Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Makhachkala

For one person, living costs are similar in Kuala Lumpur and in Makhachkala: $1,074 and $1,099 a month, rent and utilities included.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
Learn more

Kuala Lumpur Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
Learn more

Makhachkala Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,099

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Makhachkala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,099 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Makhachkala $1,099

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,726 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Makhachkala $1,726

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $2,353 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Makhachkala $2,353

Kuala Lumpur and Makhachkala have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Makhachkala are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Makhachkala 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$11.07 ₽893

-55.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$43.32 ₽3,494

-32.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$5.88 ₽474

-17.52%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.84 ₽229

6.34%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$1.04 ₽84.2

-24.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.59 ₽47.68

-23.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$2.12 ₽171

111.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$3.04 ₽245

102.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.15 ₽93.1

83.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$0.73 ₽59.2

53.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.41 ₽114

36.88%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$1.61 ₽130

52.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$11.56 ₽932

23.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$5.31 ₽428

-17.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$11.81 ₽953

-16.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$1.79 ₽145

93.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.80 ₽146

-1.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.24

$1.81 ₽146

25.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$2.81 ₽227

-46.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.83 ₽67.1

48.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$0.64 ₽51.6

103.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.46 ₽117

-21.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.73 ₽58.5

-2.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$2.74 ₽221

56.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$7.98 ₽644

147.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.71

$1.16 ₽93.2

189.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$2.29 ₽185

119.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.51 ₽41.23

37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$27.57 ₽2,223

-54.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$2.31 ₽186

-48.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.36 ₽29.10

247.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$6.47 ₽521

-23.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$0.81 ₽65.3

9.88%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$56.8K ₽4.6M

-21.54%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$45.6K ₽3.7M

-24.09%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$134 ₽10.8K

-52.60%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$5.57 ₽449

54.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$7.53 ₽607

248.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

$36.40 ₽2,936

35.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

$27.47 ₽2,215

-73.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$6.61 ₽533

-24.81%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$365 ₽29.4K

29.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

$7,058 ₽569.2K

86.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$76.8 ₽6,193

-6.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$49.45 ₽3,988

-16.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$141 ₽11.4K

-40.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$93.2 ₽7,513

1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,792

$481 ₽38.8K

42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,459

$330 ₽26.6K

8.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,938

$943 ₽76.1K

28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,417

$599 ₽48.3K

-0.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

$2,318 ₽186.9K

62.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

$1,510 ₽121.8K

3.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

$630 ₽50.8K

131.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

21.45

-80.56%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Makhachkala

$330 30% 7.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Makhachkala

$213 19.4% 22.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Makhachkala

$162 14.8% 23.6% $31

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Makhachkala

$163 14.9% 25.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Makhachkala

$147 13.4% 49.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Makhachkala

$50 4.5% 16.1% $9.5

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Makhachkala

$34 3.1% 48.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Kuala Lumpur versus $481 in Makhachkala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Lumpur are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur versus $43 in Makhachkala. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Kuala Lumpur vs $213 in Makhachkala – so Makhachkala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

03:14 3:14 AM

5 h behind Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

604,266

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Makhachkala 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,611 per month in Kuala Lumpur and $1,649 in Makhachkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Makhachkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur and $43 in Makhachkala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Kuala Lumpur. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur and $1,099 in Makhachkala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kuala Lumpur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur to $1,099 in Makhachkala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.