Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Artem and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living costs are similar in Artem and in Kuala Lumpur: $1,095 and $1,067 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Artem
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Artem Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Artem

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,095

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Artem and in Kuala Lumpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,095 in Artem versus $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur.

Artem $1,095
Kuala Lumpur $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,729 in Artem versus $1,662 in Kuala Lumpur.

Artem $1,729
Kuala Lumpur $1,662

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Artem versus $2,257 in Kuala Lumpur.

Artem $2,362
Kuala Lumpur $2,257

Living in Artem is roughly 3% more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Artem 18% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 ₽1,017

$4.80 MYR 19.60

148.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.43 ₽3,015

$28.82 MYR 118

22.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 ₽536

$5.00 MYR 20.40

26.00%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₽257

$3.05 MYR 12.47

-0.98%

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

$1.04 ₽88.6

$0.85 MYR 3.46

22.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ₽58.5

$0.45 MYR 1.84

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₽123

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-67.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₽196

$6.00 MYR 24.50

-61.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₽143

$2.11 MYR 8.63

-20.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 ₽56.0

$1.08 MYR 4.40

-38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ₽137

$2.02 MYR 8.24

-20.30%

Eggs

$2.34 ₽199

$2.55 MYR 10.40

-8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 ₽1,120

$13.85 MYR 56.6

-4.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ₽530

$4.39 MYR 17.91

41.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ₽942

$9.66 MYR 39.46

14.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ₽247

$3.47 MYR 14.16

-16.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 ₽177

$1.77 MYR 7.23

17.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 ₽229

$2.25 MYR 9.21

19.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ₽351

$1.55 MYR 6.34

165.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ₽83.3

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ₽87.7

$1.38 MYR 5.64

-25.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ₽110

$1.17 MYR 4.79

10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₽89.3

$0.67 MYR 2.73

56.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₽248

$4.38 MYR 17.87

-33.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₽648

$18.87 MYR 77.1

-59.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₽98.6

$3.62 MYR 14.78

-67.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₽196

$5.06 MYR 20.64

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 ₽47.30

$0.72 MYR 2.92

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.46 MYR 50.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₽204

$1.25 MYR 5.11

92.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₽29.07

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-72.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 ₽501

$4.82 MYR 19.68

22.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽72.8

$0.86 MYR 3.52

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

$44.8K ₽3.8M

$41.4K MYR 168.8K

8.45%

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

$35.2K ₽3.0M

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

1.87%

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

$153 ₽13.0K

$61.5 MYR 251

149.00%

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

$8.22 ₽699

$8.60 MYR 35.12

-4.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.21 ₽784

$26.25 MYR 107

-64.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 ₽3,221

$49.06 MYR 200

-22.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.31 ₽1,728

$7.69 MYR 31.39

164.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₽454

$4.95 MYR 20.23

7.88%

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

$348 ₽29.6K

$295 MYR 1,204

17.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,051 ₽514.9K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-54.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 ₽6,643

$72.6 MYR 296

7.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 ₽4,389

$41.57 MYR 170

24.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 ₽8,270

$85.7 MYR 350

13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₽10.6K

$95.2 MYR 389

31.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₽32.9K

$625 MYR 2,553

-38.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₽26.5K

$378 MYR 1,545

-17.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 ₽83.7K

$1,177 MYR 4,806

-16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₽53.5K

$639 MYR 2,608

-1.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,160 ₽183.8K

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

-47.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,297 ₽110.3K

$1,504 MYR 6,141

-13.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,491 MYR 6,088

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.6

4.18

464.59%

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

Last update for Artem: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Artem

$312 28%

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7% 21.3% $67

Groceries & Markets

Artem

$250 22.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25% 9.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Artem

$170 15.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8% 43.5% $74

Eating Out

Artem

$170 15.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9% 23.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Artem

$158 14.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 16.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Artem

$49 4.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4% 21.5% $10

Getting Around

Artem

$6.3 * 0.6%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 259% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Artem and $625 in Kuala Lumpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Artem vs $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $273, with Artem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Artem

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

2 h behind Artem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,926

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Artem Kuala Lumpur 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Artem
Kuala Lumpur

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Artem vs Kuala Lumpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuala Lumpur wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Artem. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kuala Lumpur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,643 in Artem and $1,600 in Kuala Lumpur to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Artem versus $625 in Kuala Lumpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $348 in Artem versus $295 in Kuala Lumpur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $35.00 in Artem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,095 in Artem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuala Lumpur but tight or insufficient in Artem. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Lumpur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kuala Lumpur delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,067 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kuala Lumpur hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Artem and Kuala Lumpur are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kuala Lumpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Artem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.