Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $847 a month against $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$847

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bintulu 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 Bintulu and in Kuala Lumpur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $847 in Bintulu versus $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur.

Bintulu $847
Kuala Lumpur $1,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,320 in Bintulu versus $1,663 in Kuala Lumpur.

Bintulu $1,320
Kuala Lumpur $1,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Bintulu versus $2,239 in Kuala Lumpur.

Bintulu $1,793
Kuala Lumpur $2,239

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 22% less than in Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 MYR 15.53

$4.76 MYR 19.40

-19.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.38 MYR 75.0

$29.15 MYR 119

-36.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 MYR 23.67

$4.78 MYR 19.50

21.34%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.67

$3.08 MYR 12.57

-7.14%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.62

$0.84 MYR 3.42

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.65

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MYR 12.08

$4.49 MYR 18.31

-34.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 MYR 21.26

$5.97 MYR 24.35

-12.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.48

$2.04 MYR 8.31

1.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 MYR 5.52

$1.11 MYR 4.51

21.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.56

$2.02 MYR 8.22

-32.67%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.33

$2.49 MYR 10.15

-8.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.15 MYR 70.0

$14.20 MYR 57.9

20.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 MYR 14.25

$4.44 MYR 18.11

-21.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.89 MYR 24.01

$9.85 MYR 40.19

-40.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.83

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-52.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 MYR 3.93

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-47.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$2.29 MYR 9.36

-27.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 MYR 4.53

$1.60 MYR 6.53

-30.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 MYR 2.27

$1.33 MYR 5.44

-57.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-39.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.70

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-37.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.45

$4.52 MYR 18.46

-5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.32 MYR 78.8

$19.75 MYR 80.6

-2.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 MYR 12.25

$3.54 MYR 14.43

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 MYR 8.20

$4.93 MYR 20.12

-59.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.12

$0.70 MYR 2.87

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.40 MYR 66.9

$12.45 MYR 50.8

31.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 MYR 3.80

$1.23 MYR 5.04

-24.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-31.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 MYR 10.11

$4.88 MYR 19.90

-49.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 MYR 2.51

$0.88 MYR 3.59

-29.55%

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

$44.4K MYR 181.3K

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

6.36%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.7K

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

14.28%

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

$59.5 MYR 243

$61.2 MYR 250

-2.66%

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

$32.31 MYR 132

$8.63 MYR 35.22

274.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.15 MYR 123

$26.31 MYR 107

14.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 MYR 279

$49.33 MYR 201

38.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.33 MYR 50.3

$7.47 MYR 30.46

65.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 MYR 17.74

$4.95 MYR 20.17

-12.12%

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

$128 MYR 524

$302 MYR 1,234

-57.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,275 MYR 29.7K

$13.3K MYR 54.4K

-45.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 MYR 263

$71.6 MYR 292

-9.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.91 MYR 142

$41.57 MYR 170

-16.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 MYR 322

$84.5 MYR 345

-6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 MYR 376

$97.4 MYR 397

-5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 MYR 882

$610 MYR 2,490

-64.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 MYR 639

$371 MYR 1,513

-57.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 MYR 1,939

$1,139 MYR 4,646

-58.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 MYR 1,356

$661 MYR 2,696

-49.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 MYR 7,000

$4,114 MYR 16.8K

-58.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 MYR 4,632

$1,500 MYR 6,120

-24.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 MYR 2,473

$1,494 MYR 6,093

-59.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.18

7.66%

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

Last update for Bintulu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$231 27.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$276 25.4% 19.2% $45

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$157 18.5%

Kuala Lumpur

$371 34.1% 137% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.9% 21.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 9.1% $11

Eating Out

Bintulu

$112 13.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$129 11.9% 15.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$77 9.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5% 23.1% $18

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$22 2.1% 15.2% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $216 in Bintulu and $610 in Kuala Lumpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuala Lumpur pays 146% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bintulu vs $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $276 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bintulu Kuala Lumpur 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
Kuala Lumpur

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Kuala Lumpur. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 146% lower in Kuala Lumpur. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $216 in Bintulu versus $610 in Kuala Lumpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $847 per month in Bintulu versus $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 32% less than in Kuala Lumpur. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $847 in Bintulu versus $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bintulu but tight or insufficient in Kuala Lumpur. The gap between the two cities makes Bintulu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bintulu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $847 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bintulu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bintulu 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 Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Kuala Lumpur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.