Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Alor Setar

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.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Bandung $623
Alor Setar $868

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

Bandung $925
Alor Setar $1,310

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

Bandung $1,226
Alor Setar $1,752

Bandung is about 28% cheaper than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$2.06 MYR 8.38

-32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 Rp 249.1K

$12.28 MYR 50.0

11.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 Rp 58.5K

$4.09 MYR 16.65

-21.27%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

$1.92 MYR 7.84

-22.92%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,780

$0.54 MYR 2.18

-20.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,994

$0.30 MYR 1.23

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 Rp 56.4K

$4.10 MYR 16.71

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 Rp 56.4K

$4.52 MYR 18.42

-31.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$1.61 MYR 6.56

-31.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

$0.85 MYR 3.47

14.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

$1.75 MYR 7.11

-50.86%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$1.53 MYR 6.22

-7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 Rp 126.1K

$13.63 MYR 55.5

-49.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 53.1K

$4.32 MYR 17.62

-32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 Rp 144.1K

$8.47 MYR 34.51

-6.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

$3.07 MYR 12.50

-27.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

$2.60 MYR 10.61

-43.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.2K

$1.47 MYR 5.98

-39.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$1.06 MYR 4.32

2.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 35.2K

$1.08 MYR 4.38

79.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$1.09 MYR 4.45

-41.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,815

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-24.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 Rp 46.6K

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-42.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.37 Rp 406.6K

$18.90 MYR 77.0

18.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 Rp 34.4K

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-36.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 Rp 57.3K

$5.18 MYR 21.11

-39.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,863

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-61.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 Rp 228.4K

$12.69 MYR 51.7

-1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$1.73 MYR 7.03

-51.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 Rp 9,737

$0.41 MYR 1.66

31.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 Rp 42.2K

$7.38 MYR 30.09

-68.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$0.49 MYR 1.99

71.43%

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

$20.8K Rp 377.2M

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

-54.16%

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

$32.2K Rp 585.8M

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-10.09%

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

$33.56 Rp 609.9K

$37.81 MYR 154

-11.24%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.8K

$7.47 MYR 30.44

-43.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.17 Rp 348.4K

$21.90 MYR 89.3

-12.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 Rp 297.2K

$37.64 MYR 153

-56.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 Rp 107.7K

$6.37 MYR 25.95

-7.06%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.3K

$4.83 MYR 19.68

-41.41%

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

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

$396 MYR 1,615

-76.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 Rp 149.7M

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

-23.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.89 Rp 706.7K

$59.6 MYR 243

-34.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 Rp 568.8K

$35.76 MYR 146

-12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

$81.7 MYR 333

-8.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

$68.9 MYR 281

0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 Rp 3.8M

$421 MYR 1,713

-50.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$294 MYR 1,197

-40.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 Rp 6.8M

$653 MYR 2,660

-43.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 Rp 4.8M

$532 MYR 2,167

-50.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$706 Rp 12.8M

$2,256 MYR 9,193

-68.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$298 Rp 5.4M

$1,157 MYR 4,712

-74.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 Rp 5.0M

$1,600 MYR 6,519

-82.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

4.04

181.68%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$192 30.8%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 27.8% $53

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$176 28.2%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 67.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$96 15.5%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 14.8% $14

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 34.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 18% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$22 3.5%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 115% $25

Getting Around

Bandung

$17 2.8%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 12.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $208 in Bandung versus $421 in Alor Setar. 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 $14 in Bandung versus $12 in Alor Setar. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bandung vs $245 in Alor Setar – so Bandung wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

1 h ahead of Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

423,868

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Bandung
Alor Setar

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

Bandung vs Alor Setar: 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 $934 per month in Bandung and $1,303 in Alor Setar. 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 $623 in Bandung and $868 in Alor Setar. That makes Bandung about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $92 per month in Bandung and $396 in Alor Setar. 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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