Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $849 in Bintulu, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bintulu
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$849
/mo nomad
Bangalore
🇮🇳 India
$535
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bintulu and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $849 in Bintulu versus $535 in Bangalore.

  • Bintulu $849
  • Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,312 in Bintulu versus $927 in Bangalore.

  • Bintulu $1,312
  • Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Bintulu versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

  • Bintulu $1,775
  • Bangalore $1,318

Living in Bintulu is roughly 59% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.95 MYR 16.13
$3.04 ₹294
29.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.43 MYR 75.3
$17.83 ₹1,725
3.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.79 MYR 23.63
$4.78 ₹463
21.13%
Cappuccino
$2.99 MYR 12.20
$2.24 ₹217
33.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 MYR 2.59
$0.39 ₹37.49
61.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 MYR 1.54
$0.14 ₹13.64
171.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.98 MYR 12.17
$2.34 ₹226
27.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 MYR 21.12
$3.91 ₹379
32.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.15 MYR 8.77
$0.61 ₹58.6
252.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1.37 MYR 5.59
$0.57 ₹55.2
140.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.32 MYR 5.41
$0.81 ₹77.9
62.96%
Eggs
$2.16 MYR 8.83
$1.12 ₹109
92.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.81 MYR 68.6
$5.93 ₹574
183.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.48 MYR 14.19
$3.85 ₹373
-9.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.90 MYR 24.11
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.76 MYR 7.19
$2.78 ₹269
-36.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 MYR 4.18
$0.75 ₹72.2
36.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.76 MYR 7.17
$1.22 ₹118
44.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.13 MYR 4.60
$0.40 ₹39.19
182.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.51 MYR 2.08
$0.38 ₹36.40
34.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 MYR 4.85
$0.36 ₹34.72
230.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 MYR 2.84
$0.42 ₹40.31
64.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.42 MYR 1.71
$0.32 ₹31.21
31.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 MYR 17.08
$4.61 ₹446
-9.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.74 MYR 80.6
$9.01 ₹872
119.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 MYR 12.29
$1.86 ₹180
61.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 MYR 8.17
$2.92 ₹283
-31.51%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.35 ₹614
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.20 MYR 4.91
$0.51 ₹48.89
135.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.62 MYR 67.9
$15.71 ₹1,520
5.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 MYR 4.18
$1.01 ₹97.8
0.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.83 MYR 3.39
$0.30 ₹29.43
176.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.50 MYR 10.21
$2.10 ₹203
19.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.63 MYR 2.57
$1.08 ₹104
-41.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.5K MYR 181.7K
$12.6K ₹1.2M
253.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.5K MYR 157.0K
$19.1K ₹1.8M
101.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.2 MYR 242
$30.32 ₹2,934
95.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.51 MYR 129
$4.11 ₹398
666.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.98 MYR 122
$10.23 ₹990
193.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.4 MYR 271
$18.61 ₹1,801
256.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.43 MYR 50.8
$5.95 ₹576
108.91%
Cinema Ticket
$4.33 MYR 17.67
$4.60 ₹446
-5.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$124 MYR 508
$104 ₹10.1K
19.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,230 MYR 29.5K
$3,176 ₹307.3K
127.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 MYR 262
$32.29 ₹3,125
98.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.02 MYR 147
$29.85 ₹2,889
20.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.5 MYR 329
$53.3 ₹5,160
51.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.8 MYR 371
$39.66 ₹3,838
128.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$220 MYR 898
$309 ₹29.9K
-28.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$157 MYR 642
$175 ₹16.9K
-10.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$485 MYR 1,979
$788 ₹76.3K
-38.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$333 MYR 1,361
$481 ₹46.6K
-30.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,730 MYR 7,062
$1,889 ₹182.8K
-8.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,137 MYR 4,644
$1,067 ₹103.3K
6.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bintulu
Bangalore
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$598 MYR 2,441
$919 ₹89.0K
-34.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
8.5
-47.06%

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

Last update for Bintulu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bintulu
$232
Bangalore
$122 47.3% $110
Accommodation & Living
Bintulu
$157
Bangalore
$175 11.2% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Bintulu
$122
Bangalore
$70 42.9% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bintulu
$121
Bangalore
$45 63% $76
Eating Out
Bintulu
$114
Bangalore
$87 23.6% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Bintulu
$75
Bangalore
$28 63% $47
Getting Around
Bintulu
$27
Bangalore
$20 23.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Bintulu and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 54% 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 Bintulu vs $18.00 in Bangalore. Groceries flip the comparison at $232 vs $122, with Bangalore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Bintulu
🇮🇳 Bangalore
🕒 Local time
17:42 5:42 PM
15:12 3:12 PM
2 h 30 min behind Bintulu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
240,172
8,495,492
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bintulu Bangalore 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bintulu
  • Bangalore

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
Bintulu vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bintulu or Bangalore?
Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Bintulu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bintulu or in Bangalore?
On paper, salaries run 54% lower in Bangalore. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bintulu compared to Bangalore?
Rent for a central apartment: $220 in Bintulu versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Bintulu compared to Bangalore?
A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 6% less than in Bintulu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Bintulu and in Bangalore?
Childcare runs $124 in Bintulu versus $104 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $800/month in Bintulu or in Bangalore?
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.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bintulu or Bangalore?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.
How safe is Bintulu compared to Bangalore?
Safety-wise, Bintulu and Bangalore are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Bintulu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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