Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Antalya

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $946 a month against $1,248 in Antalya, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Antalya, Turkey
Kota Kinabalu
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$946
/mo nomad
Antalya
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,248
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kota Kinabalu and in Antalya

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

A single person spends $946 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $1,248 in Antalya, rent included.

  • Kota Kinabalu $946
  • Antalya $1,248

A couple spends around $1,398 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $1,879 in Antalya, rent included.

  • Kota Kinabalu $1,398
  • Antalya $1,879

A family of three spends $1,850 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $2,510 in Antalya, rent included.

  • Kota Kinabalu $1,850
  • Antalya $2,510

Kota Kinabalu is about 24% cheaper than Antalya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kota Kinabalu and Antalya are more affordable than the global median – Kota Kinabalu 30% lower, Antalya 8% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.63 MYR 14.80
$10.01 ₺499
-63.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.53 MYR 79.6
$42.74 ₺2,130
-54.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.75 MYR 19.34
$9.23 ₺460
-48.54%
Cappuccino
$2.61 MYR 10.62
$4.00 ₺199
-34.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 MYR 2.24
$1.95 ₺97.1
-71.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 MYR 1.22
$0.51 ₺25.34
-41.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 MYR 10.05
$2.95 ₺147
-16.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 MYR 14.79
$4.79 ₺239
-24.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 MYR 7.36
$1.05 ₺52.4
72.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 MYR 5.39
$1.03 ₺51.3
28.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.26 MYR 9.20
$2.00 ₺99.9
13.00%
Eggs
$3.53 MYR 14.37
$2.56 ₺127
37.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$28.39 MYR 116
$9.08 ₺452
212.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.76 MYR 15.33
$4.78 ₺238
-21.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.62 MYR 26.96
$19.49 ₺971
-66.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 MYR 9.14
$1.65 ₺82.1
35.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 MYR 5.91
$1.78 ₺88.6
-18.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 MYR 8.12
$1.00 ₺49.88
99.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 MYR 8.09
$1.45 ₺72.1
36.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.74 MYR 7.10
$0.64 ₺31.75
171.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.05 MYR 8.34
$0.61 ₺30.33
236.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 MYR 3.83
$0.86 ₺42.77
9.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 MYR 1.95
$0.70 ₺34.67
-31.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.91 MYR 19.99
$2.29 ₺114
114.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.67 MYR 63.8
$9.85 ₺491
59.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.82 MYR 15.55
$2.09 ₺104
82.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 MYR 9.79
$2.89 ₺144
-16.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.19 MYR 0.78
$0.86 ₺42.91
-77.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.16 MYR 103
$50.4 ₺2,512
-50.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.01 MYR 8.17
$1.03 ₺51.2
95.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 MYR 0.93
$0.78 ₺38.69
-70.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.20 ₺409
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.77 MYR 3.15
$1.39 ₺69.2
-44.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.7K MYR 182.2K
$44.0K ₺2.2M
1.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.3K MYR 143.9K
$39.1K ₺1.9M
-9.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.5 MYR 287
$73.6 ₺3,667
-4.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.30 MYR 37.88
$11.62 ₺579
-19.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.18 MYR 131
$14.95 ₺745
115.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.85 MYR 146
$54.4 ₺2,711
-34.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.04 MYR 12.41
$21.94 ₺1,093
-86.14%
Cinema Ticket
$5.21 MYR 21.23
$6.94 ₺346
-24.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$142 MYR 580
$686 ₺34.2K
-79.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,866 MYR 28.0K
$17.6K ₺879.1K
-61.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.7 MYR 337
$45.22 ₺2,254
82.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.42 MYR 152
$32.04 ₺1,597
16.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.8 MYR 378
$92.9 ₺4,627
-0.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.47 MYR 202
$78.4 ₺3,908
-36.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 MYR 2,524
$603 ₺30.1K
2.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 MYR 1,031
$489 ₺24.4K
-48.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$708 MYR 2,885
$1,012 ₺50.4K
-30.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$376 MYR 1,530
$747 ₺37.2K
-49.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,810 MYR 7,376
$1,997 ₺99.5K
-9.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,097 MYR 4,470
$1,381 ₺68.8K
-20.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kota Kinabalu
Antalya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$584 MYR 2,378
$949 ₺47.3K
-38.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.9
40.44
-90.36%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Antalya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kota Kinabalu
$290
Antalya
$230 20.8% $60
Accommodation & Living
Kota Kinabalu
$253
Antalya
$489 93.2% $236
Clothing & Footwear
Kota Kinabalu
$118
Antalya
$112 5.3% $6.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kota Kinabalu
$112
Antalya
$100 10.5% $12
Eating Out
Kota Kinabalu
$98
Antalya
$190 94.6% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Kota Kinabalu
$46
Antalya
$68 47.5% $22
Getting Around
Kota Kinabalu
$29
Antalya
$59 102% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Kota Kinabalu versus $603 in Antalya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Antalya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Kota Kinabalu versus $43 in Antalya. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Kota Kinabalu vs $230 in Antalya – so Antalya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu
🇹🇷 Antalya
🕒 Local time
07:03 7:03 AM
02:03 2:03 AM
5 h behind Kota Kinabalu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
500,425
2,722,103
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kota Kinabalu Antalya 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kota Kinabalu
  • Antalya

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
Kota Kinabalu vs Antalya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kota Kinabalu cheaper than Antalya?
Yes – Antalya is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,419 per month in Kota Kinabalu and $1,871 in Antalya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Kota Kinabalu and Antalya?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $619 in Kota Kinabalu and $603 in Antalya. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in Kota Kinabalu and in Antalya?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $946 in Kota Kinabalu and $1,248 in Antalya. That makes Kota Kinabalu about 24% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 50% less in Kota Kinabalu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Kota Kinabalu or in Antalya?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $946 in Kota Kinabalu and $1,248 in Antalya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kota Kinabalu costs $946 versus $1,248 in Antalya. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is safer, Kota Kinabalu or Antalya?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Kota Kinabalu. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Antalya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Kota Kinabalu vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?