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 4.6% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 10.3% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 14.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 MYR 13.85

$4.57 MYR 18.00

-23.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.61 MYR 73.3

$28.75 MYR 113

-35.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 18.52

$4.61 MYR 18.17

1.95%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.30

$3.11 MYR 12.26

-16.08%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.53

$0.92 MYR 3.61

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.43

$0.52 MYR 2.07

-30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.16

$4.15 MYR 16.35

-43.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.01

$5.78 MYR 22.78

-38.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.61

$1.99 MYR 7.84

-15.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 MYR 4.90

$1.00 MYR 3.94

24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.56

$1.73 MYR 6.81

-3.47%

Eggs

$2.93 MYR 11.54

$2.17 MYR 8.55

35.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.42 MYR 104

$14.84 MYR 58.5

78.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 13.59

$4.56 MYR 17.98

-24.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.14 MYR 28.15

$9.95 MYR 39.20

-28.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.47

$2.95 MYR 11.61

-9.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.44

$1.63 MYR 6.42

-30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.60

$2.59 MYR 10.22

23.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 7.82

$1.53 MYR 6.04

29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.78

$1.24 MYR 4.87

18.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 6.89

$1.40 MYR 5.50

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.41

$1.15 MYR 4.55

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.88

$0.62 MYR 2.44

-22.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.36

$4.13 MYR 16.28

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.15 MYR 107

$18.75 MYR 73.9

44.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.51

$3.26 MYR 12.84

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.40

$4.38 MYR 17.26

-62.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 MYR 6.08

$0.74 MYR 2.93

108.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.82 MYR 161

$11.98 MYR 47.19

240.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.32

$1.19 MYR 4.70

56.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 MYR 1.82

$1.11 MYR 4.36

-58.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 MYR 22.83

$4.70 MYR 18.51

23.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.47 MYR 1.87

4.26%

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

$29.8K MYR 117.4K

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

-25.77%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

-13.05%

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

$51.8 MYR 204

$63.4 MYR 250

-18.29%

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

$9.14 MYR 35.99

$11.31 MYR 44.55

-19.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.16 MYR 131

$25.29 MYR 99.7

31.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 MYR 169

$46.73 MYR 184

-8.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 MYR 11.66

$7.78 MYR 30.66

-61.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$5.34 MYR 21.05

-14.42%

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

$132 MYR 519

$264 MYR 1,038

-50.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,466 MYR 17.6K

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

-51.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$59.8 MYR 235

0.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.69 MYR 89.4

$36.87 MYR 145

-38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 MYR 278

$87.5 MYR 345

-19.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 364

$80.8 MYR 319

14.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MYR 1,506

$564 MYR 2,221

-32.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 MYR 652

$368 MYR 1,449

-54.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 MYR 2,585

$1,090 MYR 4,295

-39.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MYR 1,446

$639 MYR 2,519

-42.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MYR 7,524

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

-52.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 MYR 4,426

$1,538 MYR 6,058

-26.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$609 MYR 2,401

$1,597 MYR 6,293

-61.84%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan