Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Artem

For one person, living costs are similar in Kuala Lumpur and in Artem: $1,067 and $1,095 a month, rent and utilities included.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Artem
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Artem Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

Artem

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,095 in Artem.

Kuala Lumpur $1,067
Artem $1,095

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,662 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,729 in Artem.

Kuala Lumpur $1,662
Artem $1,729

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,257 in Kuala Lumpur versus $2,362 in Artem.

Kuala Lumpur $2,257
Artem $2,362

Living in Kuala Lumpur costs roughly 3% less than in Artem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Lumpur 20% lower, Artem 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.80 MYR 19.60

$11.95 ₽1,017

-59.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.82 MYR 118

$35.43 ₽3,015

-18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 MYR 20.40

$6.30 ₽536

-20.63%

Cappuccino

$3.05 MYR 12.47

$3.02 ₽257

0.99%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$1.04 ₽88.6

-18.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.84

$0.69 ₽58.5

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.41

$1.45 ₽123

211.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.00 MYR 24.50

$2.30 ₽196

160.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.63

$1.68 ₽143

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.40

$0.66 ₽56.0

63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.24

$1.61 ₽137

25.47%

Eggs

$2.55 MYR 10.40

$2.34 ₽199

8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 MYR 56.6

$13.16 ₽1,120

5.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 MYR 17.91

$6.23 ₽530

-29.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.46

$11.07 ₽942

-12.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.16

$2.90 ₽247

19.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.23

$2.08 ₽177

-14.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 MYR 9.21

$2.69 ₽229

-16.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.34

$4.12 ₽351

-62.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.43

$0.98 ₽83.3

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.64

$1.03 ₽87.7

33.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.79

$1.29 ₽110

-9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.73

$1.05 ₽89.3

-36.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MYR 17.87

$2.91 ₽248

50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.87 MYR 77.1

$7.61 ₽648

147.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 MYR 14.78

$1.16 ₽98.6

212.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.64

$2.30 ₽196

120.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$0.56 ₽47.30

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.46 MYR 50.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$2.40 ₽204

-47.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$0.34 ₽29.07

264.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.82 MYR 19.68

$5.89 ₽501

-18.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.52

$0.86 ₽72.8

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

$41.4K MYR 168.8K

$44.8K ₽3.8M

-7.79%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$35.2K ₽3.0M

-1.83%

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

$61.5 MYR 251

$153 ₽13.0K

-59.84%

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

$8.60 MYR 35.12

$8.22 ₽699

4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.25 MYR 107

$9.21 ₽784

185.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.06 MYR 200

$37.85 ₽3,221

29.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.69 MYR 31.39

$20.31 ₽1,728

-62.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 MYR 20.23

$5.34 ₽454

-7.30%

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

$295 MYR 1,204

$348 ₽29.6K

-15.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

$6,051 ₽514.9K

118.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 MYR 296

$78.1 ₽6,643

-7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.57 MYR 170

$51.6 ₽4,389

-19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 MYR 350

$97.2 ₽8,270

-11.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 MYR 389

$125 ₽10.6K

-23.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 MYR 2,553

$387 ₽32.9K

61.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 MYR 1,545

$312 ₽26.5K

21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 MYR 4,806

$983 ₽83.7K

19.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,608

$629 ₽53.5K

1.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

$2,160 ₽183.8K

90.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 MYR 6,141

$1,297 ₽110.3K

16.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,491 MYR 6,088

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

23.6

-82.29%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Last update for Artem: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7%

Artem

$312 28% 17.6% $67

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25%

Artem

$250 22.4% 8.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2%

Artem

$158 14.2% 19.2% $25

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9%

Artem

$170 15.2% 30.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8%

Artem

$170 15.3% 77% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4%

Artem

$49 4.4% 17.7% $10

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Artem

$6.3 * 0.6% 72.2% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $625 in Kuala Lumpur and $387 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur vs $35.00 in Artem. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $250, with Artem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇷🇺 Artem

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

2 h ahead of Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

104,926

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Artem 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Artem

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 Lumpur vs Artem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuala Lumpur wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Artem. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kuala Lumpur the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,600 in Kuala Lumpur and $1,643 in Artem to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $625 in Kuala Lumpur versus $387 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $295 in Kuala Lumpur versus $348 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $35.00 in Artem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,095 in Artem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuala Lumpur but tight or insufficient in Artem. The gap between the two cities makes Kuala Lumpur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kuala Lumpur delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,067 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kuala Lumpur hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kuala Lumpur and Artem 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 Kuala Lumpur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Artem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.