Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Samsun

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $940 a month against $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
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Samsun Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $940 in Samsun, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Samsun $940

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,631 in Samsun, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Samsun $1,631

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $2,321 in Samsun, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Samsun $2,321

Kuala Lumpur costs about 14% more than Samsun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Samsun are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Samsun 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$10.06 ₺501

-50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$59.3 ₺2,955

-51.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$10.45 ₺521

-53.59%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$3.97 ₺198

-23.93%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.84 ₺41.83

-5.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.29 ₺14.35

55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$1.86 ₺92.5

140.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$2.03 ₺101

203.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.17 ₺58.4

80.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.94 ₺96.6

-42.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$2.73 ₺136

-29.30%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$2.44 ₺121

0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$8.20 ₺408

73.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$5.53 ₺276

-20.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$26.33 ₺1,312

-62.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$2.40 ₺120

44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$2.34 ₺117

-23.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.24

$1.46 ₺72.7

55.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$1.04 ₺51.8

45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.44 ₺21.86

179.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$0.34 ₺16.79

282.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$0.82 ₺40.77

39.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.68 ₺33.70

4.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$2.16 ₺108

98.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$8.79 ₺438

124.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.71

$1.61 ₺80.2

108.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$2.28 ₺114

120.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.60 ₺30.14

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$11.88 ₺592

4.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$2.03 ₺101

-40.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.63 ₺31.22

98.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$6.33 ₺315

-21.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$1.29 ₺64.1

-31.01%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

8.11%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$39.0K ₺1.9M

-11.15%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$87.1 ₺4,343

-27.17%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$12.43 ₺620

-30.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$12.50 ₺623

109.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

$30.67 ₺1,529

60.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

$5.89 ₺294

24.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$4.05 ₺202

22.72%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$256 ₺12.8K

84.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$23.82 ₺1,187

202.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$30.41 ₺1,515

36.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$69.7 ₺3,472

20.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$60.4 ₺3,012

56.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,792

$354 ₺17.6K

93.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,459

$246 ₺12.3K

45.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,938

$738 ₺36.8K

64.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,417

$612 ₺30.5K

-3.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

$973 ₺48.5K

286.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

$664 ₺33.1K

135.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

$934 ₺46.6K

55.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

-91.49%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Samsun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Samsun

$246 26.2% 31.2% $112

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Samsun

$264 28% 3.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Samsun

$83 8.8% 36.8% $48

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Samsun

$177 18.9% 36% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Samsun

$112 11.9% 14% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 34.5% $20

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Samsun

$19 2.1% 14.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Kuala Lumpur versus $354 in Samsun. 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 56% higher in Kuala Lumpur. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur versus $59 in Samsun. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Kuala Lumpur vs $264 in Samsun – so Samsun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

5 h behind Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

1,295,927

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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 = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.61 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Samsun 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Samsun

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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,611 per month in Kuala Lumpur and $1,410 in Samsun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samsun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $354 there versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Kuala Lumpur, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur and $59 in Samsun. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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