Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu

😐 Solo nomad: Bangkok is 5.9% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 21.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Bangkok is 18.3% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 31.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.09 ฿98.9

$3.51 MYR 13.88

-11.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.42 ฿973

$18.61 MYR 73.5

63.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.27 ฿200

$4.70 MYR 18.56

33.40%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ฿82.5

$2.61 MYR 10.32

-1.15%

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

$0.67 ฿21.32

$0.64 MYR 2.54

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.52

$0.36 MYR 1.44

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ฿76.3

$2.33 MYR 9.19

2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 ฿126

$3.56 MYR 14.05

10.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿59.9

$1.68 MYR 6.63

11.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ฿43.01

$1.24 MYR 4.92

8.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 ฿47.07

$1.67 MYR 6.58

-11.98%

Eggs

$2.14 ฿68.6

$2.93 MYR 11.57

-26.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.16 ฿581

$26.42 MYR 104

-31.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ฿99.6

$3.45 MYR 13.63

-9.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿294

$7.14 MYR 28.22

28.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 ฿111

$2.66 MYR 10.49

30.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ฿54.6

$1.13 MYR 4.46

51.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿72.7

$3.20 MYR 12.63

-29.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ฿60.8

$1.98 MYR 7.84

-4.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 ฿52.7

$1.47 MYR 5.79

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.08

$1.75 MYR 6.91

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ฿43.79

$1.12 MYR 4.42

22.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿16.77

$0.48 MYR 1.88

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 ฿140

$4.15 MYR 16.40

5.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.68 ฿501

$27.15 MYR 107

-42.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ฿59.0

$1.91 MYR 7.53

-3.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ฿108

$1.63 MYR 6.42

106.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 ฿38.45

$1.54 MYR 6.09

-22.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.78 ฿1,176

$40.82 MYR 161

-9.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 ฿35.38

$1.86 MYR 7.33

-40.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ฿36.50

$0.46 MYR 1.83

147.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ฿200

$5.79 MYR 22.88

8.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ฿37.92

$0.49 MYR 1.95

142.86%

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

$37.3K ฿1.2M

$29.8K MYR 117.7K

25.03%

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

$29.0K ฿926.1K

$27.9K MYR 110.2K

3.85%

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

$89.2 ฿2,853

$51.8 MYR 205

72.34%

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

$12.79 ฿409

$9.14 MYR 36.08

39.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.37 ฿555

$33.16 MYR 131

-47.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ฿1,677

$42.77 MYR 169

22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.66 ฿341

$2.96 MYR 11.69

260.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿247

$4.57 MYR 18.05

69.15%

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

$601 ฿19.2K

$132 MYR 520

356.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K ฿418.9K

$4,466 MYR 17.6K

193.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ฿1,853

$59.8 MYR 236

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.85 ฿1,242

$22.69 MYR 89.6

71.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ฿3,416

$70.6 MYR 279

51.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.4 ฿2,985

$92.5 MYR 365

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$671 ฿21.4K

$382 MYR 1,510

75.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ฿10.3K

$166 MYR 654

95.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,865 ฿59.6K

$656 MYR 2,591

184.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 ฿26.4K

$367 MYR 1,449

125.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,263 ฿200.2K

$1,910 MYR 7,543

227.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,259 ฿104.2K

$1,123 MYR 4,437

190.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$803 ฿25.7K

$609 MYR 2,407

31.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.8

53.68%

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

Last update for Bangkok: March 1, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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