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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 9.2% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 24.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 4.4% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 18.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$3.55 MYR 14.42

36.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$18.72 MYR 76.0

53.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$4.62 MYR 18.78

0.22%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.60 MYR 10.55

18.08%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.64 MYR 2.58

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.40 MYR 1.61

30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$2.40 MYR 9.72

75.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$3.44 MYR 13.95

68.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.69 MYR 6.85

18.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$1.20 MYR 4.87

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.68 MYR 6.83

-0.60%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.92 MYR 11.84

-22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$26.22 MYR 106

-43.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$3.57 MYR 14.51

26.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$7.21 MYR 29.29

36.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.53 MYR 10.26

13.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.16 MYR 4.72

37.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$3.16 MYR 12.81

-18.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$2.02 MYR 8.19

-27.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.51 MYR 6.12

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.72 MYR 6.97

-21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.07 MYR 4.35

8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.48 MYR 1.93

39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.10 MYR 16.66

1.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$19.44 MYR 78.9

-4.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$1.86 MYR 7.56

83.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$1.62 MYR 6.59

164.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$1.57 MYR 6.39

-54.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$40.90 MYR 166

-70.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.86 MYR 7.54

-34.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$0.44 MYR 1.78

152.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$5.78 MYR 23.48

-17.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.47 MYR 1.89

2.13%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

37.46%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

17.12%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$52.5 MYR 213

22.88%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$9.04 MYR 36.70

28.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$33.02 MYR 134

-22.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$42.82 MYR 174

7.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$2.99 MYR 12.14

167.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$4.78 MYR 19.42

11.92%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$129 MYR 522

106.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

112.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$59.7 MYR 242

2.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$22.57 MYR 91.6

63.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$71.7 MYR 291

21.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$94.7 MYR 385

-15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$376 MYR 1,526

53.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$165 MYR 669

121.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$653 MYR 2,653

61.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$372 MYR 1,509

73.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$1,848 MYR 7,502

95.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$1,092 MYR 4,434

41.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$580 MYR 2,356

158.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

3.8

17.63%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: January 11, 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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