Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Tomsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,074 a month against $1,147 in Tomsk, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tomsk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Tomsk
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Tomsk Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Tomsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,147

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,147 in Tomsk, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Tomsk $1,147

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,768 in Tomsk, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Tomsk $1,768

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $2,389 in Tomsk, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Tomsk $2,389

Kuala Lumpur is about 6% cheaper than Tomsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kuala Lumpur and Tomsk are more affordable than the global median – Kuala Lumpur 21% lower, Tomsk 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$8.05 ₽644

-38.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$30.48 ₽2,438

-4.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$6.68 ₽535

-27.40%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.21 ₽177

36.65%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$0.91 ₽72.5

-13.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.42 ₽33.39

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$1.17 ₽93.6

282.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$3.34 ₽267

84.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.23 ₽98.3

71.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$0.70 ₽56.2

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.85

$0.99 ₽79.1

94.95%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$1.36 ₽109

80.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$12.20 ₽976

16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$4.71 ₽376

-7.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$9.92 ₽793

-0.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$1.73 ₽138

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.24

$1.95 ₽156

-8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.23

$2.23 ₽178

1.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$2.94 ₽235

-48.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$0.47 ₽37.29

161.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$0.36 ₽28.62

261.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.74 ₽139

-34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.51 ₽40.44

39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$2.79 ₽223

53.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$6.17 ₽493

220.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.70

$0.92 ₽73.4

265.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$1.65 ₽132

204.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.45 ₽36.37

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$18.51 ₽1,480

-32.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$2.42 ₽193

-50.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.32 ₽25.82

290.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$7.27 ₽582

-31.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$0.83 ₽66.4

7.23%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$54.1K ₽4.3M

-17.65%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

$41.8K ₽3.3M

-17.13%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$169 ₽13.5K

-62.45%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$8.39 ₽671

2.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$13.60 ₽1,088

92.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

$39.40 ₽3,151

24.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

$16.58 ₽1,326

-55.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$4.87 ₽390

2.05%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$252 ₽20.1K

87.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$122 ₽9,747

-40.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$74.6 ₽5,969

-44.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$176 ₽14.1K

-52.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$126 ₽10.1K

-25.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,791

$511 ₽40.9K

34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,458

$332 ₽26.5K

7.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,937

$828 ₽66.3K

46.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,416

$651 ₽52.1K

-8.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

$2,096 ₽167.7K

79.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

$1,534 ₽122.7K

2.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,938

$930 ₽74.4K

56.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

-81.05%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tomsk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Tomsk

$332 28.9% 7.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Tomsk

$198 17.3% 27.9% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Tomsk

$224 19.6% 70.8% $93

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Tomsk

$129 11.2% 1.1% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Tomsk

$191 16.7% 94.3% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Tomsk

$49 4.3% 16.9% $10

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Tomsk

$24 2.1% 7.5% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Kuala Lumpur versus $511 in Tomsk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 57% higher in Kuala Lumpur, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur versus $30 in Tomsk. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Kuala Lumpur vs $198 in Tomsk – so Tomsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇷🇺 Tomsk

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

09:52 9:52 AM

1 h behind Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

551,505

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Tomsk 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Tomsk

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 Tomsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tomsk is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,611 per month in Kuala Lumpur and $1,721 in Tomsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tomsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Tomsk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur and $30 in Tomsk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur and $1,147 in Tomsk, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kuala Lumpur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur to $1,147 in Tomsk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.