Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Malang

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $464 a month against $623 in Bandung, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
Learn more

Bandung Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Malang
Learn more

Malang Living Index

Jump to prices

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung and in Malang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Bandung versus $464 in Malang.

Bandung $623
Malang $464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $925 in Bandung versus $713 in Malang.

Bandung $925
Malang $713

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,226 in Bandung versus $963 in Malang.

Bandung $1,226
Malang $963

Living in Bandung is roughly 34% more expensive than in Malang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 54% lower, Malang 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

23.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 Rp 248.6K

$11.09 Rp 201.2K

23.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 Rp 58.4K

$2.80 Rp 50.8K

15.00%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

18.40%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,764

$0.56 Rp 10.1K

-23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,986

$0.21 Rp 3,806

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 Rp 56.3K

$2.24 Rp 40.6K

38.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 Rp 56.3K

$4.17 Rp 75.6K

-25.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

18.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

-9.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

11.69%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

$1.17 Rp 21.2K

20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 Rp 125.9K

$5.60 Rp 101.6K

23.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

$3.00 Rp 54.5K

-2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 Rp 143.8K

$6.89 Rp 124.9K

15.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$1.98 Rp 35.9K

12.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

-18.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$1.51 Rp 27.5K

-3.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

-35.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$1.30 Rp 23.5K

-16.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 35.1K

$1.92 Rp 34.9K

1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$0.50 Rp 8,987

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,800

$0.42 Rp 7,656

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

$2.57 Rp 46.7K

-0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.37 Rp 405.8K

$12.41 Rp 225.1K

80.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$1.65 Rp 29.9K

14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 Rp 57.2K

$2.86 Rp 51.9K

10.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,853

$0.58 Rp 10.6K

-53.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 Rp 227.9K

$5.39 Rp 97.7K

133.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$0.49 Rp 8,917

71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 Rp 9,717

$0.38 Rp 6,867

42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

$5.61 Rp 101.7K

-58.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

15.07%

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

$20.8K Rp 376.5M

$25.1K Rp 455.2M

-17.29%

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

$32.2K Rp 584.6M

$27.4K Rp 497.2M

17.56%

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

$33.56 Rp 608.6K

$30.88 Rp 560.1K

8.68%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.6K

$2.30 Rp 41.8K

83.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.17 Rp 347.7K

$19.26 Rp 349.4K

-0.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 Rp 296.6K

$14.37 Rp 260.7K

13.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 Rp 107.4K

$4.58 Rp 83.0K

29.26%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.2K

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

50.53%

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

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

$30.06 Rp 545.2K

206.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 Rp 149.4M

$9,230 Rp 167.4M

-10.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.89 Rp 705.3K

$55.7 Rp 1.0M

-30.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 Rp 567.6K

$22.42 Rp 406.6K

39.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

$50.8 Rp 921.8K

47.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

$35.21 Rp 638.6K

96.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 Rp 3.8M

$136 Rp 2.5M

53.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$89.5 Rp 1.6M

96.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 Rp 6.7M

$196 Rp 3.5M

90.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 Rp 4.8M

$154 Rp 2.8M

71.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$706 Rp 12.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$298 Rp 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 Rp 5.0M

$201 Rp 3.6M

38.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

184.50%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$192 30.8%

Malang

$165 35.5% 14.3% $28

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$176 28.2%

Malang

$89 19.3% 49% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$96 15.5%

Malang

$74 15.9% 23.4% $23

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Malang

$55 11.9% 12.4% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Malang

$52 11.3% 7.9% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$22 3.5%

Malang

$18 3.9% 17.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Bandung

$17 2.8%

Malang

$10 2.2% 41.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Bandung and $136 in Malang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $14 in Bandung vs $11 in Malang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $165 per month, with Malang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇮🇩 Malang

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

Same time as Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

857,891

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandung Malang 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
Malang

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 Malang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malang wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Malang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Bandung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $208 in Bandung versus $136 in Malang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Bandung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malang – a meal for two runs $11 versus $14 in Bandung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Malang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Malang delivers better value at $464 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bandung and Malang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Malang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Bandung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.