Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Szekesfehervar

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $921 a month against $1,092 in Szekesfehervar, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
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Szekesfehervar Living Index

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Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$921

/mo nomad

Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Szekesfehervar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $921 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,092 in Szekesfehervar.

Kota Kinabalu $921
Szekesfehervar $1,092

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,421 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,793 in Szekesfehervar.

Kota Kinabalu $1,421
Szekesfehervar $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Kota Kinabalu versus $2,494 in Szekesfehervar.

Kota Kinabalu $1,921
Szekesfehervar $2,494

Living in Kota Kinabalu costs roughly 16% less than in Szekesfehervar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kota Kinabalu 32% lower, Szekesfehervar 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.86

$9.28 Ft 2,998

-60.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.52 MYR 79.6

$57.0 Ft 18.4K

-65.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 MYR 19.65

$8.35 Ft 2,696

-42.28%

Cappuccino

$2.57 MYR 10.50

$2.15 Ft 695

19.53%

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

$0.59 MYR 2.41

$1.42 Ft 458

-58.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 MYR 1.20

$1.07 Ft 346

-72.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MYR 10.19

$2.01 Ft 650

24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MYR 15.28

$2.22 Ft 717

68.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$1.22 Ft 394

40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 MYR 5.28

$1.35 Ft 435

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.43

$2.51 Ft 812

-7.97%

Eggs

$3.52 MYR 14.37

$3.37 Ft 1,089

4.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.38 MYR 116

$10.76 Ft 3,476

163.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 MYR 15.06

$6.18 Ft 1,997

-40.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.91 MYR 28.19

$16.27 Ft 5,256

-57.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 MYR 9.20

$2.15 Ft 696

4.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.81

$2.25 Ft 728

-36.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 MYR 7.78

$1.98 Ft 640

-3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.88

$3.15 Ft 1,018

-38.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.79

$0.98 Ft 318

69.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 MYR 8.44

$1.08 Ft 350

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.65 Ft 533

-39.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.49 Ft 157

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.81 MYR 19.64

$6.40 Ft 2,067

-24.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 MYR 66.1

$3.07 Ft 993

427.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.76 MYR 15.36

$1.25 Ft 405

200.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 MYR 10.14

$2.02 Ft 653

23.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 MYR 7.76

$1.23 Ft 399

54.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.22 MYR 176

$26.59 Ft 8,589

62.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MYR 7.77

$2.97 Ft 960

-35.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$1.73 Ft 558

-86.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 Ft 6,011

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.90 Ft 613

-62.63%

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

$42.5K MYR 173.5K

$29.7K Ft 9.6M

43.40%

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

$34.8K MYR 142.1K

$30.8K Ft 10.0M

12.99%

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

$69.4 MYR 283

$129 Ft 41.5K

-46.07%

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

$9.25 MYR 37.75

$26.81 Ft 8,662

-65.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.46 MYR 132

$19.60 Ft 6,333

65.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 MYR 209

$46.64 Ft 15.1K

9.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.07 MYR 12.53

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.83

$8.73 Ft 2,819

-41.47%

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

$138 MYR 565

$244 Ft 78.9K

-43.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,981 MYR 28.5K

$6,665 Ft 2.2M

4.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 MYR 333

$70.1 Ft 22.6K

16.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.02 MYR 151

$24.67 Ft 7,970

50.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 MYR 374

$76.5 Ft 24.7K

19.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.12 MYR 196

$85.0 Ft 27.5K

-43.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 MYR 1,786

$395 Ft 127.7K

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 MYR 775

$302 Ft 97.5K

-37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 MYR 2,759

$614 Ft 198.5K

10.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,501

$653 Ft 210.9K

-43.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,802 MYR 7,351

$3,394 Ft 1.1M

-46.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,089 MYR 4,444

$3,080 Ft 995.0K

-64.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 MYR 2,356

$1,456 Ft 470.5K

-60.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

6.67

-41.53%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Szekesfehervar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Kinabalu

$290 31.5%

Szekesfehervar

$243 22.3% 16.1% $47

Accommodation & Living

Kota Kinabalu

$190 20.6%

Szekesfehervar

$302 27.6% 58.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Kinabalu

$116 12.6%

Szekesfehervar

$115 10.6% 0.9% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Kinabalu

$111 12.1%

Szekesfehervar

$175 16% 57.6% $64

Eating Out

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6%

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7% 52.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Kinabalu

$61 6.7%

Szekesfehervar

$64 5.9% 4.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Kota Kinabalu

$54 5.9%

Szekesfehervar

$43 4% 20% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Kota Kinabalu and $395 in Szekesfehervar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Szekesfehervar pays 152% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu vs $57.0 in Szekesfehervar. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $243, with Szekesfehervar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

6 h behind Kota Kinabalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,425

96,024

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kota Kinabalu Szekesfehervar 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Kinabalu
Szekesfehervar

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 Szekesfehervar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Szekesfehervar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 152% lower in Szekesfehervar. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Kota Kinabalu versus $395 in Szekesfehervar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 63% less than in Szekesfehervar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $138 in Kota Kinabalu versus $244 in Szekesfehervar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $921 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,092 in Szekesfehervar, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Kinabalu but tight or insufficient in Szekesfehervar. The gap between the two cities makes Kota Kinabalu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kota Kinabalu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $921 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kota Kinabalu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kota Kinabalu and Szekesfehervar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kota Kinabalu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Szekesfehervar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.