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

🙂 Solo nomad: China is 9.4% cheaper than Malaysia without rent, and 10.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 11.5% cheaper than Malaysia without rent, and 1.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Malaysia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.77 ¥19.31
$3.64 MYR 14.77
-23.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.14 ¥169
$23.91 MYR 97.1
0.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.75 ¥33.15
$4.62 MYR 18.77
2.81%
Cappuccino
$3.02 ¥21.06
$2.83 MYR 11.47
6.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.06
$0.76 MYR 3.08
-42.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.87
$0.40 MYR 1.60
-32.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.96 ¥6.67
$3.57 MYR 14.49
-73.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ¥14.21
$4.80 MYR 19.48
-57.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Malaysia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥12.21
$1.80 MYR 7.30
-2.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 ¥11.79
$0.95 MYR 3.85
77.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.98 ¥6.85
$1.35 MYR 5.47
-27.41%
Eggs
$1.60 ¥11.19
$2.01 MYR 8.16
-20.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.34 ¥93.1
$13.98 MYR 56.8
-4.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ¥22.82
$4.13 MYR 16.77
-20.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.63 ¥74.2
$8.74 MYR 35.48
21.62%
Apples (1kg)
$1.74 ¥12.16
$2.86 MYR 11.62
-39.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.76
$1.43 MYR 5.82
-11.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ¥10.13
$2.54 MYR 10.30
-42.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.19 ¥8.28
$1.51 MYR 6.13
-21.19%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥5.08
$1.08 MYR 4.39
-32.41%
Onion (1kg)
$0.86 ¥5.99
$1.23 MYR 5.00
-30.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ¥4.30
$1.09 MYR 4.41
-43.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.71
$0.55 MYR 2.23
-3.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.44 ¥24.03
$4.11 MYR 16.70
-16.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.63 ¥81.2
$18.93 MYR 76.9
-38.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ¥5.88
$2.90 MYR 11.79
-71.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.62 ¥11.30
$3.65 MYR 14.81
-55.62%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Malaysia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥3.07
$0.72 MYR 2.93
-38.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.71 ¥145
$11.99 MYR 48.67
72.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥9.91
$1.16 MYR 4.72
22.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.27
$0.70 MYR 2.84
-52.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.51 ¥45.42
$5.07 MYR 20.59
28.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 ¥8.19
$0.46 MYR 1.86
154.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥133.9K
$40.3K MYR 163.7K
-52.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.6K ¥116.1K
$31.7K MYR 128.6K
-47.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Malaysia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥359
$51.6 MYR 209
-0.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 ¥67.2
$10.11 MYR 41.06
-4.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.22 ¥78.3
$26.53 MYR 108
-57.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Malaysia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.09 ¥273
$35.97 MYR 146
8.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.70 ¥103
$6.59 MYR 26.74
123.07%
Cinema Ticket
$6.14 ¥42.89
$4.60 MYR 18.68
33.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Malaysia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$416 ¥2,905
$181 MYR 737
129.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K ¥125.0K
$6,965 MYR 28.3K
157.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Malaysia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.24 ¥316
$60.2 MYR 244
-24.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.59 ¥228
$34.03 MYR 138
-4.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.0 ¥509
$75.5 MYR 307
-3.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.8 ¥508
$64.5 MYR 262
12.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Malaysia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$432 ¥3,018
$403 MYR 1,635
7.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 ¥1,767
$267 MYR 1,084
-5.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$923 ¥6,441
$722 MYR 2,930
27.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$546 ¥3,811
$467 MYR 1,898
16.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,324 ¥37.2K
$2,096 MYR 8,510
154.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,784 ¥19.4K
$1,187 MYR 4,821
134.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Malaysia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,037 ¥7,240
$943 MYR 3,830
9.96%
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: January 11, 2026

Last update for Malaysia: January 12, 2026

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