Living in Kota Bharu

Kota Bharu is a city in Kelantan, Malaysia, home to 568,900 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are low-income families (top 7%, #28 of 442), single parents (top 7%, #30 of 442), first-time home buyers (top 9%, #37 of 442).

Residents568,900

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport215 km (Sultan Azlan Shah)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km936,700 people

Sea coast10 km

Terrain around itabout 0 m, height range 30 m

Main railway line2.7 km

Border with Thailand19 km

Distance to Kuala Lumpur334 km

Within 10 km605,756 people

Greater areaGreater Kota Baharu, the core

Winter daylight11 h 46 min, sunset 12:02

See Kota Bharu on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Kota Bharu

The Gulf of Thailand is 10 km away.
On the shortest day the sun is up for 11 h 46 min and sets around 12:02; in late June it sets around 13:27.

Best places in Greater Kota Baharu

How Kota Bharu ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in Malaysia. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Regional overview: population, geography and modelled indicators for costs, schools and safety.

Profile	Score	In Malaysia	In Kelantan
Young family	64	#138 of 442	#8 of 14	Map
Low-income household	79	#51 of 497	#1 of 18	Map
Low-income family	73	#28 of 442	#3 of 14	Map
Single parent	75	#30 of 442	#4 of 14	Map
Pensioner couple	65	#292 of 442	#7 of 14	Map
Single pensioner	68	#330 of 442	#7 of 14	Map
Early retiree	61	#332 of 497	#12 of 18	Map
Single professional	82	#47 of 384	#1 of 15	Map
Young professional	84	#45 of 370	#1 of 14	Map
DINKS	82	#51 of 300	#1 of 12	Map
Remote worker	68	#269 of 497	#4 of 18	Map
Commuter	89	#34 of 380	#1 of 15	Map
Car-free household	86	#35 of 323	#1 of 13	Map
Student	0	#176 of 214	#7 of 8	Map
First-home buyer	77	#37 of 442	#2 of 14	Map
Budget-constrained mover	73	#114 of 497	#1 of 18	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	82	#33 of 344	#1 of 14	Map
Expat professional	72	#135 of 497	#1 of 18	Map
Healthcare-first mover	76	#87 of 442	#1 of 14	Map
Nature-focused household	28	#407 of 497	#18 of 18	Map
Cross-border commuter	67	#41 of 316	#5 of 18	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	15	#453 of 497	#17 of 18	Map
Rural value seeker	38	#391 of 497	#17 of 18	Map
High-net-worth mover	73	#43 of 497	#2 of 18	Map
Lottery winner	75	#73 of 497	#1 of 18	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	58	#416 of 497	#14 of 18	Map
Coastal living	68	#267 of 374	#6 of 12	Map
Business owner	74	#190 of 497	#1 of 18	Map
Digital native	63	#105 of 394	#1 of 15	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Foundation100
Lifestyle and amenities88
Sea or lake shore87
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)78
Flat land (terrain relief)78
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)77
Jobs and economy77
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)66
National border nearby (straight line)62
Affordability61
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)60
Mobility and connectivity50
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)26
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)24
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)22
Green space22
Education and family22
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)20
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)2
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)2
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.