Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lipis and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lipis: $897 a month against $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lipis
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Kuala Lipis Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$897

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuala Lipis and in Kuala Lumpur

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kuala Lipis and in Kuala Lumpur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $897 per month in Kuala Lipis vs $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Kuala Lipis $897
Kuala Lumpur $1,074

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in Kuala Lipis vs $1,622 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Kuala Lipis $1,420
Kuala Lumpur $1,622

A family of three spends $1,944 per month in Kuala Lipis vs $2,170 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Kuala Lipis $1,944
Kuala Lumpur $2,170

Kuala Lipis is about 16% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuala Lipis and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lipis 34% lower, Kuala Lumpur 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 MYR 14.62

$4.98 MYR 20.28

-27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.70 MYR 101

$29.03 MYR 118

-14.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 MYR 20.31

$4.85 MYR 19.78

2.68%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.20

$3.02 MYR 12.30

-0.99%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.48

$0.79 MYR 3.21

7.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.70

$0.45 MYR 1.85

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MYR 13.06

$4.48 MYR 18.24

-28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 MYR 22.94

$6.16 MYR 25.11

-8.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 MYR 7.96

$2.11 MYR 8.60

-7.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$1.12 MYR 4.56

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.00

$1.93 MYR 7.86

-23.83%

Eggs

$1.78 MYR 7.24

$2.46 MYR 10.01

-27.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 MYR 39.99

$14.24 MYR 58.0

-31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$4.37 MYR 17.80

-27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 39.01

$9.86 MYR 40.19

-2.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$3.46 MYR 14.09

3.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.54

$1.78 MYR 7.25

3.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.22

$2.27 MYR 9.24

21.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.46

$1.51 MYR 6.16

21.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 MYR 8.80

$1.23 MYR 5.01

75.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MYR 8.36

$1.30 MYR 5.31

57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MYR 6.06

$1.14 MYR 4.64

30.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.71 MYR 2.88

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MYR 18.17

$4.29 MYR 17.46

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.69 MYR 80.2

$19.77 MYR 80.5

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.04

$3.36 MYR 13.71

-19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 18.08

$5.02 MYR 20.45

-11.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MYR 2.67

$0.70 MYR 2.86

-5.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.50 MYR 55.0

$12.44 MYR 50.7

8.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.20 MYR 4.87

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$1.25 MYR 5.07

-71.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.79 MYR 35.81

$4.98 MYR 20.30

76.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.89 MYR 3.62

-8.99%

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

$44.9K MYR 183.1K

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

0.87%

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

$34.8K MYR 142.0K

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

0.66%

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

$49.77 MYR 203

$63.5 MYR 259

-21.57%

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

$8.30 MYR 33.81

$8.62 MYR 35.13

-3.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.35 MYR 111

$26.24 MYR 107

4.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.93 MYR 167

$49.20 MYR 200

-16.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.48 MYR 30.46

$7.32 MYR 29.84

2.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 MYR 19.88

$4.97 MYR 20.27

-1.81%

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

$276 MYR 1,125

$472 MYR 1,921

-41.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K MYR 42.0K

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

-21.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$72.2 MYR 294

-28.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.76 MYR 121

$41.48 MYR 169

-28.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 MYR 317

$83.9 MYR 342

-7.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 MYR 354

$94.3 MYR 384

-7.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 MYR 1,571

$685 MYR 2,792

-43.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 MYR 1,092

$358 MYR 1,459

-25.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 MYR 2,824

$1,212 MYR 4,938

-42.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 MYR 2,272

$593 MYR 2,417

-5.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,178 MYR 8,872

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

-42.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,305 MYR 5,315

$1,565 MYR 6,375

-16.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.17

8.15%

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

Last update for Kuala Lipis: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lipis

$268 29.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3% 33.6% $90

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lipis

$251 28%

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5% 9.3% $23

Eating Out

Kuala Lipis

$112 12.5%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1% 16.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lipis

$111 12.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2% 18.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lipis

$85 9.5%

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2% 15.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lipis

$51 5.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5% 16.7% $8.5

Getting Around

Kuala Lipis

$19 2.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 18.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $385 in Kuala Lipis versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kuala Lipis versus $29 in Kuala Lumpur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $274 – making Kuala Lipis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lipis

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

Same time as Kuala Lipis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kuala Lipis Kuala Lumpur 120 km

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Kuala Lipis
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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

Kuala Lipis vs Kuala Lumpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,345 per month in Kuala Lipis and $1,611 in Kuala Lumpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Lipis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $385 there versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $897 in Kuala Lipis and $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur. That’s a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Kuala Lumpur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lipis, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Kuala Lumpur at $1,074. In Kuala Lipis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Lumpur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Lipis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.