Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boroko and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $883 a month against $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$883

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $883 per month in Boroko vs $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Boroko $883
Kuala Lumpur $1,067

A couple spends around $1,279 per month in Boroko vs $1,662 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Boroko $1,279
Kuala Lumpur $1,662

A family of three spends $1,676 per month in Boroko vs $2,257 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Boroko $1,676
Kuala Lumpur $2,257

Boroko is about 17% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Boroko and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Boroko 34% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.32 PGK 32.06

$4.80 MYR 19.60

52.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.97 PGK 153

$28.82 MYR 118

21.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 PGK 24.75

$5.00 MYR 20.40

13.00%

Cappuccino

$2.49 PGK 10.91

$3.05 MYR 12.47

-18.36%

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

$0.73 PGK 3.22

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-14.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 PGK 2.99

$0.45 MYR 1.84

51.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 PGK 11.28

$4.51 MYR 18.41

-43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 PGK 15.78

$6.00 MYR 24.50

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 PGK 6.60

$2.11 MYR 8.63

-28.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 PGK 5.27

$1.08 MYR 4.40

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 PGK 5.34

$2.02 MYR 8.24

-39.60%

Eggs

$3.69 PGK 16.19

$2.55 MYR 10.40

44.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 PGK 21.53

$13.85 MYR 56.6

-64.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 PGK 25.15

$4.39 MYR 17.91

30.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.51 PGK 28.52

$9.66 MYR 39.46

-32.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 PGK 17.21

$3.47 MYR 14.16

13.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 PGK 13.74

$1.77 MYR 7.23

76.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 PGK 11.77

$2.25 MYR 9.21

19.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 PGK 11.70

$1.55 MYR 6.34

72.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 PGK 12.45

$1.33 MYR 5.43

113.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PGK 3.75

$1.38 MYR 5.64

-38.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 PGK 4.94

$1.17 MYR 4.79

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 PGK 1.87

$0.67 MYR 2.73

-35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 PGK 24.17

$4.38 MYR 17.87

25.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 PGK 21.34

$18.87 MYR 77.1

-74.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 PGK 4.95

$3.62 MYR 14.78

-68.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 PGK 6.93

$5.06 MYR 20.64

-68.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 PGK 1.88

$0.72 MYR 2.92

-40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.80 PGK 131

$12.46 MYR 50.9

139.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 PGK 19.88

$1.25 MYR 5.11

263.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 PGK 5.96

$1.24 MYR 5.05

9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 PGK 49.00

$4.82 MYR 19.68

131.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 PGK 3.47

$0.86 MYR 3.52

-8.14%

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

$20.6K PGK 90.3K

$41.4K MYR 168.8K

-50.19%

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

$17.4K PGK 76.3K

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

-49.63%

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

$62.5 PGK 274

$61.5 MYR 251

1.66%

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

$22.96 PGK 101

$8.60 MYR 35.12

166.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 PGK 396

$26.25 MYR 107

244.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 PGK 185

$49.06 MYR 200

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.52 PGK 63.6

$7.69 MYR 31.39

88.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 PGK 28.74

$4.95 MYR 20.23

32.53%

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

$328 PGK 1,439

$295 MYR 1,204

11.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,247 PGK 9,849

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-83.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.17 PGK 141

$72.6 MYR 296

-55.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.05 PGK 57.2

$41.57 MYR 170

-68.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.08 PGK 198

$85.7 MYR 350

-47.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.83 PGK 118

$95.2 MYR 389

-71.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,311 PGK 14.5K

$625 MYR 2,553

429.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 PGK 984

$378 MYR 1,545

-40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,352 PGK 14.7K

$1,177 MYR 4,806

184.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 PGK 982

$639 MYR 2,608

-64.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 MYR 6,141

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$356 PGK 1,561

$1,491 MYR 6,088

-76.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

163.16%

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

Last update for Boroko: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boroko

$225 25.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7% 68.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Boroko

$211 23.6%

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25% 29.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boroko

$176 19.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8% 45.2% $80

Eating Out

Boroko

$131 14.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Boroko

$55 6.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4% 6.5% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Boroko

$53 5.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 152% $80

Getting Around

Boroko

$43 4.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 46.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,311 in Boroko versus $625 in Kuala Lumpur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 319% higher in Kuala Lumpur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Boroko versus $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Boroko vs $273 in Kuala Lumpur – so Boroko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Boroko

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

19:25 7:25 PM

2 h behind Boroko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.204 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.204 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 = 0.219 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boroko Kuala Lumpur 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Boroko
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

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

Kuala Lumpur costs about 21% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,324 per month in Boroko and $1,600 in Kuala Lumpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boroko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $328 per month in Boroko and $295 in Kuala Lumpur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Kuala Lumpur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Boroko, where all-in costs run around $883, than in Kuala Lumpur at $1,067. In Boroko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Lumpur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Boroko costs $883 versus $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Boroko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Lumpur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.