Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 5.7% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 16.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 7.1% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 29.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.05

$3.57 MYR 14.12

28.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 114

$18.50 MYR 73.1

55.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.22

$5.32 MYR 21.00

-13.35%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.29

$2.72 MYR 10.76

14.34%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.62

$0.76 MYR 3.02

21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.37 MYR 1.45

40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.40

$7.76 MYR 30.66

-46.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.84

$8.62 MYR 34.04

-32.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.86

$1.82 MYR 7.19

9.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.95

$0.95 MYR 3.74

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.83

$1.25 MYR 4.95

38.40%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.57

$2.07 MYR 8.19

4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.6

$15.13 MYR 59.8

-1.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.02

$2.60 MYR 10.29

75.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.30

$9.27 MYR 36.63

7.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.64

$2.87 MYR 11.32

2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.44

$1.52 MYR 6.00

7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.25

$2.62 MYR 10.34

-1.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.05

$1.38 MYR 5.45

10.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.88

$1.18 MYR 4.68

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.51

$1.29 MYR 5.08

8.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.56

$1.04 MYR 4.09

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.45

$0.68 MYR 2.68

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.32

$4.15 MYR 16.38

-0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 74.1

$21.77 MYR 86.0

-13.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.87

$2.75 MYR 10.87

18.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.30

$2.89 MYR 11.41

51.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.70 MYR 2.75

5.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.31

$11.84 MYR 46.76

1.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$1.20 MYR 4.72

-0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.37

$0.99 MYR 3.92

12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.55

$5.95 MYR 23.50

-21.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$0.50 MYR 1.99

-6.00%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.6K

$35.2K MYR 139.1K

14.06%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.7K

$32.0K MYR 126.5K

0.14%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$43.22 MYR 171

46.62%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.67

$8.98 MYR 35.46

25.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.9

$29.36 MYR 116

-13.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 185

$37.52 MYR 148

24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.74

$5.82 MYR 22.98

33.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.10

$4.89 MYR 19.32

9.20%

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

$264 MYR 1,041

$191 MYR 755

37.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.6K

$6,812 MYR 26.9K

35.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$36.39 MYR 144

64.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 146

$39.41 MYR 156

-6.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 346

$77.4 MYR 306

13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$56.1 MYR 221

44.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,226

$335 MYR 1,322

68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,452

$267 MYR 1,056

37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,306

$510 MYR 2,013

113.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,526

$357 MYR 1,411

78.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$1,750 MYR 6,913

130.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,073

$882 MYR 3,484

74.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,309

$432 MYR 1,705

269.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.07

9.83%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: March 1, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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