---
title: "Alor Setar vs Kota Kinabalu for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/alor-setar-vs-kota-kinabalu
description: "Under balanced weights Alor Setar edges it, 62 to 61, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Alor Setar is stronger on internet; Kota Kinabalu on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Alor Setar vs Kota Kinabalu for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Alor Setar edges it, 62 to 61, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Alor Setar is stronger on internet; Kota Kinabalu on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Getting there & around.** Kota Kinabalu leads on getting there & around, 20 to 5, against Alor Setar. Non-stop airport destinations: 3 vs 36.
- **Internet.** Alor Setar leads on internet, 79 to 65, against Kota Kinabalu. Measured download: 57.7 Mbps vs 27.1 Mbps.
- **Climate.** Alor Setar leads on climate, 25 to 17, against Kota Kinabalu. Comfortable months: 3 vs 2.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick Alor Setar if you want** faster internet (57.7 Mbps measured).

**Pick Kota Kinabalu if you want** more flights and easier getting around.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 72 | 72 | tie |
| Safety | 78 | 78 | tie |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 | tie |
| Internet | 79 | 65 | Alor Setar |
| Visa ease | 76 | 76 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 5 | 20 | Kota Kinabalu |
| Climate | 25 | 17 | Alor Setar |
| Air quality | 73 | 70 | Alor Setar |
| Quality of life | 74 | 74 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,050 | $1,050 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.69 | 0.69 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 71.6 | 71.6 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 80 | 80 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 74.6 yrs | 74.6 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 57.7 Mbps | 27.1 Mbps | Alor Setar |
| Upload | 33.7 Mbps | 16.9 Mbps | Alor Setar |

## Visa

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | DE Rantau Nomad Pass | DE Rantau Nomad Pass | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $2,000/mo | $2,000/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 36 | Kota Kinabalu |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Kota Kinabalu |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 | Kota Kinabalu |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Alor Setar | Kota Kinabalu | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 2 | Alor Setar |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 17.3 µg/m³ | 18.7 µg/m³ | Alor Setar |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Alor Setar or Kota Kinabalu?

Alor Setar and Kota Kinabalu cost about the same: roughly $1,050 per month for one person.

### Is Alor Setar or Kota Kinabalu safer?

Alor Setar and Kota Kinabalu score the same on safety (78), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Alor Setar or Kota Kinabalu?

Alor Setar: a measured median of 57.7 Mbps versus 27.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Alor Setar](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/alor-setar) · [Kota Kinabalu](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kota-kinabalu). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/alor-setar-vs-kota-kinabalu