Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $609 a month against $992 in East London, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
Learn more

Malacca Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in East London and in Malacca

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

A single person spends $992 per month in East London vs $609 in Malacca, rent included.

East London $992
Malacca $609

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in East London vs $970 in Malacca, rent included.

East London $1,611
Malacca $970

A family of three spends $2,230 per month in East London vs $1,330 in Malacca, rent included.

East London $2,230
Malacca $1,330

East London costs about 63% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both East London and Malacca are more affordable than the global median – East London 27% lower, Malacca 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 R 151

$3.23 MYR 13.12

181.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.23 R 635

$18.02 MYR 73.1

112.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 92.6

$4.80 MYR 19.47

16.04%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.04

$2.89 MYR 11.73

-29.07%

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

$1.04 R 17.31

$0.79 MYR 3.19

31.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.68

$0.55 MYR 2.21

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.65

$1.93 MYR 7.83

39.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 R 53.3

$2.90 MYR 11.78

10.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.68

$1.66 MYR 6.75

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.52

$1.05 MYR 4.27

-17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.95

$1.48 MYR 5.99

-2.70%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.77

$1.68 MYR 6.81

35.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 R 139

$18.08 MYR 73.3

-53.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 R 91.3

$4.63 MYR 18.80

18.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 R 111

$10.55 MYR 42.79

-36.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.28

$3.29 MYR 13.37

-55.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.41

$1.68 MYR 6.82

-8.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.14

$2.39 MYR 9.69

-31.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.83

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.86

$1.41 MYR 5.70

19.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.71

$1.66 MYR 6.73

-13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.46

$1.37 MYR 5.57

-14.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.80

$0.55 MYR 2.25

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R 48.02

$4.18 MYR 16.98

-30.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.1

$14.21 MYR 57.6

-66.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$2.14 MYR 8.68

-44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.36

$3.13 MYR 12.71

-68.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 R 24.50

$0.48 MYR 1.93

206.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 R 778

$12.40 MYR 50.3

277.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.28

$1.02 MYR 4.13

19.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.58

$0.71 MYR 2.87

-35.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 139

$12.09 MYR 49.05

-30.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.42

$0.51 MYR 2.08

164.71%

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

$34.7K R 576.1K

$44.4K MYR 180.3K

-21.98%

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

$29.3K R 486.5K

$36.0K MYR 146.0K

-18.61%

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

$122 R 2,032

$52.4 MYR 213

133.45%

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

$32.64 R 542

$11.33 MYR 45.96

188.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 R 737

$28.13 MYR 114

57.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 R 656

$21.87 MYR 88.7

80.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 MYR 47.78

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 R 75.5

$4.92 MYR 19.96

-7.72%

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

$177 R 2,943

$237 MYR 961

-25.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,438 R 90.4K

$4,388 MYR 17.8K

23.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R 944

$54.1 MYR 220

5.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 R 545

$16.83 MYR 68.3

94.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R 1,214

$81.9 MYR 332

-10.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,581

$96.7 MYR 392

-1.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,825

$193 MYR 783

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R 4,164

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 9,017

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,179 MYR 4,783

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$794 MYR 3,220

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.6K

$416 MYR 1,687

299.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

170.94%

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

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$251 25.3%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.1%

Malacca

$92 15.1% 53.9% $107

Groceries & Markets

East London

$180 18.1%

Malacca

$258 42.4% 43.9% $79

Eating Out

East London

$141 14.2%

Malacca

$96 15.7% 32.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.7%

Malacca

$112 18.5% 3.2% $3.7

Getting Around

East London

$56 5.7%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 66.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Malacca

$32 5.2% 34.7% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in East London versus $193 in Malacca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in East London are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in East London versus $18 in Malacca. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in East London vs $258 in Malacca – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

6 h ahead of East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

579,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

East London Malacca 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
Malacca

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

East London vs Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $992 in East London, $609 in Malacca – Malacca comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,487 per month in East London and $913 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $193 there versus $290 in East London.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in East London and $237 in Malacca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in East London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $992 in East London and $609 in Malacca, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. East London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $609 in Malacca to $992 in East London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Malacca. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, East London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.