Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Bharu: $687 a month against $726 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chengdu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

33

Cost of Living Index in Kota Bharu
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Kota Bharu Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Kota Bharu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$687

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $687 per month in Kota Bharu vs $726 in Chengdu, rent included.

Kota Bharu $687
Chengdu $726

A couple spends around $1,063 per month in Kota Bharu vs $1,170 in Chengdu, rent included.

Kota Bharu $1,063
Chengdu $1,170

A family of three spends $1,439 per month in Kota Bharu vs $1,614 in Chengdu, rent included.

Kota Bharu $1,439
Chengdu $1,614

Kota Bharu is about 5% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kota Bharu and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Kota Bharu 49% lower, Chengdu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$2.92 ¥19.42

-26.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.62 MYR 79.8

$22.28 ¥148

-11.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.43

$4.85 ¥32.25

-1.44%

Cappuccino

$2.09 MYR 8.50

$3.00 ¥19.93

-30.33%

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

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$0.51 ¥3.39

-1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 MYR 1.05

$0.26 ¥1.73

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.28 MYR 17.40

$1.51 ¥10.05

183.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 MYR 17.54

$2.28 ¥15.19

89.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MYR 6.29

$1.85 ¥12.28

-16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 MYR 3.66

$1.49 ¥9.88

-39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$0.99 ¥6.57

-16.16%

Eggs

$1.53 MYR 6.23

$1.61 ¥10.69

-4.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.41 MYR 54.5

$14.31 ¥95.1

-6.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 MYR 12.50

$3.64 ¥24.23

-15.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.52 MYR 26.51

$11.02 ¥73.3

-40.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.96

$1.90 ¥12.61

54.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.93

$1.39 ¥9.22

5.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.82

$1.04 ¥6.90

155.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.42

$1.20 ¥7.97

-9.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MYR 3.60

$0.74 ¥4.90

18.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$0.69 ¥4.56

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.40

$0.64 ¥4.23

68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.58 ¥3.83

-22.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 MYR 13.90

$3.69 ¥24.51

-7.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 MYR 76.4

$4.37 ¥29.06

329.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.19

$0.84 ¥5.58

257.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 MYR 21.71

$1.48 ¥9.81

260.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.09

$0.29 ¥1.93

162.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.13 MYR 49.34

$25.23 ¥168

-51.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.77

$1.33 ¥8.82

24.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.31 ¥2.07

29.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 MYR 14.62

$4.37 ¥29.05

-17.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$1.27 ¥8.47

-59.06%

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

$32.0K MYR 130.1K

$19.6K ¥130.6K

62.73%

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

$29.3K MYR 119.1K

$18.0K ¥120.0K

62.19%

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

$37.64 MYR 153

$46.65 ¥310

-19.31%

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

$8.77 MYR 35.69

$9.40 ¥62.5

-6.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.94 MYR 106

$12.87 ¥85.6

101.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 MYR 197

$27.11 ¥180

78.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.5

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 MYR 17.76

$6.17 ¥40.99

-29.17%

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

$125 MYR 508

$1,161 ¥7,718

-89.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K MYR 44.0K

$15.3K ¥101.4K

-29.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 225

$25.36 ¥169

118.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 MYR 79.1

$27.52 ¥183

-29.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.2 MYR 318

$57.1 ¥380

36.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.6 MYR 283

$53.2 ¥353

30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 MYR 1,003

$425 ¥2,827

-42.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 MYR 500

$231 ¥1,539

-46.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 MYR 2,804

$755 ¥5,022

-8.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MYR 901

$478 ¥3,175

-53.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 MYR 1,182

$1,278 ¥8,494

-77.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

3.38

19.53%

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

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Bharu

$226 32.9%

Chengdu

$195 26.8% 13.9% $32

Accommodation & Living

Kota Bharu

$123 17.9%

Chengdu

$231 31.9% 88.2% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Bharu

$100 14.6%

Chengdu

$73 10.1% 26.7% $27

Eating Out

Kota Bharu

$90 13%

Chengdu

$89 12.3% 0.6% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Bharu

$72 10.5%

Chengdu

$69 9.5% 4.7% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Bharu

$57 8.3%

Chengdu

$39 5.4% 31% $18

Getting Around

Kota Bharu

$19 2.7%

Chengdu

$29 4% 55.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $246 in Kota Bharu versus $425 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chengdu are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Kota Bharu versus $22 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Kota Bharu vs $195 in Chengdu – so Chengdu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Bharu

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

Same time as Kota Bharu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

568,900

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kota Bharu Chengdu 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Bharu
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $687 in Kota Bharu, $726 in Chengdu – Kota Bharu comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,031 per month in Kota Bharu and $1,090 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kota Bharu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $246 there versus $425 in Chengdu.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Kota Bharu and $22 in Chengdu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $687 in Kota Bharu and $726 in Chengdu. That makes Kota Bharu about 5% cheaper.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $687 in Kota Bharu and $726 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Bharu – 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 Kota Bharu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.