Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nueva Ecija and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $529 a month against $913 in Setia Alam, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
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Nueva Ecija Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$529

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nueva Ecija and in Setia Alam

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

A single person spends $529 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $913 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $529
Setia Alam $913

A couple spends around $935 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $1,358 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $935
Setia Alam $1,358

A family of three spends $1,340 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $1,803 in Setia Alam, rent included.

Nueva Ecija $1,340
Setia Alam $1,803

Nueva Ecija is about 42% cheaper than Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nueva Ecija and Setia Alam are more affordable than the global median – Nueva Ecija 61% lower, Setia Alam 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱246

$4.81 MYR 19.61

-18.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.99 ₱1,070

$24.57 MYR 100

-30.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱173

$4.96 MYR 20.22

-44.76%

Cappuccino

$1.42 ₱89.2

$2.76 MYR 11.27

-48.55%

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

$0.56 ₱35.40

$0.79 MYR 3.23

-29.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.18

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-36.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$4.32 MYR 17.63

-77.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.5

$6.01 MYR 24.50

-74.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱105

$1.49 MYR 6.09

12.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₱60.5

$0.72 MYR 2.92

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.0

$0.59 MYR 2.42

50.85%

Eggs

$1.54 ₱96.7

$1.20 MYR 4.91

28.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 ₱329

$13.82 MYR 56.4

-62.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$2.41 MYR 9.83

37.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.65 ₱356

$2.41 MYR 9.83

134.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₱139

$1.24 MYR 5.04

77.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ₱46.06

$1.83 MYR 7.47

-60.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$1.25 MYR 5.11

40.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 ₱105

$0.71 MYR 2.89

133.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱109

$0.74 MYR 3.03

132.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱38.73

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-11.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₱26.97

$0.72 MYR 2.95

-40.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 ₱142

$4.32 MYR 17.64

-47.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.36 ₱275

$19.60 MYR 80.0

-77.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-73.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$4.86 MYR 19.84

-58.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₱16.99

$0.76 MYR 3.08

-64.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.51 ₱347

$12.31 MYR 50.2

-55.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₱44.14

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-43.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₱9.01

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-88.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ₱63.9

$4.78 MYR 19.49

-78.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$0.48 MYR 1.95

91.67%

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

$16.1K ₱1.0M

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

-59.02%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

-41.99%

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

$78.7 ₱4,954

$61.2 MYR 250

28.64%

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

$17.23 ₱1,085

$8.52 MYR 34.77

102.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.30 ₱1,152

$26.04 MYR 106

-29.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.48 ₱2,297

$49.73 MYR 203

-26.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.38 ₱276

$6.97 MYR 28.44

-37.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 ₱282

$5.10 MYR 20.82

-12.16%

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

$134 ₱8,440

$135 MYR 551

-0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱669.6K

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

34.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.15 ₱1,835

$72.7 MYR 296

-59.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$27.31 MYR 111

-28.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 ₱4,442

$53.8 MYR 220

31.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,445

$36.56 MYR 149

49.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ₱7,197

$529 MYR 2,160

-78.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.6 ₱4,321

$323 MYR 1,319

-78.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$873 MYR 3,562

-80.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.5K

$549 MYR 2,238

-34.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,452 ₱154.4K

$1,992 MYR 8,128

23.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$883 ₱55.6K

$1,102 MYR 4,498

-19.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$189 ₱11.9K

$1,143 MYR 4,663

-83.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

68.75%

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

Last update for Nueva Ecija: October 11, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nueva Ecija

$147 27.7%

Setia Alam

$200 21.9% 36.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nueva Ecija

$114 21.6%

Setia Alam

$96 10.5% 16.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nueva Ecija

$78 14.8%

Setia Alam

$86 9.4% 9.4% $7.4

Accommodation & Living

Nueva Ecija

$69 13%

Setia Alam

$323 35.4% 371% $255

Eating Out

Nueva Ecija

$68 12.8%

Setia Alam

$125 13.7% 84.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Nueva Ecija

$45 8.6%

Setia Alam

$60 6.6% 31.9% $15

Getting Around

Nueva Ecija

$8 1.5%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 182% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Nueva Ecija versus $529 in Setia Alam. 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 505% higher in Setia Alam, 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 $17.00 in Nueva Ecija versus $25.00 in Setia Alam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $200 – making Nueva Ecija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

21:08 9:08 PM

Same time as Nueva Ecija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,610

150,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nueva Ecija Setia Alam 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nueva Ecija
Setia Alam

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

Nueva Ecija vs Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setia Alam costs about 72% more than Nueva Ecija, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $794 per month in Nueva Ecija and $1,369 in Setia Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nueva Ecija, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Nueva Ecija and $25.00 in Setia Alam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $529 in Nueva Ecija and $913 in Setia Alam. That's a gap of about 72%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nueva Ecija, where all-in costs run around $529, than in Setia Alam at $913. In Nueva Ecija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Setia Alam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Nueva Ecija. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Setia Alam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.