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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 12.3% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 34.8% more expensive than Sarawak without rent, and 26.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 MYR 19.31

$3.43 MYR 14.48

33.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 MYR 122

$19.12 MYR 80.6

50.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 20.13

$5.41 MYR 22.82

-11.83%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.48

$2.81 MYR 11.86

5.34%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.58

$0.73 MYR 3.06

16.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.37 MYR 1.54

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.82

$7.58 MYR 31.98

-44.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 25.11

$8.29 MYR 34.97

-28.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.78

$1.88 MYR 7.95

10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1 MYR 4.22

$1.02 MYR 4.32

-1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.92

$1.29 MYR 5.46

27.13%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.64

$2.11 MYR 8.88

8.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 62.6

$14.77 MYR 62.3

0.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 MYR 19.05

$2.56 MYR 10.79

76.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 40.1

$9.3 MYR 39.21

2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.46

$2.9 MYR 12.23

1.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.85

$1.51 MYR 6.36

7.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 MYR 11.37

$2.49 MYR 10.51

8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.38

$1.38 MYR 5.83

9.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.23 MYR 5.19

-1.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.92

$1.29 MYR 5.43

8.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 5.09

$1.05 MYR 4.43

15.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.87

$0.67 MYR 2.81

1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.68

$4.2 MYR 17.69

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.11 MYR 76.4

$16.1 MYR 67.9

12.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 MYR 14.06

$2.75 MYR 11.58

21.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 18.5

$2.92 MYR 12.33

50.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 3.06

$0.73 MYR 3.07

-1.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 49.49

$12 MYR 50.6

-2.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$1 MYR 4.2

13.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 MYR 19.35

$5.74 MYR 24.21

-20.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 2.01

$0.47 MYR 1.98

2.13%

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

$40K MYR 168.8K

$35.6K MYR 150.1K

12.49%

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

$33K MYR 139.2K

$30.9K MYR 130.2K

6.90%

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

$64.8 MYR 273

$43.74 MYR 184

48.13%

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

$11.7 MYR 49.34

$8.91 MYR 37.56

31.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.5 MYR 108

$29.62 MYR 125

-13.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 MYR 194

$37.06 MYR 156

23.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 MYR 32.73

$5.87 MYR 24.76

32.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MYR 22.03

$5.05 MYR 21.3

3.56%

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

$266 MYR 1,122

$185 MYR 782

43.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

$6,866 MYR 29K

34.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 259

$37 MYR 156

66.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 MYR 160

$38.29 MYR 161

-0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 MYR 364

$79.2 MYR 334

9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 MYR 336

$56.9 MYR 240

39.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,437

$328 MYR 1,383

76.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,566

$275 MYR 1,162

34.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MYR 4,472

$511 MYR 2,155

107.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 MYR 2,649

$355 MYR 1,496

77.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

$1,740 MYR 7,338

76.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,532 MYR 6,459

$1,159 MYR 4,888

32.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 MYR 5,659

$409 MYR 1,725

228.09%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sarawak: October 29, 2025

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