Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Malaysia

Name: Malaysia
Address: MY

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaysia: $907 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
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Malaysia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in Malaysia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $907 in Malaysia.

Italy $1,825
Malaysia $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $1,364 in Malaysia.

Italy $2,790
Malaysia $1,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $1,821 in Malaysia.

Italy $3,756
Malaysia $1,821

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $532–$1,144 in Malaysia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 101% more expensive than in Malaysia on average.

Italy (35% above) and Malaysia (33% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$3.75 MYR 15.28

430.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$19.69 MYR 80.3

291.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$4.83 MYR 19.72

136.23%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$2.79 MYR 11.37

-27.96%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$0.76 MYR 3.12

311.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.39 MYR 1.59

258.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$3.62 MYR 14.75

59.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$4.80 MYR 19.57

19.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.84 MYR 7.50

-11.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.05 MYR 4.28

126.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$1.49 MYR 6.08

95.97%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$2.10 MYR 8.56

98.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$13.43 MYR 54.8

28.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$4.00 MYR 16.31

218.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$8.40 MYR 34.27

142.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.94 MYR 12.00

-11.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.64 MYR 6.71

29.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.55 MYR 10.40

3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.52 MYR 6.22

119.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.17 MYR 4.76

72.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.31 MYR 5.33

44.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.18 MYR 4.81

32.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.59 MYR 2.42

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$4.46 MYR 18.21

53.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$19.07 MYR 77.8

-59.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$3.05 MYR 12.45

-40.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$4.08 MYR 16.64

-41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.70 MYR 2.86

165.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$12.37 MYR 50.5

249.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$1.19 MYR 4.86

373.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.93 MYR 3.81

83.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$6.08 MYR 24.79

443.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$0.72 MYR 2.95

193.06%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$45.7K MYR 186.5K

-21.77%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$35.5K MYR 144.7K

5.35%

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

$230 €204

$54.7 MYR 223

320.18%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$10.25 MYR 41.81

13.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$27.17 MYR 111

11.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$37.96 MYR 155

42.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$7.04 MYR 28.73

244.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$4.80 MYR 19.58

120.42%

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

$545 €485

$185 MYR 756

194.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$8,298 MYR 33.9K

38.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$62.1 MYR 253

42.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$34.22 MYR 140

15.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$80.6 MYR 329

25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$71.0 MYR 289

87.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$391 MYR 1,594

104.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$274 MYR 1,117

128.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$697 MYR 2,845

104.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$460 MYR 1,878

123.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$2,064 MYR 8,422

74.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$1,177 MYR 4,803

92.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$914 MYR 3,729

107.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

4.23

-15.84%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Malaysia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

Malaysia

$274 30.2% 56.2% $351

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

Malaysia

$251 27.6% 28.3% $99

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

Malaysia

$110 12.2% 60% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

Malaysia

$92 10.2% 66.1% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Malaysia

$112 12.3% 31.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Malaysia

$48 5.2% 36.7% $28

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Malaysia

$21 2.3% 67.6% $44

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $381 in Malaysia. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $626 in Kuala Lumpur.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $902 in Malaysia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 90% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 265% more in Italy.

Public transport is 215% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 110% higher in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

6 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

32,447,385

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Malaysia 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Malaysia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $907 in Malaysia, there's a 101% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Malaysia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $724 in Italy and $381 in Malaysia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Malaysia, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Malaysia wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.