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 12.5% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 26.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 10% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 18% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 MYR 19.04

$3.52 MYR 13.92

36.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.46 MYR 112

$19.10 MYR 75.5

49.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 MYR 18.71

$4.79 MYR 18.93

-1.04%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 11.83

$2.67 MYR 10.53

11.99%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.64

$0.68 MYR 2.69

35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.11

$0.39 MYR 1.56

35.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 MYR 16.33

$2.33 MYR 9.22

77.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 22.65

$3.47 MYR 13.72

65.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 MYR 8.16

$1.68 MYR 6.63

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 3.99

$1.25 MYR 4.94

-19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.51

$1.68 MYR 6.62

-1.79%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.92

$2.91 MYR 11.50

-22.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 MYR 57.6

$25.95 MYR 102

-43.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 17.78

$3.64 MYR 14.36

23.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 MYR 37.38

$7.09 MYR 28.01

33.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 MYR 11.78

$2.66 MYR 10.52

12.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.45

$1.13 MYR 4.47

44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 MYR 10.55

$3.24 MYR 12.82

-17.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.83

$1.97 MYR 7.78

-24.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.07

$1.52 MYR 5.99

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.26

$1.71 MYR 6.74

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$1.13 MYR 4.45

7.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.47

$0.47 MYR 1.85

34.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 16.92

$4.02 MYR 15.88

6.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 74.0

$27.13 MYR 107

-30.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 MYR 13.44

$1.91 MYR 7.55

78.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 17.57

$1.63 MYR 6.44

173.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.76

$1.51 MYR 5.97

-53.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.87 MYR 46.90

$40.65 MYR 161

-70.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$1.87 MYR 7.37

-36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MYR 4.35

$0.44 MYR 1.72

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 MYR 19.12

$6.00 MYR 23.69

-19.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.01

$0.46 MYR 1.83

10.87%

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

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

35.26%

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

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

16.72%

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

$63.6 MYR 251

$51.2 MYR 202

24.19%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.66

$9.14 MYR 36.11

23.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.49 MYR 101

$32.66 MYR 129

-21.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 MYR 180

$43.05 MYR 170

5.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 MYR 30.10

$2.87 MYR 11.33

165.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.19

$4.76 MYR 18.80

7.35%

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

$272 MYR 1,073

$133 MYR 524

104.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

113.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 MYR 243

$59.0 MYR 233

4.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.67 MYR 145

$22.78 MYR 90.0

60.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 MYR 336

$71.1 MYR 281

19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MYR 313

$94.6 MYR 374

-16.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,270

$378 MYR 1,492

52.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,486

$162 MYR 641

131.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MYR 4,290

$645 MYR 2,548

68.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,492

$369 MYR 1,456

71.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

$1,893 MYR 7,478

107.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 MYR 6,125

$1,130 MYR 4,463

37.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,633 MYR 6,451

$612 MYR 2,417

166.96%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: 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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