Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Malaysia

Name: Malaysia
Address: MY

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $855 a month against $923 in Malaysia, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
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Malaysia Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$855

/mo nomad

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in Malaysia

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

A single person spends $855 per month in Brazil vs $923 in Malaysia, rent included.

Brazil $855
Malaysia $923

A couple spends around $1,363 per month in Brazil vs $1,395 in Malaysia, rent included.

Brazil $1,363
Malaysia $1,395

A family of three spends $1,871 per month in Brazil vs $1,867 in Malaysia, rent included.

Brazil $1,871
Malaysia $1,867

Cost ranges are similar: Brazil spans $478–$1,349, Malaysia $534–$1,304. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 7% lower than in Malaysia on average.

Both Brazil and Malaysia are more affordable than the global median – Brazil 37% lower, Malaysia 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 R$35.65

$3.66 MYR 14.93

77.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.90 R$170

$19.90 MYR 81.1

55.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.25 R$39.81

$4.95 MYR 20.15

46.46%

Cappuccino

$1.99 R$10.93

$2.79 MYR 11.35

-28.67%

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

$1.14 R$6.25

$0.82 MYR 3.33

39.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.98

$0.39 MYR 1.58

87.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 R$9.91

$3.70 MYR 15.07

-51.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R$15.49

$4.90 MYR 19.97

-42.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 R$5.39

$1.89 MYR 7.72

-48.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 R$8.92

$1.04 MYR 4.24

56.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.71

$1.43 MYR 5.85

-14.69%

Eggs

$2.15 R$11.81

$2.10 MYR 8.57

2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 R$48.51

$13.46 MYR 54.8

-34.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.09 R$22.43

$4.05 MYR 16.49

0.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 R$43.78

$8.52 MYR 34.72

-6.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 R$11.86

$2.99 MYR 12.18

-27.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.14

$1.61 MYR 6.55

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.36

$2.66 MYR 10.85

-56.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 R$8.03

$1.57 MYR 6.40

-7.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.03

$1.18 MYR 4.80

-6.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.58

$1.29 MYR 5.27

-20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$4.05

$1.17 MYR 4.78

-36.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.97

$0.56 MYR 2.27

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.27 R$12.46

$4.36 MYR 17.79

-47.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 R$39.49

$19.32 MYR 78.8

-62.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.78

$2.86 MYR 11.66

-56.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 R$12.38

$4.08 MYR 16.65

-44.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$5.10

$0.71 MYR 2.87

30.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.48 R$244

$12.36 MYR 50.4

259.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R$6.64

$1.21 MYR 4.92

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$4.16

$0.99 MYR 4.04

-23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 R$41.50

$6.19 MYR 25.24

22.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.62

$0.68 MYR 2.76

77.94%

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

$21.7K R$119.1K

$46.6K MYR 189.8K

-53.40%

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

$30.9K R$169.7K

$35.8K MYR 145.8K

-13.58%

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

$78.0 R$428

$53.8 MYR 219

44.98%

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

$11.96 R$65.6

$10.10 MYR 41.16

18.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.21 R$105

$27.06 MYR 110

-29.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.14 R$132

$37.79 MYR 154

-36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.23 R$138

$6.99 MYR 28.48

260.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R$40.44

$5.02 MYR 20.45

46.81%

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

$319 R$1,753

$211 MYR 861

51.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K R$69.8K

$12.4K MYR 50.7K

2.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 R$268

$62.4 MYR 254

-21.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.66 R$245

$34.45 MYR 140

29.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 R$464

$80.5 MYR 328

5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.9 R$356

$71.2 MYR 290

-8.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$366 R$2,009

$456 MYR 1,860

-19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 R$1,325

$289 MYR 1,179

-16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 R$3,865

$813 MYR 3,311

-13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 R$2,646

$502 MYR 2,046

-3.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 R$9,905

$2,073 MYR 8,449

-12.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 R$6,904

$1,254 MYR 5,111

0.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 R$2,900

$941 MYR 3,835

-43.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.14

4.23

163.36%

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

Last update for Brazil: November 2, 2026

Last update for Malaysia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$241 28.2%

Malaysia

$289 31.4% 19.9% $48

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$183 21.4%

Malaysia

$251 27.2% 37.3% $68

Eating Out

Brazil

$120 14%

Malaysia

$111 12% 7.6% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$109 12.8%

Malaysia

$112 12.1% 2.3% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$109 12.8%

Malaysia

$91 9.9% 16.7% $18

Getting Around

Brazil

$53 6.2%

Malaysia

$21 2.3% 59.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$39 4.6%

Malaysia

$48 5.2% 23.1% $9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $333 in Brazil vs $413 in Malaysia. For reference, capital cities sit at $508 in Brasilia and $687 in Kuala Lumpur.

Average salary: $473 in Brazil vs $901 in Malaysia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 24% higher in Malaysia.

Dining out costs 45% more in Brazil.

Public transport is 231% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 90% higher in Malaysia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Malaysia.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

18:06 6:06 PM

11 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

32,447,385

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.57 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brazil Malaysia 16,400 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
Malaysia

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

Brazil vs Malaysia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 7% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Malaysia: a central one-bedroom averages $413 versus $333 in Brazil.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.