Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $954 a month against $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $954 in Sarawak, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Sarawak $954

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,408 in Sarawak, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Sarawak $1,408

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,862 in Sarawak, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Sarawak $1,862

Kuala Lumpur costs about 13% more than Sarawak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Sarawak 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$3.58 MYR 14.60

39.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$19.96 MYR 81.3

45.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$4.70 MYR 19.16

3.19%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.96 MYR 12.06

2.03%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.77 MYR 3.13

2.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.39 MYR 1.59

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$3.95 MYR 16.08

13.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$4.57 MYR 18.63

34.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.75 MYR 7.13

20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.22 MYR 4.98

-8.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.36 MYR 5.53

41.91%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$2.26 MYR 9.20

8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$14.46 MYR 58.9

-1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$4.07 MYR 16.58

7.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$9.85 MYR 40.13

0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$2.90 MYR 11.81

19.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.45 MYR 5.89

22.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.24

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-4.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$1.31 MYR 5.34

15.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.23 MYR 5.02

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.24 MYR 5.06

4.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.11 MYR 4.50

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.46 MYR 1.89

54.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$4.27 MYR 17.41

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$16.86 MYR 68.7

17.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.71

$2.93 MYR 11.94

14.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$4.03 MYR 16.40

24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$10.56 MYR 43.04

17.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.12 MYR 4.55

7.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.51 MYR 2.08

145.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$6.93 MYR 28.22

-28.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$0.77 MYR 3.15

15.58%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$50.4K MYR 205.2K

-11.56%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$39.9K MYR 162.5K

-13.18%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$52.9 MYR 216

19.89%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$10.66 MYR 43.43

-19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$29.13 MYR 119

-9.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

$40.05 MYR 163

22.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

$7.22 MYR 29.42

1.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$5.60 MYR 22.83

-11.25%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$241 MYR 981

95.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

$6,956 MYR 28.3K

89.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$58.1 MYR 237

24.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$29.97 MYR 122

38.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$87.0 MYR 354

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$75.9 MYR 309

24.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,792

$410 MYR 1,669

67.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,459

$318 MYR 1,297

12.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,938

$704 MYR 2,870

72.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,417

$491 MYR 2,000

20.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

$2,170 MYR 8,841

73.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

$1,323 MYR 5,393

18.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

$349 MYR 1,420

318.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.06

2.71%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Sarawak

$318 33.4% 11.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Sarawak

$249 26.1% 9.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Sarawak

$113 11.8% 14% $18

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Sarawak

$112 11.7% 14.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Sarawak

$93 9.7% 5.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 13.3% $7.9

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Sarawak

$17 1.8% 24% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Kuala Lumpur versus $410 in Sarawak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Lumpur are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur versus $20 in Sarawak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $249 – making Sarawak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Sarawak 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,611 per month in Kuala Lumpur and $1,430 in Sarawak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $410 there versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Kuala Lumpur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur and $20 in Sarawak. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur and $954 in Sarawak, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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