Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $1,020 a month against $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,086

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuala Lumpur and in Labuan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kuala Lumpur and in Labuan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,086 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,020 in Labuan, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,086
Labuan $1,020

A couple spends around $1,663 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,487 in Labuan, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,663
Labuan $1,487

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,953 in Labuan, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,239
Labuan $1,953

Kuala Lumpur costs about 6% more than Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Labuan are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 20% lower, Labuan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 MYR 19.40

$5.52 MYR 22.53

-13.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.15 MYR 119

$24.16 MYR 98.6

20.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.50

$6.66 MYR 27.19

-28.23%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.57

$3.93 MYR 16.05

-21.63%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.42

$1.06 MYR 4.34

-20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.45 MYR 1.83

4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$3.72 MYR 15.19

20.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 MYR 24.35

$4.53 MYR 18.48

31.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 MYR 8.31

$1.82 MYR 7.43

12.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.51

$1.04 MYR 4.26

6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.49 MYR 6.07

35.57%

Eggs

$2.49 MYR 10.15

$2.10 MYR 8.58

18.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.20 MYR 57.9

$16.82 MYR 68.6

-15.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 MYR 18.11

$4.42 MYR 18.03

0.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.19

$9.50 MYR 38.76

3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 MYR 14.29

$3.17 MYR 12.95

10.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.83 MYR 7.46

-0.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 MYR 9.36

$2.39 MYR 9.75

-4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.44

$1.39 MYR 5.68

-4.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$1.03 MYR 4.20

32.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.83

$1.18 MYR 4.81

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$0.54 MYR 2.20

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MYR 18.46

$5.04 MYR 20.57

-10.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.75 MYR 80.6

$16.29 MYR 66.5

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 MYR 14.43

$3.21 MYR 13.11

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MYR 20.12

$4.39 MYR 17.90

12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.8

$10.66 MYR 43.48

16.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.04

$1.34 MYR 5.47

-8.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.48 MYR 1.97

147.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 MYR 19.90

$6.48 MYR 26.43

-24.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.59

$0.88 MYR 3.58

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

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-5.05%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

7.31%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$48.90 MYR 199

25.09%

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

$8.63 MYR 35.22

$9.68 MYR 39.49

-10.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.31 MYR 107

$27.69 MYR 113

-4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.33 MYR 201

$41.60 MYR 170

18.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 MYR 30.46

$7.68 MYR 31.32

-2.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 MYR 20.17

$4.29 MYR 17.51

15.38%

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

$302 MYR 1,234

$208 MYR 849

45.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.4K

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

90.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 MYR 292

$55.8 MYR 228

28.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.57 MYR 170

$30.07 MYR 123

38.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 MYR 345

$87.0 MYR 355

-2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 MYR 397

$81.8 MYR 334

19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 MYR 2,490

$433 MYR 1,768

40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,513

$342 MYR 1,397

8.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 MYR 4,646

$641 MYR 2,614

77.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 MYR 2,696

$464 MYR 1,892

42.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,114 MYR 16.8K

$2,282 MYR 9,308

80.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,500 MYR 6,120

$1,136 MYR 4,636

32.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,494 MYR 6,093

$374 MYR 1,525

299.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

4.06

2.96%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$371 34.1%

Labuan

$342 33.6% 7.6% $28

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$276 25.4%

Labuan

$264 25.9% 4.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2%

Labuan

$115 11.2% 13.7% $18

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$129 11.9%

Labuan

$145 14.2% 12.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.9%

Labuan

$86 8.5% 10.3% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Labuan

$50 4.9% 15.2% $9

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$22 2.1%

Labuan

$18 1.7% 21.9% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $610 in Kuala Lumpur versus $433 in Labuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 300% higher in Kuala Lumpur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur versus $24.00 in Labuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $264 – making Labuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

95,120

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Labuan 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Kuala Lumpur
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,629 per month in Kuala Lumpur and $1,530 in Labuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Labuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Kuala Lumpur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur and $24.00 in Labuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Labuan, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Kuala Lumpur at $1,086. In Labuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Lumpur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Labuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Labuan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Lumpur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.