Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Bhavnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhavnagar: $329 a month against $687 in Kota Bharu, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Bhavnagar
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Bhavnagar Living Index

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Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$687

/mo nomad

Bhavnagar

🇮🇳 India

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kota Bharu and in Bhavnagar

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

A single person spends $687 per month in Kota Bharu vs $329 in Bhavnagar, rent included.

Kota Bharu $687
Bhavnagar $329

A couple spends around $1,063 per month in Kota Bharu vs $512 in Bhavnagar, rent included.

Kota Bharu $1,063
Bhavnagar $512

A family of three spends $1,439 per month in Kota Bharu vs $695 in Bhavnagar, rent included.

Kota Bharu $1,439
Bhavnagar $695

Kota Bharu costs about 109% more than Bhavnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kota Bharu and Bhavnagar are more affordable than the global median – Kota Bharu 49% lower, Bhavnagar 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$1.61 ₹153

32.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.62 MYR 79.8

$8.51 ₹808

130.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.43

$3.18 ₹302

50.31%

Cappuccino

$2.09 MYR 8.50

$1.29 ₹122

62.02%

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

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$0.37 ₹35.01

35.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 MYR 1.05

$0.12 ₹11.65

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.28 MYR 17.40

$2.16 ₹205

98.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 MYR 17.54

$2.54 ₹241

69.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MYR 6.29

$0.59 ₹56.4

162.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 MYR 3.66

$0.38 ₹35.95

136.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$0.53 ₹50.6

56.60%

Eggs

$1.53 MYR 6.23

$0.91 ₹86.7

68.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.41 MYR 54.5

$4.46 ₹424

200.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 MYR 12.50

$2.75 ₹261

11.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.52 MYR 26.51

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.96

$1.71 ₹163

71.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.93

$0.58 ₹55.1

151.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.82

$0.78 ₹73.7

241.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.42

$0.53 ₹50.6

105.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MYR 3.60

$0.36 ₹34.03

144.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$0.41 ₹38.85

163.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.40

$0.50 ₹47.38

116.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.27 ₹25.62

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 MYR 13.90

$5.17 ₹490

-33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 MYR 76.4

$7.45 ₹707

152.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.19

$1.89 ₹180

58.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MYR 21.71

$2.71 ₹257

97.05%

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

$5.04 ₹478

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.09

$0.31 ₹28.98

145.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.13 MYR 49.34

$5.70 ₹541

112.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$0.51 ₹48.29

225.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.21 ₹20.24

90.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 MYR 14.62

$1.08 ₹102

233.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$1.09 ₹103

-52.29%

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

$32.0K MYR 130.1K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

179.48%

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

$29.3K MYR 119.1K

$17.7K ₹1.7M

65.03%

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

$37.64 MYR 153

$31.95 ₹3,032

17.81%

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

$8.77 MYR 35.69

$3.43 ₹325

155.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.94 MYR 106

$5.94 ₹564

336.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 MYR 197

$10.06 ₹955

381.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.08 ₹197

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 MYR 17.76

$2.56 ₹243

70.70%

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

$125 MYR 508

$31.34 ₹2,974

298.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.0K

$873 ₹82.9K

1139.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 225

$22.90 ₹2,173

141.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 MYR 79.1

$24.79 ₹2,352

-21.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 MYR 318

$41.50 ₹3,938

88.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.6 MYR 283

$27.30 ₹2,590

155.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 MYR 1,003

$103 ₹9,815

138.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 MYR 500

$58.9 ₹5,588

108.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 MYR 2,804

$214 ₹20.3K

222.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MYR 901

$128 ₹12.1K

72.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$774 ₹73.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$302 ₹28.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 MYR 1,182

$250 ₹23.7K

16.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

8.91

-54.66%

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

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bhavnagar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Bharu

$226 32.9%

Bhavnagar

$97 29.6% 57% $129

Accommodation & Living

Kota Bharu

$123 17.9%

Bhavnagar

$59 17.9% 52.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Bharu

$100 14.6%

Bhavnagar

$52 15.9% 47.7% $48

Eating Out

Kota Bharu

$90 13%

Bhavnagar

$56 16.9% 37.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Bharu

$72 10.5%

Bhavnagar

$41 12.5% 42.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Bharu

$57 8.3%

Bhavnagar

$15 4.6% 73.4% $42

Getting Around

Kota Bharu

$19 2.7%

Bhavnagar

$8.5 2.6% 54.9% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $246 in Kota Bharu versus $103 in Bhavnagar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Kota Bharu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Kota Bharu versus $9 in Bhavnagar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $97 – making Bhavnagar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🇮🇳 Bhavnagar

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

2 h 30 min behind Kota Bharu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

568,900

593,768

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 94.89 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kota Bharu Bhavnagar 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Bharu
Bhavnagar

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

Kota Bharu vs Bhavnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kota Bharu is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,031 per month in Kota Bharu and $494 in Bhavnagar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bhavnagar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $103 there versus $246 in Kota Bharu.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $687 in Kota Bharu and $329 in Bhavnagar. That makes Bhavnagar about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Bhavnagar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $687 in Kota Bharu and $329 in Bhavnagar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Bhavnagar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bhavnagar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kota Bharu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.