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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 25.2% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 20.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 14.7% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 25.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$3.60 MYR 14.62

34.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$19.20 MYR 77.9

50.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$5.15 MYR 20.90

-10.10%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.73 MYR 11.08

12.45%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.73 MYR 2.97

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.39 MYR 1.59

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$7.87 MYR 31.95

-46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$8.15 MYR 33.09

-28.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.88 MYR 7.61

6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$1.00 MYR 4.06

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.29 MYR 5.23

29.46%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.10 MYR 8.54

8.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$15.27 MYR 62.0

-2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$2.61 MYR 10.59

72.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$9.48 MYR 38.49

3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.90 MYR 11.78

-1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.47 MYR 5.98

8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$2.59 MYR 10.51

-0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.38 MYR 5.62

5.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.18 MYR 4.77

4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.27 MYR 5.14

6.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.04 MYR 4.24

11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.64 MYR 2.59

4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.35 MYR 17.65

-4.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$15.49 MYR 62.9

19.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$2.82 MYR 11.45

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$2.89 MYR 11.74

48.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.69 MYR 2.79

4.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$11.95 MYR 48.51

-0.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.17 MYR 4.75

3.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$0.99 MYR 4.00

12.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$6.03 MYR 24.48

-20.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.47 MYR 1.90

2.13%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$34.8K MYR 141.3K

17.02%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$31.8K MYR 128.9K

0.65%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$44.29 MYR 180

45.65%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$9.01 MYR 36.57

28.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$29.01 MYR 118

-11.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$37.22 MYR 151

23.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$5.76 MYR 23.39

39.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$5.05 MYR 20.50

5.94%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$187 MYR 760

41.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$6,860 MYR 27.9K

38.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$36.75 MYR 149

66.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$39.20 MYR 159

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$77.9 MYR 316

11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$56.3 MYR 229

41.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$336 MYR 1,365

71.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$270 MYR 1,095

35.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$505 MYR 2,051

108.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$353 MYR 1,433

83.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$1,620 MYR 6,578

123.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$879 MYR 3,571

76.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$425 MYR 1,726

252.75%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: January 13, 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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