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 14.2% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 25.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 7.2% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 14.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 MYR 19.31

$3.47 MYR 14.62

31.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 MYR 122

$19.14 MYR 80.7

50.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 20.13

$4.79 MYR 20.2

-0.42%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.48

$2.64 MYR 11.14

12.12%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.58

$0.64 MYR 2.72

32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.37 MYR 1.56

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.82

$2.3 MYR 9.71

83.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 25.11

$3.45 MYR 14.55

72.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.78

$1.73 MYR 7.29

20.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1 MYR 4.22

$1.18 MYR 5

-15.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.92

$1.73 MYR 7.28

-5.20%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.64

$2.89 MYR 12.18

-20.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 62.6

$26.25 MYR 111

-43.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 MYR 19.05

$3.51 MYR 14.82

28.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 40.1

$7.11 MYR 29.99

33.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.46

$2.55 MYR 10.75

15.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.85

$1.14 MYR 4.79

42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 MYR 11.37

$3.3 MYR 13.91

-18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.38

$2.01 MYR 8.5

-24.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.47 MYR 6.18

-17.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.92

$1.77 MYR 7.45

-20.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 5.09

$1.11 MYR 4.7

9.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.87

$0.47 MYR 1.98

44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.68

$4.04 MYR 17.04

3.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.11 MYR 76.4

$18.72 MYR 79

-3.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 MYR 14.06

$1.84 MYR 7.77

80.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 18.5

$1.61 MYR 6.78

172.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 3.06

$1.49 MYR 6.27

-51.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 49.49

$40.22 MYR 170

-70.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.92 MYR 8.09

-36.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$0.43 MYR 1.82

162.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 MYR 19.35

$5.79 MYR 24.43

-20.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 2.01

$0.46 MYR 1.93

4.35%

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

$40K MYR 168.8K

$29.6K MYR 124.7K

35.38%

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

$33K MYR 139.2K

$27.7K MYR 116.9K

19.06%

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

$64.8 MYR 273

$51.2 MYR 216

26.62%

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

$11.7 MYR 49.34

$8.97 MYR 37.84

30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.5 MYR 108

$33.43 MYR 141

-23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 MYR 194

$43.94 MYR 185

4.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 MYR 32.73

$2.98 MYR 12.57

160.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MYR 22.03

$4.58 MYR 19.33

14.19%

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

$266 MYR 1,122

$129 MYR 544

106.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

$4,457 MYR 18.8K

107.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 259

$60.6 MYR 255

1.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 MYR 160

$22.48 MYR 94.8

69.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 MYR 364

$71.1 MYR 300

21.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 MYR 336

$94 MYR 396

-15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,437

$379 MYR 1,598

52.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,566

$168 MYR 709

120.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MYR 4,472

$648 MYR 2,735

63.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 MYR 2,649

$366 MYR 1,544

71.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

$1,364 MYR 5,754

125.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,532 MYR 6,459

$1,139 MYR 4,804

34.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 MYR 5,659

$551 MYR 2,325

143.35%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 27, 2025

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