Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Matagalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Matagalpa: $811 a month against $877 in Kedah, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Matagalpa
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Matagalpa Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Matagalpa

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kedah and in Matagalpa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $811 in Matagalpa.

Kedah $877
Matagalpa $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $1,232 in Matagalpa.

Kedah $1,399
Matagalpa $1,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $1,652 in Matagalpa.

Kedah $1,920
Matagalpa $1,652

Living in Kedah is roughly 8% more expensive than in Matagalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kedah 36% lower, Matagalpa 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$6.91 NIO 253

-46.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.4

$25.06 NIO 918

-50.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.65

$7.82 NIO 287

-41.69%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.90

$2.65 NIO 96.9

9.81%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$0.83 NIO 30.52

-7.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.60

$0.46 NIO 16.93

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.31

$1.23 NIO 45.07

244.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.80

$2.30 NIO 84.2

89.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.68

$1.25 NIO 45.96

50.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$1.27 NIO 46.63

-16.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.01

$1.81 NIO 66.4

-4.97%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.94

$2.32 NIO 85.2

-5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.4

$2.69 NIO 98.4

403.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.75

$4.23 NIO 155

2.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.13

$6.74 NIO 247

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 12.02

$4.07 NIO 149

-27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.67

$0.61 NIO 22.36

167.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.24

$1.78 NIO 65.0

54.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.94

$2.49 NIO 91.4

-41.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.50

$4.02 NIO 147

-72.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$2.25 NIO 82.5

-51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.63

$1.09 NIO 39.75

3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$1.06 NIO 38.65

-46.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.89

$2.81 NIO 103

64.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.7

$10.17 NIO 372

84.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.19

$1.20 NIO 44.10

148.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.79

$2.24 NIO 82.2

137.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$0.21 NIO 7.67

261.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$1.11 NIO 40.71

49.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$1.26 NIO 46.30

-69.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.79

$6.90 NIO 253

5.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.47

$1.37 NIO 50.3

-56.20%

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

$45.6K MYR 186.5K

$23.3K NIO 854.5K

95.61%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.5K

$26.3K NIO 961.9K

36.49%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$60.6 NIO 2,218

-39.77%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.47

$16.76 NIO 614

-42.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$32.56 NIO 1,193

-9.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 28.01

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.59

$9.20 NIO 337

-47.93%

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

$388 MYR 1,584

$233 NIO 8,542

66.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$6,115 NIO 223.9K

74.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 241

$61.0 NIO 2,235

-3.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$64.9 NIO 2,376

-46.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 334

$123 NIO 4,513

-33.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 289

$143 NIO 5,251

-50.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,462

$201 NIO 7,370

77.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,054

$172 NIO 6,314

49.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,911

$300 NIO 11.0K

137.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,479

$245 NIO 8,979

147.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,889

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,140

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,473

$200 NIO 7,328

569.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

11.92

-66.11%

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

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Matagalpa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Matagalpa

$172 21.3% 33.2% $86

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Matagalpa

$199 24.6% 22.3% $57

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Matagalpa

$126 15.6% 12% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Matagalpa

$177 21.8% 59.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Matagalpa

$110 13.5% 45.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Matagalpa

$18 * 2.3% 58.4% $26

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Matagalpa

$8.3 * 1% 57.5% $11

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 $358 in Kedah and $201 in Matagalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $25 in Matagalpa. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $199, with Matagalpa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇳🇮 Matagalpa

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

14 h behind Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

159,982

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.76 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Matagalpa 17,790 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
Matagalpa

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

Kedah vs Matagalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kedah and Matagalpa differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($877 vs $811 including rent). Matagalpa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Kedah is about 6.7 times higher, 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: $358 in Kedah versus $201 in Matagalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Kedah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $877 per month in Kedah versus $811 in Matagalpa – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Matagalpa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Matagalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kedah, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kedah and Matagalpa 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 – Matagalpa wins on affordability, Kedah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.