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 4.8% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 20.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 11.5% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 16.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$3.51 MYR 13.85

30.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$18.61 MYR 73.3

54.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.17

$4.70 MYR 18.52

-1.91%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.26

$2.61 MYR 10.30

19.16%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.61

$0.64 MYR 2.53

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.36 MYR 1.43

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.35

$2.33 MYR 9.16

78.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.78

$3.56 MYR 14.01

62.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.84

$1.68 MYR 6.61

18.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

$1.24 MYR 4.90

-19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.81

$1.67 MYR 6.56

3.59%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.55

$2.93 MYR 11.54

-25.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.5

$26.42 MYR 104

-43.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.98

$3.45 MYR 13.59

32.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.20

$7.14 MYR 28.15

39.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.61

$2.66 MYR 10.47

10.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.42

$1.13 MYR 4.44

44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.22

$3.20 MYR 12.60

-19.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.04

$1.98 MYR 7.82

-22.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.87

$1.47 MYR 5.78

-15.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.50

$1.75 MYR 6.89

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.55

$1.12 MYR 4.41

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.48 MYR 1.88

29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.28

$4.15 MYR 16.36

-0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.9

$27.15 MYR 107

-30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.84

$1.91 MYR 7.51

70.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.26

$1.63 MYR 6.40

168.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$1.54 MYR 6.08

-51.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.19

$40.82 MYR 161

-70.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.70

$1.86 MYR 7.32

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.36

$0.46 MYR 1.82

141.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.51

$5.79 MYR 22.83

-18.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$0.49 MYR 1.95

-4.08%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

$29.8K MYR 117.4K

34.72%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

15.01%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$51.8 MYR 204

22.38%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.55

$9.14 MYR 35.99

23.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.7

$33.16 MYR 131

-23.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$42.77 MYR 169

9.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.66

$2.96 MYR 11.66

162.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.05

$4.57 MYR 18.00

16.85%

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

$264 MYR 1,038

$132 MYR 519

100.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

$4,466 MYR 17.6K

107.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$59.8 MYR 236

-0.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$22.69 MYR 89.4

62.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 345

$70.6 MYR 278

23.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$92.5 MYR 364

-12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,221

$382 MYR 1,506

47.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,449

$166 MYR 652

122.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,295

$656 MYR 2,585

66.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,519

$367 MYR 1,446

74.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$1,910 MYR 7,524

111.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,058

$1,123 MYR 4,426

36.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

$609 MYR 2,401

162.07%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 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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