Cost of Living in Kota Bharu, 🇲🇾 Malaysia - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Jun 9, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $372 $223 $323 $124 $45

Utilities — $25 $45 $20 —

Internet & Mobile $124 $35 $50 $7 $2

Groceries $37 $99 $298 $74 —

Transportation $74 $50 $124 $20 $7

Dining Out $298 $149 $74 $20 $19

Leisure Activities $174 $62 $670 $12 $5

Health Insurance $50 $74 $199 — $2

Visa & Legal Fees $12 $50 $74 — —

Total $1,141 $767 $1,857 $277 $80

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $124.15 per month

Coworking Space $44.69 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $496.59 per month

Coliving Space $198.63 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $1.99 per cup

Beer $2.98 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $2.48 per meal

Fast Food Combo $3.48 per meal

Apples $2.48 per kg

Bread $0.87 per loaf

Milk $1.74 per liter

Rice $0.99 per kg

Chicken Fillets $2.98 per kg

Beef $7.45 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $14.90 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $19.86 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.62 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $1.49 per trip

Taxi per km $0.37 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $14.90 per month

Gasoline $0.55 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $2.98 per trip

Scooter Rental $9.93 per month

Services

Internet (60 Mbps+) $24.83 per month

Gym Membership $24.83 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $6.21 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $3.72 one-time

Mobile Plan $9.93 per month

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $3.48 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $37.24 per pair

Summer Dress $14.90 per dress

Running Shoes $49.66 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $2.98 per visit

Laundry $1.49 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $12.41 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $1.99 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Jun 9, 2026
Generated by: deepseek-v4-flash · cost run 44
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 4.0275 MYR

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Kota Bharu cost of living