Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Nis

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,029 in Nis, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nis outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bintulu and in Nis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Bintulu versus $1,029 in Nis.

Bintulu $852
Nis $1,029

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Bintulu versus $1,526 in Nis.

Bintulu $1,331
Nis $1,526

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,811 in Bintulu versus $2,022 in Nis.

Bintulu $1,811
Nis $2,022

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 17% less than in Nis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Nis 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.94 MYR 16.06

$8.71 RSD 917

-54.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.20 MYR 74.2

$33.20 RSD 3,498

-45.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 MYR 23.88

$9.73 RSD 1,025

-39.77%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.66

$1.93 RSD 204

48.19%

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

$0.65 MYR 2.63

$2.28 RSD 240

-71.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$1.80 RSD 190

-77.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 MYR 11.63

$3.71 RSD 391

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 MYR 21.29

$4.36 RSD 459

19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 MYR 8.73

$1.08 RSD 114

98.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 MYR 5.55

$0.72 RSD 76.2

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.68 RSD 177

-22.62%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.10

$2.32 RSD 245

-3.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 MYR 71.2

$7.41 RSD 781

135.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.08

$5.77 RSD 608

-40.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.97 MYR 24.33

$10.97 RSD 1,156

-45.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.14

$1.08 RSD 114

62.04%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 MYR 3.91

$1.70 RSD 179

-43.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.14

$1.42 RSD 150

23.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.70

$2.07 RSD 218

-44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$0.79 RSD 83.1

-31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$0.74 RSD 77.6

68.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$0.64 RSD 67.9

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.57 RSD 60.2

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 MYR 17.24

$4.46 RSD 469

-5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.70 MYR 80.3

$5.58 RSD 588

253.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.27

$0.69 RSD 72.2

336.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 MYR 7.83

$1.36 RSD 143

41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.02 MYR 65.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$1.86 RSD 195

-48.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$0.69 RSD 72.3

18.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 MYR 9.89

$8.28 RSD 872

-70.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$1.86 RSD 196

-63.98%

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

$44.9K MYR 183.0K

$30.6K RSD 3.2M

46.92%

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

$39.0K MYR 158.9K

$23.2K RSD 2.4M

67.97%

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

$60.6 MYR 247

$156 RSD 16.5K

-61.23%

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

$31.59 MYR 129

$19.16 RSD 2,019

64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.39 MYR 124

$22.67 RSD 2,389

34.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 MYR 275

$29.61 RSD 3,120

127.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 MYR 50.4

$15.29 RSD 1,611

-19.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MYR 17.89

$4.62 RSD 487

-4.98%

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

$125 MYR 509

$247 RSD 26.0K

-49.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,223 MYR 29.4K

$4,809 RSD 506.7K

50.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 MYR 264

$86.5 RSD 9,114

-24.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.87 MYR 146

$39.99 RSD 4,214

-10.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MYR 326

$100 RSD 10.6K

-20.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 MYR 379

$109 RSD 11.5K

-14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 MYR 903

$418 RSD 44.1K

-47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 MYR 640

$290 RSD 30.6K

-45.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 MYR 1,914

$626 RSD 66.0K

-24.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 MYR 1,389

$450 RSD 47.4K

-24.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,743 MYR 7,101

$2,650 RSD 279.3K

-34.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 MYR 4,655

$1,862 RSD 196.2K

-38.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$621 MYR 2,531

$922 RSD 97.1K

-32.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.11

-11.94%

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

Last update for Bintulu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Nis: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$235 27.6%

Nis

$180 17.5% 23.2% $55

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$157 18.4%

Nis

$290 28.2% 84.7% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$123 14.5%

Nis

$151 14.7% 22.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$123 14.4%

Nis

$198 19.3% 61.7% $76

Eating Out

Bintulu

$112 13.2%

Nis

$166 16.1% 47.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$76 8.9%

Nis

$39 3.8% 49% $37

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3%

Nis

$5.3 * 0.5% 79.5% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Bintulu and $418 in Nis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nis pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $18 in Bintulu vs $33 in Nis. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $180, with Nis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇷🇸 Nis

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

19:47 7:47 PM

7 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

78,470

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Nis 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
Nis

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 Nis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Nis. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Bintulu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Bintulu versus $418 in Nis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $125 in Bintulu versus $247 in Nis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bintulu – a meal for two runs $18 versus $33 in Nis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Bintulu wins on affordability, Nis on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.