Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Sarawak

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $557 a month against $933 in Sarawak, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
Learn more

Sarawak Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$557

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Sarawak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Bangalore versus $933 in Sarawak.

Bangalore $557
Sarawak $933

Estimated couple costs with rent: $941 in Bangalore versus $1,391 in Sarawak.

Bangalore $941
Sarawak $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,324 in Bangalore versus $1,849 in Sarawak.

Bangalore $1,324
Sarawak $1,849

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 40% less than in Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Sarawak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.13 ₹297

$3.65 MYR 14.88

-14.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.66 ₹1,677

$19.77 MYR 80.6

-10.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 ₹443

$4.75 MYR 19.38

-1.89%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₹217

$2.88 MYR 11.74

-20.83%

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

$0.40 ₹37.91

$0.81 MYR 3.29

-50.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.62

$0.39 MYR 1.61

-64.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ₹216

$3.60 MYR 14.68

-36.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₹342

$4.61 MYR 18.81

-21.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 ₹62.4

$1.86 MYR 7.58

-64.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₹55.8

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-43.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹76.5

$1.48 MYR 6.04

-45.27%

Eggs

$1.14 ₹109

$2.04 MYR 8.32

-44.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 ₹588

$13.84 MYR 56.5

-55.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 ₹356

$4.30 MYR 17.54

-12.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 MYR 38.47

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ₹272

$3.14 MYR 12.83

-8.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ₹69.3

$1.71 MYR 6.97

-57.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 ₹114

$2.51 MYR 10.22

-52.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.54

$1.61 MYR 6.55

-73.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.59

$1.27 MYR 5.18

-69.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.84

$1.15 MYR 4.68

-65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ₹37.56

$1.17 MYR 4.79

-65.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.09

$0.53 MYR 2.18

-43.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 ₹442

$4.54 MYR 18.52

2.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.48 ₹900

$19.12 MYR 78.0

-50.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₹187

$2.94 MYR 12.01

-32.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 ₹283

$4.51 MYR 18.38

-33.92%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.59 ₹626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.66

$0.71 MYR 2.89

-28.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.69 ₹1,490

$12.15 MYR 49.57

29.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ₹101

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-15.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.52

$0.51 MYR 2.07

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.16 ₹205

$7.21 MYR 29.41

-70.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₹109

$0.82 MYR 3.34

40.24%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

-73.21%

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

$18.8K ₹1.8M

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

-45.90%

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

$30.35 ₹2,882

$48.56 MYR 198

-37.50%

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

$4.11 ₹390

$9.65 MYR 39.38

-57.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.45 ₹992

$27.71 MYR 113

-62.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.89 ₹1,794

$40.76 MYR 166

-53.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.10 ₹579

$7.10 MYR 28.98

-14.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ₹461

$4.92 MYR 20.05

-1.22%

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

$102 ₹9,687

$190 MYR 775

-46.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,978 ₹282.8K

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

-57.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.83 ₹3,212

$56.8 MYR 232

-40.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.70 ₹2,915

$34.52 MYR 141

-11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.3 ₹5,343

$79.8 MYR 325

-29.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.05 ₹3,803

$75.9 MYR 310

-47.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.4K

$410 MYR 1,674

-24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹17.0K

$299 MYR 1,219

-40.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 ₹75.9K

$672 MYR 2,742

18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 ₹45.6K

$477 MYR 1,946

0.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,928 ₹183.0K

$2,042 MYR 8,329

-5.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.2K

$1,074 MYR 4,381

0.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$943 ₹89.6K

$339 MYR 1,381

178.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.47

4.06

108.62%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$179 32.1%

Sarawak

$299 32% 67% $120

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$125 22.4%

Sarawak

$258 27.6% 106% $133

Eating Out

Bangalore

$87 15.6%

Sarawak

$110 11.8% 26.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$72 13%

Sarawak

$111 11.9% 53.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.1%

Sarawak

$86 9.2% 91.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$29 5.1%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 76.9% $22

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.6%

Sarawak

$19 2% 7.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bangalore and $410 in Sarawak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 179% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $20.00 in Sarawak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $125 vs $258 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

23:33 11:33 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangalore Sarawak 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
Sarawak

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

Bangalore vs Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Sarawak. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 179% higher in Bangalore, 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: $309 in Bangalore versus $410 in Sarawak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 29% less than in Sarawak. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $102 in Bangalore versus $190 in Sarawak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore 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 Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $557 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bangalore and Sarawak are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Sarawak. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.