Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagayan de Oro City and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $801 a month against $868 in Alor Setar, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. The total is higher in Alor Setar despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$801

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cagayan de Oro City 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 Cagayan de Oro City and in Alor Setar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $801 per month in Cagayan de Oro City vs $868 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Cagayan de Oro City $801
Alor Setar $868

A couple spends around $1,142 per month in Cagayan de Oro City vs $1,310 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Cagayan de Oro City $1,142
Alor Setar $1,310

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Cagayan de Oro City vs $1,752 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Cagayan de Oro City $1,484
Alor Setar $1,752

Cagayan de Oro City is about 8% cheaper than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cagayan de Oro City and Alor Setar are more affordable than the global median – Cagayan de Oro City 41% lower, Alor Setar 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 ₱225

$2.06 MYR 8.40

70.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ₱789

$12.28 MYR 50.2

0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.89 ₱185

$4.09 MYR 16.70

-29.34%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ₱145

$1.92 MYR 7.86

17.71%

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

$0.69 ₱44.14

$0.54 MYR 2.19

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱42.51

$0.30 MYR 1.24

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₱85.1

$4.10 MYR 16.76

-67.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱128

$4.52 MYR 18.48

-55.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ₱92.2

$1.61 MYR 6.58

-10.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₱56.7

$0.85 MYR 3.49

4.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱58.0

$1.75 MYR 7.13

-48.00%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱132

$1.53 MYR 6.24

34.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 ₱517

$13.63 MYR 55.7

-40.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.25 ₱208

$4.32 MYR 17.67

-24.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.77 ₱369

$8.47 MYR 34.62

-31.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ₱136

$3.07 MYR 12.53

-30.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ₱67.4

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$2.60 MYR 10.65

-11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₱71.7

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.06 MYR 4.34

85.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ₱164

$1.08 MYR 4.39

137.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ₱48.60

$1.09 MYR 4.47

-30.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱30.38

$0.57 MYR 2.34

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱187

$4.45 MYR 18.18

-34.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.93 ₱252

$18.90 MYR 77.3

-79.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱80.8

$2.98 MYR 12.19

-57.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱123

$5.18 MYR 21.18

-62.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ₱18.35

$0.70 MYR 2.85

-58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 ₱735

$12.69 MYR 51.9

-9.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 ₱39.47

$1.73 MYR 7.05

-64.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.11

$0.41 MYR 1.67

-46.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱122

$7.38 MYR 30.18

-74.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 ₱64.9

$0.49 MYR 2.00

106.12%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$45.3K MYR 185.1K

-53.94%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

-46.62%

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

$131 ₱8,407

$37.81 MYR 155

247.45%

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

$22.03 ₱1,410

$7.47 MYR 30.53

194.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 ₱1,930

$21.90 MYR 89.5

37.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.12 ₱1,543

$37.64 MYR 154

-35.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.80 ₱179

$6.37 MYR 26.03

-56.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 ₱278

$4.83 MYR 19.74

-9.94%

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

$64.3 ₱4,117

$396 MYR 1,620

-83.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,231 ₱142.8K

$10.7K MYR 43.7K

-79.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.70 ₱2,029

$59.6 MYR 244

-46.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.22 ₱846

$35.76 MYR 146

-63.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.4 ₱3,226

$81.7 MYR 334

-38.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.53 ₱2,530

$68.9 MYR 282

-42.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₱27.2K

$421 MYR 1,719

0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₱17.1K

$294 MYR 1,201

-9.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 ₱42.7K

$653 MYR 2,668

2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₱28.2K

$532 MYR 2,173

-16.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,562 ₱99.9K

$2,256 MYR 9,221

-30.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 ₱61.1K

$1,157 MYR 4,727

-17.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 ₱19.6K

$1,600 MYR 6,539

-80.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

4.04

67.08%

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

Last update for Cagayan de Oro City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagayan de Oro City

$267 33.3%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 10% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagayan de Oro City

$184 22.9%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 63.4% $116

Groceries & Markets

Cagayan de Oro City

$162 20.3%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 51.1% $83

Eating Out

Cagayan de Oro City

$80 10%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 5.8% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cagayan de Oro City

$61 7.6%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 82.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cagayan de Oro City

$33 4.1%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 44.1% $14

Getting Around

Cagayan de Oro City

$14 1.8%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 34.1% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Cagayan de Oro City 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 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $12 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $245 – making Cagayan de Oro City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

Same time as Cagayan de Oro City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

728,402

423,868

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.23 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cagayan de Oro City Alor Setar 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cagayan de Oro City
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

Cagayan de Oro City vs Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alor Setar costs about 8% more than Cagayan de Oro City, 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 $1,201 per month in Cagayan de Oro City and $1,303 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $424 in Cagayan de Oro City and $421 in Alor Setar. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $801 in Cagayan de Oro City and $868 in Alor Setar. That’s a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $64 per month in Cagayan de Oro City and $396 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $801 in Cagayan de Oro City and $868 in Alor Setar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cagayan de Oro City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $801 in Cagayan de Oro City to $868 in Alor Setar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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