Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 24.6% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 67.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 47.9% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 40.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 MYR 19.04

$1.76 MYR 6.95

173.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.46 MYR 112

$20.93 MYR 82.7

35.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 MYR 18.71

$4.20 MYR 16.59

12.86%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 11.83

$2.31 MYR 9.14

29.44%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.64

$0.46 MYR 1.81

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.11

$0.25 MYR 0.99

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 MYR 16.33

$4.27 MYR 16.88

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 22.65

$4.28 MYR 16.92

33.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 MYR 8.16

$1.49 MYR 5.88

38.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 3.99

$0.77 MYR 3.03

31.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.51

$0.77 MYR 3.05

114.29%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.92

$1.48 MYR 5.85

52.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 MYR 57.6

$15.12 MYR 59.7

-3.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 17.78

$2.96 MYR 11.71

52.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 MYR 37.38

$6.21 MYR 24.55

52.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 MYR 11.78

$1.43 MYR 5.65

108.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.45

$1.45 MYR 5.73

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 MYR 10.55

$1.38 MYR 5.46

93.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.83

$0.90 MYR 3.55

64.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.07

$0.81 MYR 3.22

58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.26

$1.20 MYR 4.75

10.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$0.95 MYR 3.74

27.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.47

$0.40 MYR 1.59

57.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 16.92

$3.04 MYR 12.01

40.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 74.0

$19.44 MYR 76.8

-3.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 MYR 13.44

$1.39 MYR 5.50

144.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 17.57

$3.39 MYR 13.40

31.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.76

$0.70 MYR 2.75

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.87 MYR 46.90

$11.85 MYR 46.80

0.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$0.70 MYR 2.76

70.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MYR 4.35

$0.53 MYR 2.10

107.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 MYR 19.12

$3.60 MYR 14.22

34.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.01

$0.50 MYR 1.99

2.00%

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

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

$30.1K MYR 119.0K

32.98%

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

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

$27.2K MYR 107.5K

20.29%

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

$63.6 MYR 251

$39.15 MYR 155

62.32%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.66

$8.41 MYR 33.22

34.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.49 MYR 101

$26.11 MYR 103

-2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 MYR 180

$37.05 MYR 146

23.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 MYR 30.10

$5.84 MYR 23.08

30.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.19

$4.27 MYR 16.87

19.67%

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

$272 MYR 1,073

$119 MYR 470

128.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

$6,291 MYR 24.8K

50.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 MYR 243

$52.2 MYR 206

17.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.67 MYR 145

$18.77 MYR 74.1

95.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 MYR 336

$61.6 MYR 243

38.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MYR 313

$52.6 MYR 208

50.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,270

$264 MYR 1,044

117.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,486

$140 MYR 553

168.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MYR 4,290

$860 MYR 3,395

26.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,492

$476 MYR 1,880

32.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 MYR 6,125

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,633 MYR 6,451

$304 MYR 1,199

438.12%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Kota Bharu: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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