Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $956 a month against $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$956

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in George Town versus $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur.

George Town $956
Kuala Lumpur $1,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,599 in George Town versus $1,663 in Kuala Lumpur.

George Town $1,599
Kuala Lumpur $1,663

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,243 in George Town versus $2,239 in Kuala Lumpur.

George Town $2,243
Kuala Lumpur $2,239

Living in George Town costs roughly 12% less than in Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: George Town 29% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 MYR 13.92

$4.76 MYR 19.40

-28.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.33 MYR 62.5

$29.15 MYR 119

-47.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 MYR 18.58

$4.78 MYR 19.50

-4.81%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.66

$3.08 MYR 12.57

-15.26%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.16

$0.84 MYR 3.42

-7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.43

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MYR 9.88

$4.49 MYR 18.31

-46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.21

$5.97 MYR 24.35

-25.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MYR 7.56

$2.04 MYR 8.31

-9.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$1.11 MYR 4.51

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$2.02 MYR 8.22

-16.83%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 9.03

$2.49 MYR 10.15

-11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.7

$14.20 MYR 57.9

-3.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$4.44 MYR 18.11

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 MYR 34.62

$9.85 MYR 40.19

-13.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 MYR 9.89

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-30.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.12

$2.29 MYR 9.36

-2.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.60 MYR 6.53

-25.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MYR 3.77

$1.33 MYR 5.44

-30.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-40.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$4.52 MYR 18.46

-2.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 76.5

$19.75 MYR 80.6

-5.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 MYR 9.89

$3.54 MYR 14.43

-31.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.65

$4.93 MYR 20.12

-27.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.91

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.84 MYR 44.24

$12.45 MYR 50.8

-12.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.08

$1.23 MYR 5.04

0.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 MYR 28.03

$4.88 MYR 19.90

40.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 MYR 3.43

$0.88 MYR 3.59

-4.55%

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

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

1.30%

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

$28.7K MYR 117.0K

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-17.82%

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

$36.87 MYR 150

$61.2 MYR 250

-39.73%

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

$8.21 MYR 33.51

$8.63 MYR 35.22

-4.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.51 MYR 116

$26.31 MYR 107

8.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.21 MYR 164

$49.33 MYR 201

-18.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.04 MYR 20.55

$7.47 MYR 30.46

-32.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 19.43

$4.95 MYR 20.17

-3.84%

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

$173 MYR 705

$302 MYR 1,234

-42.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,848 MYR 19.8K

$13.3K MYR 54.4K

-63.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 MYR 216

$71.6 MYR 292

-25.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.45 MYR 141

$41.57 MYR 170

-17.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 MYR 304

$84.5 MYR 345

-11.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 MYR 285

$97.4 MYR 397

-28.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 MYR 2,059

$610 MYR 2,490

-17.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MYR 1,524

$371 MYR 1,513

0.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 MYR 3,804

$1,139 MYR 4,646

-18.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 MYR 4,046

$661 MYR 2,696

50.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,114 MYR 16.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,500 MYR 6,120

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 MYR 4,462

$1,494 MYR 6,093

-26.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.18

-3.35%

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

Last update for George Town: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$374 39.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$371 34.1% 0.8% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$240 25.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$276 25.4% 15% $36

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$104 10.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 27.3% $28

Eating Out

George Town

$98 10.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$129 11.9% 31.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$74 7.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.9% 30.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$50 5.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5% 19.1% $9.5

Getting Around

George Town

$17 1.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$22 2.1% 35.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in George Town and $610 in Kuala Lumpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuala Lumpur pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in George Town vs $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $276 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

Same time as George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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George Town Kuala Lumpur 290 km

From you

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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

George Town vs Kuala Lumpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Kuala Lumpur. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $505 in George Town versus $610 in Kuala Lumpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 15% less than in Kuala Lumpur. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $173 in George Town versus $302 in Kuala Lumpur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $956 in George Town versus $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George Town but tight or insufficient in Kuala Lumpur. The gap between the two cities makes George Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, George Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, George Town and Kuala Lumpur are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find George Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Kuala Lumpur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.