Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Malaysia Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Malaysia

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 13.9% cheaper than Malaysia without rent, and 10.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 9.9% cheaper than Malaysia without rent, and 2.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Malaysia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.82 ¥19.51
$3.57 MYR 14.10
-21.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.62 ¥163
$23.15 MYR 91.5
2.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 ¥34.35
$4.80 MYR 18.95
3.54%
Cappuccino
$3.14 ¥21.66
$2.72 MYR 10.75
15.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.07
$0.79 MYR 3.13
-44.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.84
$0.42 MYR 1.68
-35.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ¥6.40
$3.48 MYR 13.75
-73.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ¥14.37
$4.72 MYR 18.65
-55.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Malaysia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 ¥12.70
$1.86 MYR 7.34
-1.08%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ¥11.17
$1.01 MYR 4.00
60.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.96 ¥6.62
$1.37 MYR 5.40
-29.93%
Eggs
$1.56 ¥10.76
$2.07 MYR 8.16
-24.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.18 ¥91.1
$13.79 MYR 54.5
-4.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.21 ¥22.15
$4.08 MYR 16.10
-21.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ¥75.3
$8.59 MYR 33.93
26.78%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 ¥12.20
$2.90 MYR 11.46
-38.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ¥8.64
$1.49 MYR 5.88
-16.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.53
$2.67 MYR 10.53
-43.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ¥7.95
$1.50 MYR 5.94
-23.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.28
$1.11 MYR 4.40
-31.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 ¥6.14
$1.18 MYR 4.68
-24.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ¥4.24
$1.09 MYR 4.29
-44.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.72
$0.57 MYR 2.25
-5.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ¥23.33
$4.16 MYR 16.44
-18.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 ¥80.6
$19.80 MYR 78.2
-41.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥5.39
$2.76 MYR 10.89
-71.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ¥11.54
$3.72 MYR 14.69
-55.11%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Malaysia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ¥2.98
$0.74 MYR 2.93
-41.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.93 ¥145
$11.71 MYR 46.24
78.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ¥9.74
$1.20 MYR 4.75
17.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.44
$0.75 MYR 2.97
-53.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.48 ¥44.78
$4.87 MYR 19.22
33.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥8.04
$0.50 MYR 1.97
132.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K ¥133.1K
$39.9K MYR 157.5K
-51.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥117.4K
$31.4K MYR 124.2K
-45.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Malaysia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.3 ¥354
$51.4 MYR 203
-0.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.84 ¥68.0
$9.89 MYR 39.06
-0.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.49 ¥79.4
$26.97 MYR 107
-57.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Malaysia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.28 ¥278
$36.92 MYR 146
9.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.78 ¥102
$6.72 MYR 26.53
119.94%
Cinema Ticket
$6.41 ¥44.30
$4.74 MYR 18.73
35.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Malaysia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$403 ¥2,787
$182 MYR 719
121.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K ¥123.5K
$6,909 MYR 27.3K
158.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Malaysia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.91 ¥317
$60.9 MYR 240
-24.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.39 ¥224
$33.56 MYR 133
-3.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.2 ¥492
$76.3 MYR 301
-6.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.0 ¥511
$66.6 MYR 263
11.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Malaysia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 ¥3,013
$393 MYR 1,553
10.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$254 ¥1,752
$269 MYR 1,064
-5.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$900 ¥6,219
$725 MYR 2,865
24.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$548 ¥3,787
$466 MYR 1,840
17.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,140 ¥35.5K
$2,195 MYR 8,668
134.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,676 ¥18.5K
$1,239 MYR 4,896
115.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Malaysia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,024 ¥7,079
$926 MYR 3,658
10.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
4.2
-3.33%

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

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

Last update for Malaysia: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

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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