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 14.3% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 20.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 9.1% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 15.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 13.92

$4.82 MYR 19.04

-26.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.5

$28.46 MYR 112

-32.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.93

$4.74 MYR 18.71

1.05%

Cappuccino

$2.67 MYR 10.53

$2.99 MYR 11.83

-10.70%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.69

$0.92 MYR 3.64

-26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.53 MYR 2.11

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.22

$4.13 MYR 16.33

-43.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 13.72

$5.73 MYR 22.65

-39.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.63

$2.07 MYR 8.16

-18.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 MYR 4.94

$1.01 MYR 3.99

23.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.62

$1.65 MYR 6.51

1.82%

Eggs

$2.91 MYR 11.50

$2.26 MYR 8.92

28.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.95 MYR 102

$14.58 MYR 57.6

77.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 MYR 14.36

$4.50 MYR 17.78

-19.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.09 MYR 28.01

$9.46 MYR 37.38

-25.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.52

$2.98 MYR 11.78

-10.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.47

$1.63 MYR 6.45

-30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 MYR 12.82

$2.67 MYR 10.55

21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MYR 7.78

$1.48 MYR 5.83

33.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 5.99

$1.28 MYR 5.07

18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.74

$1.33 MYR 5.26

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.45

$1.21 MYR 4.78

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.85

$0.63 MYR 2.47

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 MYR 15.88

$4.28 MYR 16.92

-6.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.13 MYR 107

$18.74 MYR 74.0

44.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.55

$3.40 MYR 13.44

-43.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.44

$4.45 MYR 17.57

-63.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 MYR 5.97

$0.70 MYR 2.76

115.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.65 MYR 161

$11.87 MYR 46.90

242.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 MYR 7.37

$1.19 MYR 4.72

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.72

$1.10 MYR 4.35

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 MYR 23.69

$4.84 MYR 19.12

23.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.83

$0.51 MYR 2.01

-9.80%

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

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

-26.07%

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

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

-14.32%

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

$51.2 MYR 202

$63.6 MYR 251

-19.48%

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

$9.14 MYR 36.11

$11.31 MYR 44.66

-19.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.66 MYR 129

$25.49 MYR 101

28.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.05 MYR 170

$45.57 MYR 180

-5.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 MYR 11.33

$7.62 MYR 30.10

-62.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 18.80

$5.11 MYR 20.19

-6.85%

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

$133 MYR 524

$272 MYR 1,073

-51.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

-53.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 MYR 233

$61.4 MYR 243

-4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 MYR 90.0

$36.67 MYR 145

-37.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 281

$85.0 MYR 336

-16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 MYR 374

$79.2 MYR 313

19.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 MYR 1,492

$575 MYR 2,270

-34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MYR 641

$376 MYR 1,486

-56.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 MYR 2,548

$1,086 MYR 4,290

-40.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 MYR 1,456

$631 MYR 2,492

-41.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,893 MYR 7,478

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

-51.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 MYR 4,463

$1,551 MYR 6,125

-27.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 MYR 2,417

$1,633 MYR 6,451

-62.54%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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