Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur versus $877 in Kedah.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,622 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,170 in Kuala Lumpur versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Kedah $1,920

Living in Kuala Lumpur is roughly 22% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Kedah 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$3.72 MYR 15.14

33.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$12.32 MYR 50.2

135.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$4.56 MYR 18.59

6.36%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.91 MYR 11.87

3.78%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.77 MYR 3.14

2.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.39 MYR 1.59

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$4.24 MYR 17.26

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$4.36 MYR 17.75

41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.88 MYR 7.66

12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.06 MYR 4.32

5.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.72 MYR 6.99

12.21%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$2.19 MYR 8.91

12.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$13.55 MYR 55.2

5.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$4.34 MYR 17.69

0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$8.84 MYR 36.02

11.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$2.94 MYR 11.98

17.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.63 MYR 6.65

9.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.24

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-17.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$1.45 MYR 5.92

4.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.10 MYR 4.48

11.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.09 MYR 4.43

19.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.13 MYR 4.61

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.57 MYR 2.34

24.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$4.62 MYR 18.83

-7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$18.76 MYR 76.5

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.71

$2.98 MYR 12.15

12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$5.33 MYR 21.72

-5.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.76 MYR 3.10

-7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$12.85 MYR 52.4

-3.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.66 MYR 6.76

-27.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.38 MYR 1.54

228.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$7.29 MYR 29.70

-31.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$0.60 MYR 2.46

48.33%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

-2.38%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-3.42%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$36.47 MYR 149

74.01%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$9.66 MYR 39.35

-10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$29.48 MYR 120

-10.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

$34.63 MYR 141

42.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

$6.85 MYR 27.92

6.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$4.79 MYR 19.53

3.76%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$388 MYR 1,579

21.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

23.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$58.9 MYR 240

22.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$34.76 MYR 142

19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$81.6 MYR 333

2.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$70.7 MYR 288

33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,792

$358 MYR 1,458

91.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,459

$258 MYR 1,051

38.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,938

$712 MYR 2,902

70.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,417

$607 MYR 2,472

-2.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

$1,930 MYR 7,865

94.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

$1,258 MYR 5,124

24.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

$1,339 MYR 5,456

8.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.04

3.22%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 27.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 6.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 15.7% $21

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 13.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 23.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Kedah

$44 5% 25.2% $15

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 14.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $685 in Kuala Lumpur and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuala Lumpur pays 9% 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: $29 in Kuala Lumpur vs $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

Same time as Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

417,800

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Lumpur vs Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuala Lumpur and Kedah differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,074 vs $877 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Kuala Lumpur, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $685 in Kuala Lumpur versus $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $472 in Kuala Lumpur versus $388 in Kedah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Kuala Lumpur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kedah 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 Kedah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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