55.5 ₴2,526

7.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.76 MYR 146

$41.95 ₴1,910

-14.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 MYR 333

$87.9 ₴4,002

-7.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 MYR 281

$104 ₴4,739

-33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 MYR 1,713

$274 ₴12.5K

53.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,197

$188 ₴8,540

56.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,660

$496 ₴22.6K

31.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 MYR 2,167

$206 ₴9,368

158.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,256 MYR 9,193

$1,043 ₴47.5K

116.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,157 MYR 4,712

$595 ₴27.1K

94.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 MYR 6,519

$516 ₴23.5K

209.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

17.89

-77.42%

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

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kharkiv: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alor Setar

$294 33.8%

Kharkiv

$188 26% 36.2% $106

Groceries & Markets

Alor Setar

$245 28.3%

Kharkiv

$159 22% 35.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Alor Setar

$111 12.8%

Kharkiv

$130 18% 17.6% $19

Eating Out

Alor Setar

$85 9.8%

Kharkiv

$101 14% 19% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alor Setar

$67 7.7%

Kharkiv

$108 15% 61.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Alor Setar

$47 5.5%

Kharkiv

$33 4.6% 29.5% $14

Getting Around

Alor Setar

$19 2.2%

Kharkiv

$2.9 * 0.4% 84.7% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Alor Setar versus $274 in Kharkiv. 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 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Alor Setar versus $30 in Kharkiv. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Alor Setar vs $159 in Kharkiv – so Kharkiv wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

20:03 8:03 PM

6 h behind Alor Setar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,868

1,447,652

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 45.54 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.69 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alor Setar Kharkiv 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Alor Setar
Kharkiv

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 Kharkiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alor Setar costs about 20% more than Kharkiv, 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 $1,083 in Kharkiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $421 in Alor Setar.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $868 in Alor Setar and $722 in Kharkiv. That’s a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Alor Setar and $274 in Kharkiv. 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 Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Alor Setar at $868. In Kharkiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alor Setar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kharkiv. 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.