Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
Learn more

Kuala Lumpur Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
Learn more

Bukit Mertajam Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuala Lumpur and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Bukit Mertajam $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,622 in Kuala Lumpur versus $976 in Bukit Mertajam.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Bukit Mertajam $976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,170 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Bukit Mertajam $1,331

Living in Kuala Lumpur is roughly 73% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$1.91 MYR 7.80

160.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$20.97 MYR 85.5

38.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$3.98 MYR 16.23

21.86%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$3.14 MYR 12.78

-3.82%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.69 MYR 2.83

14.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$4.51 MYR 18.37

-0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$6.26 MYR 25.50

-1.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.66 MYR 6.77

27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.12 MYR 4.57

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.95 MYR 7.95

-1.03%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$2.55 MYR 10.38

-3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$13.83 MYR 56.4

2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$4.41 MYR 17.98

-0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$9.98 MYR 40.68

-1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$3.39 MYR 13.81

2.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.76 MYR 7.17

1.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.24

$2.26 MYR 9.22

0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$1.55 MYR 6.32

-2.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.27 MYR 5.16

-3.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.12 MYR 4.55

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.67 MYR 2.72

5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$4.45 MYR 18.13

-3.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$19.54 MYR 79.6

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.71

$3.42 MYR 13.92

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$5.08 MYR 20.72

-1.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.24 MYR 5.04

-3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$1.19 MYR 4.86

5.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$4.95 MYR 20.18

0.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$0.81 MYR 3.31

9.88%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$43.9K MYR 178.7K

1.57%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$35.5K MYR 144.7K

-2.51%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$63.1 MYR 257

0.60%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$8.54 MYR 34.80

0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$26.67 MYR 109

-1.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$5.00 MYR 20.38

-0.60%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$249 MYR 1,014

89.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

0.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$70.5 MYR 287

2.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$41.35 MYR 168

0.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$86.7 MYR 353

-3.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$95.0 MYR 387

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,792

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,459

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,938

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,417

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

$572 MYR 2,332

154.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 1.9% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 0.6% $0.8

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 19.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 83.1% $49

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 68.2% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

Kuala Lumpur pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $29 in Kuala Lumpur vs $21 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $269 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

Same time as Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

212,329

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Bukit Mertajam 280 km

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur and $621 in Bukit Mertajam, so Bukit Mertajam is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Kuala Lumpur is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $472 in Kuala Lumpur versus $249 in Bukit Mertajam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – Bukit Mertajam is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bukit Mertajam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kuala Lumpur and Bukit Mertajam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bukit Mertajam wins on affordability, Kuala Lumpur on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.