Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 16.3% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 16.4% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 21.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$3.10 MYR 12.22

47.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$19.09 MYR 75.2

50.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.17

$4.36 MYR 17.20

5.73%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.26

$2.70 MYR 10.63

15.19%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.61

$0.67 MYR 2.63

37.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.40 MYR 1.56

30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.35

$3.63 MYR 14.29

14.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.78

$4.45 MYR 17.53

29.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.84

$1.88 MYR 7.40

5.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.81

$1.48 MYR 5.85

16.89%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.55

$2.07 MYR 8.16

4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.5

$13.99 MYR 55.1

6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.98

$5.10 MYR 20.11

-10.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.20

$8.35 MYR 32.90

19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.61

$2.93 MYR 11.56

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.42

$1.45 MYR 5.73

12.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.22

$2.58 MYR 10.16

0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.04

$1.26 MYR 4.98

21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.87

$1.18 MYR 4.66

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.50

$1.34 MYR 5.28

4.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.55

$0.95 MYR 3.76

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.53 MYR 2.08

16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.28

$4.25 MYR 16.74

-2.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.9

$19.61 MYR 77.3

-4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.84

$2.71 MYR 10.69

20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.26

$3.92 MYR 15.43

11.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.69 MYR 2.70

7.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.19

$15.40 MYR 60.7

-22.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.70

$0.97 MYR 3.82

22.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.36

$0.54 MYR 2.14

105.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.51

$7.28 MYR 28.69

-35.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-6.00%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

$33.9K MYR 133.5K

18.56%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

$27.4K MYR 107.8K

17.25%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$41.23 MYR 162

53.70%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.55

$10.06 MYR 39.64

12.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.7

$30.59 MYR 121

-17.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$37.83 MYR 149

23.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.66

$5.97 MYR 23.53

30.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.05

$6.17 MYR 24.29

-13.45%

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

$264 MYR 1,038

$214 MYR 844

22.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

$6,253 MYR 24.6K

48.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$49.91 MYR 197

19.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$34.95 MYR 138

5.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 345

$60.4 MYR 238

44.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$49.52 MYR 195

63.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,221

$372 MYR 1,466

51.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,449

$268 MYR 1,058

36.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,295

$586 MYR 2,310

85.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,519

$488 MYR 1,922

31.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$1,561 MYR 6,151

158.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,058

$1,215 MYR 4,789

26.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

$1,277 MYR 5,032

25.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.16

7.45%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: March 1, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: 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

Similar cities

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

Casablanca

🇲🇦 Morocco

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China