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 12.3% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 24.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 15.3% more expensive than Shah Alam without rent, and 27% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 MYR 19.04

$3.10 MYR 12.23

55.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.46 MYR 112

$19.22 MYR 75.9

48.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 MYR 18.71

$4.12 MYR 16.27

15.05%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 11.83

$2.69 MYR 10.64

11.15%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.64

$0.73 MYR 2.90

26.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.11

$0.36 MYR 1.43

47.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 MYR 16.33

$3.56 MYR 14.06

16.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 22.65

$4.30 MYR 16.98

33.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 MYR 8.16

$1.83 MYR 7.22

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 3.99

$0.97 MYR 3.81

4.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.51

$1.49 MYR 5.90

10.74%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.92

$2.15 MYR 8.50

5.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 MYR 57.6

$13.93 MYR 55.0

4.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 17.78

$5.08 MYR 20.05

-11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 MYR 37.38

$8.30 MYR 32.78

13.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 MYR 11.78

$2.92 MYR 11.52

2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.45

$1.46 MYR 5.79

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 MYR 10.55

$2.56 MYR 10.12

4.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.83

$1.24 MYR 4.91

19.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.07

$1.19 MYR 4.68

7.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.26

$1.34 MYR 5.31

-0.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$0.97 MYR 3.84

24.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.47

$0.52 MYR 2.05

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 16.92

$4.24 MYR 16.75

0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 74.0

$19.00 MYR 75.0

-1.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 MYR 13.44

$2.60 MYR 10.26

30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 17.57

$3.97 MYR 15.69

12.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.76

$0.69 MYR 2.72

1.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.87 MYR 46.90

$15.02 MYR 59.3

-20.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$0.95 MYR 3.76

25.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MYR 4.35

$0.55 MYR 2.16

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 MYR 19.12

$6.99 MYR 27.63

-30.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.01

$0.50 MYR 1.96

2.00%

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

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

$34.0K MYR 134.3K

17.86%

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

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

$27.4K MYR 108.4K

19.33%

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

$63.6 MYR 251

$41.42 MYR 164

53.43%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.66

$10.06 MYR 39.73

12.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.49 MYR 101

$29.86 MYR 118

-14.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 MYR 180

$38.36 MYR 152

18.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 MYR 30.10

$5.82 MYR 23.00

30.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.19

$6.19 MYR 24.43

-17.45%

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

$272 MYR 1,073

$214 MYR 844

27.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

$6,149 MYR 24.3K

53.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 MYR 243

$48.45 MYR 191

26.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.67 MYR 145

$34.94 MYR 138

4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 MYR 336

$62.3 MYR 246

36.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MYR 313

$48.82 MYR 193

62.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,270

$358 MYR 1,415

60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,486

$263 MYR 1,038

43.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MYR 4,290

$575 MYR 2,269

89.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,492

$473 MYR 1,870

33.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

$1,530 MYR 6,044

157.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 MYR 6,125

$1,229 MYR 4,856

26.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,633 MYR 6,451

$1,254 MYR 4,954

30.22%

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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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