Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur

🙂 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 12.5% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 20.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 7.8% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 12.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 MYR 14.62

$4.58 MYR 19.31

-24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 MYR 80.7

$28.83 MYR 122

-33.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 20.2

$4.77 MYR 20.13

0.42%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 11.14

$2.96 MYR 12.48

-10.81%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.72

$0.85 MYR 3.58

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.56

$0.5 MYR 2.11

-26.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.3 MYR 9.71

$4.23 MYR 17.82

-45.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 MYR 14.55

$5.95 MYR 25.11

-42.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 7.29

$2.08 MYR 8.78

-16.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 5

$1 MYR 4.22

18.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.28

$1.64 MYR 6.92

5.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MYR 12.18

$2.29 MYR 9.64

26.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.25 MYR 111

$14.84 MYR 62.6

76.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.82

$4.52 MYR 19.05

-22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 MYR 29.99

$9.51 MYR 40.1

-25.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.75

$2.95 MYR 12.46

-13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.79

$1.62 MYR 6.85

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.3 MYR 13.91

$2.7 MYR 11.37

22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 MYR 8.5

$1.51 MYR 6.38

33.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.18

$1.21 MYR 5.11

21.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.45

$1.4 MYR 5.92

26.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.7

$1.21 MYR 5.09

-8.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.98

$0.68 MYR 2.87

-30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 17.04

$4.19 MYR 17.68

-3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 MYR 79

$18.11 MYR 76.4

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MYR 7.77

$3.33 MYR 14.06

-44.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MYR 6.78

$4.39 MYR 18.5

-63.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 MYR 6.27

$0.72 MYR 3.06

106.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.22 MYR 170

$11.74 MYR 49.49

242.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MYR 8.09

$1.21 MYR 5.11

58.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 MYR 1.82

$1.13 MYR 4.78

-61.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 MYR 24.43

$4.59 MYR 19.35

26.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$0.48 MYR 2.01

-4.17%

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

$29.6K MYR 124.7K

$40K MYR 168.8K

-26.13%

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

$27.7K MYR 116.9K

$33K MYR 139.2K

-16.01%

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

$51.2 MYR 216

$64.8 MYR 273

-21.02%

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

$8.97 MYR 37.84

$11.7 MYR 49.34

-23.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.43 MYR 141

$25.5 MYR 108

31.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 MYR 185

$45.93 MYR 194

-4.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.98 MYR 12.57

$7.76 MYR 32.73

-61.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 MYR 19.33

$5.23 MYR 22.03

-12.43%

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

$129 MYR 544

$266 MYR 1,122

-51.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,457 MYR 18.8K

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

-51.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 MYR 255

$61.5 MYR 259

-1.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.48 MYR 94.8

$38.04 MYR 160

-40.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 300

$86.3 MYR 364

-17.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94 MYR 396

$79.6 MYR 336

18.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,598

$578 MYR 2,437

-34.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 MYR 709

$371 MYR 1,566

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 MYR 2,735

$1,061 MYR 4,472

-38.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,544

$628 MYR 2,649

-41.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,364 MYR 5,754

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

-55.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 MYR 4,804

$1,532 MYR 6,459

-25.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$551 MYR 2,325

$1,342 MYR 5,659

-58.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.47

-14.99%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 27, 2025

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

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