Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Yekaterinburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,074 a month against $1,429 in Yekaterinburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index

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Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $1,429 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,074
Yekaterinburg $1,429

A couple spends around $1,622 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $2,334 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $1,622
Yekaterinburg $2,334

A family of three spends $2,170 per month in Kuala Lumpur vs $3,238 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Kuala Lumpur $2,170
Yekaterinburg $3,238

Kuala Lumpur is about 25% cheaper than Yekaterinburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Kuala Lumpur sits 21% below the global median, while Yekaterinburg is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.98 MYR 20.28

$13.57 ₽1,094

-63.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.03 MYR 118

$51.7 ₽4,169

-43.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.78

$6.85 ₽553

-29.20%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$2.54 ₽205

18.90%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$1.25 ₽100

-36.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.39 ₽31.78

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$2.37 ₽191

89.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.11

$3.01 ₽243

104.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 MYR 8.60

$1.23 ₽98.9

71.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$0.69 ₽55.9

62.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.25 ₽101

54.40%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.01

$1.74 ₽140

41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.24 MYR 58.0

$11.72 ₽946

21.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.80

$5.57 ₽449

-21.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 MYR 40.19

$13.66 ₽1,102

-27.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MYR 14.09

$2.10 ₽170

64.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.78 ₽143

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.24

$1.50 ₽121

51.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.16

$2.83 ₽228

-46.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.71 ₽57.4

73.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$0.58 ₽46.68

124.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.54 ₽124

-25.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$0.97 ₽78.3

-26.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.46

$3.49 ₽282

22.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 MYR 80.5

$7.58 ₽611

160.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 13.71

$1.43 ₽116

134.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MYR 20.45

$2.68 ₽216

87.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.86

$0.51 ₽41.10

37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.7

$18.31 ₽1,476

-32.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$4.30 ₽346

-72.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.22 ₽17.47

468.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MYR 20.30

$4.47 ₽361

11.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.62

$0.88 ₽70.9

1.14%

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

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

$54.2K ₽4.4M

-17.75%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

$38.6K ₽3.1M

-10.35%

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

$63.5 MYR 259

$125 ₽10.1K

-49.15%

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

$8.62 MYR 35.13

$6.04 ₽487

42.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.24 MYR 107

$12.47 ₽1,006

110.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 MYR 200

$44.86 ₽3,618

9.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.32 MYR 29.84

$37.83 ₽3,051

-80.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$7.46 ₽602

-33.38%

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

$472 MYR 1,921

$362 ₽29.2K

30.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.8K

$3,836 ₽309.4K

243.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MYR 294

$141 ₽11.4K

-48.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 MYR 169

$106 ₽8,539

-60.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 MYR 342

$242 ₽19.5K

-65.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 MYR 384

$179 ₽14.5K

-47.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 MYR 2,792

$816 ₽65.8K

-16.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,459

$490 ₽39.5K

-26.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 MYR 4,938

$1,347 ₽108.6K

-10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 MYR 2,417

$1,051 ₽84.7K

-43.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

$2,598 ₽209.5K

44.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MYR 6,375

$1,737 ₽140.1K

-9.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,458 MYR 5,939

$965 ₽77.8K

51.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

22.22

-81.23%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yekaterinburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3%

Yekaterinburg

$490 34.3% 37% $132

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5%

Yekaterinburg

$225 15.8% 17.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2%

Yekaterinburg

$301 21% 129% $169

Eating Out

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1%

Yekaterinburg

$184 12.9% 41.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2%

Yekaterinburg

$143 10% 45.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5%

Yekaterinburg

$60 4.2% 1.1% $0.6

Getting Around

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1%

Yekaterinburg

$26 1.8% 13.5% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $685 in Kuala Lumpur versus $816 in Yekaterinburg. 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 51% 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 $52 in Yekaterinburg. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Kuala Lumpur vs $225 in Yekaterinburg – so Yekaterinburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

3 h behind Kuala Lumpur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,982,112 Capital

1,495,066

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 28, 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kuala Lumpur Yekaterinburg 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Lumpur
Yekaterinburg

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 Yekaterinburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Yekaterinburg is pricier by about 33%, 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 $2,143 in Yekaterinburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Lumpur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $685 there versus $816 in Yekaterinburg.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Yekaterinburg – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29 in Kuala Lumpur and $52 in Yekaterinburg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kuala Lumpur costs $1,074 versus $1,429 in Yekaterinburg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.