Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,086 a month against $1,216 in Port Elizabeth, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,086

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuala Lumpur and in Port Elizabeth

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

A single person spends $1,086 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,216 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,086
Port Elizabeth $1,216

A couple spends around $1,663 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,835 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,663
Port Elizabeth $1,835

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $2,453 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,239
Port Elizabeth $2,453

Kuala Lumpur is about 11% cheaper than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Port Elizabeth are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 20% lower, Port Elizabeth 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 MYR 19.40

$11.00 R 181

-56.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.15 MYR 119

$41.67 R 687

-30.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 19.50

$5.84 R 96.2

-18.15%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.57

$2.17 R 35.81

41.94%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.42

$1.03 R 16.91

-18.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.76 R 12.59

-38.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$2.69 R 44.37

66.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 MYR 24.35

$3.24 R 53.3

84.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 MYR 8.31

$1.12 R 18.39

82.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.51

$1.04 R 17.20

6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.51 R 24.94

33.77%

Eggs

$2.49 MYR 10.15

$2.81 R 46.35

-11.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.20 MYR 57.9

$8.58 R 141

65.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 MYR 18.11

$5.33 R 87.7

-16.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 40.19

$8.36 R 138

17.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 MYR 14.29

$2.19 R 36.04

59.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.49 R 24.58

22.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 MYR 9.36

$1.70 R 28.04

34.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.53

$1.81 R 29.74

-11.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.44

$1.66 R 27.41

-19.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$1.45 R 23.83

-6.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.83

$1.26 R 20.72

-6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$0.99 R 16.39

-32.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MYR 18.46

$3.26 R 53.8

38.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.75 MYR 80.6

$4.82 R 79.4

309.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 MYR 14.43

$1.27 R 20.99

178.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MYR 20.12

$1.82 R 30.00

170.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.10 R 18.17

-36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.8

$36.67 R 604

-66.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.04

$2.04 R 33.68

-39.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.50 R 8.25

138.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 MYR 19.90

$8.45 R 139

-42.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.59

$1.48 R 24.38

-40.54%

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

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

$35.8K R 589.5K

16.76%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

$34.1K R 562.5K

2.25%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$125 R 2,058

-51.03%

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

$8.63 MYR 35.22

$34.90 R 575

-75.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.31 MYR 107

$44.55 R 734

-40.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.33 MYR 201

$32.20 R 530

53.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 MYR 30.46

$23.27 R 383

-67.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 MYR 20.17

$10.74 R 177

-53.91%

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

$302 MYR 1,234

$177 R 2,924

70.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.4K

$6,046 R 99.6K

120.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 MYR 292

$72.4 R 1,193

-1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.57 MYR 170

$38.28 R 631

8.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 MYR 345

$110 R 1,806

-22.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 MYR 397

$95.6 R 1,574

1.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 MYR 2,490

$598 R 9,859

2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,513

$415 R 6,838

-10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 MYR 4,646

$808 R 13.3K

40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 MYR 2,696

$682 R 11.2K

-3.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,114 MYR 16.8K

$764 R 12.6K

438.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,500 MYR 6,120

$522 R 8,604

187.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,494 MYR 6,093

$1,625 R 26.8K

-8.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

11.94

-64.99%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$371 34.1%

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1% 12% $44

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$276 25.4%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 28.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 7.1% $9.4

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$129 11.9%

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1% 23% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.9%

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8% 113% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4% 9.4% $5.5

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$22 2.1%

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8% 103% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $610 in Kuala Lumpur versus $598 in Port Elizabeth. 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 9% higher in Port Elizabeth, 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 $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Kuala Lumpur vs $197 in Port Elizabeth – so Port Elizabeth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

6 h behind Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Port Elizabeth 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Elizabeth is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,629 per month in Kuala Lumpur and $1,824 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 40% cheaper in Port Elizabeth – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur and $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. 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 Kuala Lumpur, where all-in costs run around $1,086, than in Port Elizabeth at $1,216. In Kuala Lumpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Elizabeth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Lumpur – 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 Kuala Lumpur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Elizabeth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.