Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Tashkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,025 in Tashkent, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tashkent outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Tashkent
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Tashkent Living Index

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Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Tashkent

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$1,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,025 in Tashkent.

Kota Kinabalu $917
Tashkent $1,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,630 in Tashkent.

Kota Kinabalu $1,429
Tashkent $1,630

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu versus $2,234 in Tashkent.

Kota Kinabalu $1,941
Tashkent $2,234

Living in Kota Kinabalu costs roughly 11% less than in Tashkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kota Kinabalu 32% lower, Tashkent 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.59

$6.91 UZS 82.0K

-48.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.54 MYR 79.8

$33.76 UZS 400.7K

-42.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 MYR 20.09

$5.01 UZS 59.5K

-1.80%

Cappuccino

$2.63 MYR 10.74

$2.56 UZS 30.4K

2.73%

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

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$0.76 UZS 9,070

-21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$0.34 UZS 4,022

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$2.17 UZS 25.7K

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MYR 15.27

$3.84 UZS 45.6K

-2.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$1.35 UZS 16.0K

28.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 MYR 5.23

$0.83 UZS 9,811

54.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$1.75 UZS 20.8K

29.14%

Eggs

$3.46 MYR 14.13

$1.82 UZS 21.6K

90.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.33 MYR 116

$8.03 UZS 95.3K

252.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 MYR 15.05

$4.13 UZS 49.0K

-10.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 MYR 27.27

$12.77 UZS 151.6K

-47.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MYR 9.15

$1.56 UZS 18.5K

43.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.78 UZS 21.2K

-19.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$2.35 UZS 27.9K

-17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$1.73 UZS 20.5K

15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.81

$0.57 UZS 6,715

192.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.71

$0.42 UZS 4,967

407.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$1.05 UZS 12.5K

-10.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.46 UZS 5,411

2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 MYR 20.10

$1.99 UZS 23.7K

147.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 MYR 64.7

$7.58 UZS 90.0K

108.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 MYR 14.81

$1.34 UZS 15.8K

170.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

$3.54 UZS 42.1K

-30.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 MYR 7.80

$0.15 UZS 1,828

1173.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 MYR 171

$12.64 UZS 150.0K

231.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MYR 7.82

$0.84 UZS 9,946

127.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 MYR 0.94

$0.36 UZS 4,311

-36.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 UZS 40.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$1.17 UZS 13.9K

-35.04%

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

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

$16.7K UZS 198.0M

152.68%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

$24.7K UZS 292.8M

44.47%

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

$70.5 MYR 288

$67.5 UZS 800.8K

4.46%

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

$9.69 MYR 39.56

$4.46 UZS 52.9K

117.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.36 MYR 132

$13.75 UZS 163.2K

135.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 MYR 214

$63.7 UZS 756.0K

-17.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.09 MYR 12.64

$18.97 UZS 225.2K

-83.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MYR 21.31

$6.02 UZS 71.5K

-13.29%

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

$141 MYR 575

$333 UZS 3.9M

-57.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

$9,395 UZS 111.5M

-25.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 MYR 333

$50.7 UZS 602.3K

60.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 MYR 150

$59.3 UZS 704.4K

-38.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 MYR 382

$111 UZS 1.3M

-15.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.75 MYR 199

$137 UZS 1.6M

-64.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 MYR 1,735

$595 UZS 7.1M

-28.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 MYR 788

$376 UZS 4.5M

-48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 MYR 2,771

$1,177 UZS 14.0M

-42.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,501

$727 UZS 8.6M

-49.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,546

$1,653 UZS 19.6M

11.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 MYR 4,489

$941 UZS 11.2M

16.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 MYR 2,419

$712 UZS 8.5M

-16.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

23.31

-83.27%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tashkent: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1%

Tashkent

$197 19% 31.6% $91

Accommodation & Living

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9%

Tashkent

$376 36.3% 95.1% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7%

Tashkent

$161 15.6% 37.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2%

Tashkent

$86 8.3% 23.9% $27

Eating Out

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6%

Tashkent

$124 12% 26.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8%

Tashkent

$76 7.3% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7%

Tashkent

$16 1.5% 69.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $425 in Kota Kinabalu and $595 in Tashkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tashkent pays 20% 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 $34.00 in Tashkent. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $197, with Tashkent cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🇺🇿 Tashkent

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

3 h behind Kota Kinabalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,425

2,956,384 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.42 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11,870 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.42 USD). 1 EUR = 13,301 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.52 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kota Kinabalu Tashkent 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Kinabalu
Tashkent

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 Tashkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Tashkent. 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 20% lower in Tashkent. 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: $425 in Kota Kinabalu versus $595 in Tashkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 232% less than in Tashkent. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $141 in Kota Kinabalu versus $333 in Tashkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $917 in Kota Kinabalu versus $1,025 in Tashkent, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kota Kinabalu but tight or insufficient in Tashkent. 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 $917 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 Tashkent 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 12% less than in Tashkent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.