Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 5% more expensive than Butterworth without rent, and 22.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 29.2% more expensive than Butterworth without rent, and 23.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$3.03 MYR 12.32

59.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$21.40 MYR 86.9

34.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$4.63 MYR 18.80

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.93 MYR 11.91

4.78%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.73 MYR 2.95

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.33 MYR 1.35

57.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$4.30 MYR 17.47

-2.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$4.36 MYR 17.72

33.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.82 MYR 7.40

9.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$0.99 MYR 4.03

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.65 MYR 6.70

1.21%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.06 MYR 8.37

10.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$14.39 MYR 58.4

3.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$4.66 MYR 18.93

-3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$9.60 MYR 38.98

2.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.78 MYR 11.29

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.49 MYR 6.06

6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$2.71 MYR 11.00

-4.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.52 MYR 6.18

-3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.13 MYR 4.60

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.20 MYR 4.87

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$0.95 MYR 3.85

22.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.48 MYR 1.96

39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.33 MYR 17.58

-3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$18.75 MYR 76.1

-1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$2.66 MYR 10.79

28.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$3.41 MYR 13.86

25.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.69 MYR 2.81

4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$11.60 MYR 47.11

2.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$0.73 MYR 2.95

65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$0.53 MYR 2.16

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$4.66 MYR 18.94

2.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.46 MYR 1.87

4.35%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$33.1K MYR 134.5K

22.90%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$27.4K MYR 111.1K

16.82%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$38.24 MYR 155

68.70%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$10.06 MYR 40.86

15.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$25.34 MYR 103

1.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$37.51 MYR 152

22.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$5.96 MYR 24.18

34.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$5.02 MYR 20.37

6.57%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$234 MYR 949

13.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$6,297 MYR 25.6K

50.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$55.4 MYR 225

10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$28.79 MYR 117

28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$60.5 MYR 246

43.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$52.2 MYR 212

53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$383 MYR 1,553

51.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$274 MYR 1,111

33.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$657 MYR 2,666

60.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$468 MYR 1,901

37.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$1,588 MYR 6,446

127.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$951 MYR 3,861

63.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$957 MYR 3,884

56.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.16

7.45%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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