Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaysia and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $932 in Malaysia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Malaysia
Learn more

Malaysia Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$932

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malaysia and in India

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Malaysia and in India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $932 in Malaysia versus $399 in India.

Malaysia $932
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,393 in Malaysia versus $639 in India.

Malaysia $1,393
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Malaysia versus $879 in India.

Malaysia $1,855
India $879

Malaysia ($531–$1,288) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Malaysia is roughly 133% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Malaysia 32% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 MYR 14.95

$2.14 ₹203

71.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.0

$10.46 ₹993

83.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.10

$3.80 ₹361

30.53%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MYR 11.17

$1.68 ₹159

63.69%

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

$0.80 MYR 3.25

$0.38 ₹35.93

110.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.57

$0.15 ₹14.58

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 MYR 14.66

$1.87 ₹177

93.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MYR 20.32

$3.18 ₹302

57.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.53

$0.62 ₹59.1

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$0.50 ₹47.69

110.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.67

$0.63 ₹60.2

122.22%

Eggs

$2.10 MYR 8.53

$0.96 ₹91.1

118.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 MYR 53.4

$4.85 ₹460

171.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 MYR 16.77

$2.84 ₹270

45.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.60 MYR 34.87

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.37

$2.00 ₹190

52.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.55

$0.65 ₹61.3

147.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.79

$0.97 ₹92.1

174.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.14

$0.47 ₹44.23

221.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.72

$0.34 ₹31.82

241.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.02

$0.42 ₹39.66

195.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.79

$0.47 ₹44.32

151.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.36

$0.31 ₹29.63

87.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 MYR 18.01

$5.08 ₹482

-12.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 MYR 76.4

$7.31 ₹694

157.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$1.63 ₹154

83.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MYR 16.55

$2.76 ₹262

47.83%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹485

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$0.26 ₹24.82

184.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.23 MYR 49.60

$8.58 ₹815

42.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.05

$1.00 ₹94.5

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 MYR 4.02

$0.27 ₹25.69

266.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 MYR 25.41

$1.54 ₹146

306.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.71 MYR 2.88

$1.07 ₹102

-33.64%

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

$45.8K MYR 185.6K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

307.98%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.0K

$20.1K ₹1.9M

77.02%

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

$55.3 MYR 224

$37.08 ₹3,521

49.08%

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

$10.01 MYR 40.62

$3.58 ₹340

179.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.24 MYR 111

$7.15 ₹679

280.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 MYR 149

$15.00 ₹1,424

145.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.92 MYR 28.09

$7.17 ₹681

-3.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MYR 20.03

$3.20 ₹303

54.38%

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

$208 MYR 843

$58.8 ₹5,583

253.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,229 MYR 33.4K

$1,667 ₹158.2K

393.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 MYR 250

$23.03 ₹2,187

167.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 MYR 140

$24.17 ₹2,295

42.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 MYR 315

$41.20 ₹3,912

88.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 MYR 296

$29.62 ₹2,812

146.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$448 MYR 1,818

$146 ₹13.9K

205.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,213

$96.4 ₹9,150

210.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 MYR 3,185

$343 ₹32.6K

128.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MYR 2,017

$234 ₹22.2K

112.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,085 MYR 8,459

$1,177 ₹111.7K

77.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,226 MYR 4,975

$633 ₹60.1K

93.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$917 MYR 3,721

$409 ₹38.8K

124.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

8.93

-52.74%

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

Last update for Malaysia: October 25, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malaysia

$299 32.1%

India

$96 24.1% 67.8% $203

Groceries & Markets

Malaysia

$251 26.9%

India

$102 25.6% 59.2% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Malaysia

$111 11.9%

India

$53 13.3% 52.2% $58

Eating Out

Malaysia

$110 11.8%

India

$67 16.7% 39.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaysia

$93 9.9%

India

$48 12% 48.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Malaysia

$47 5%

India

$21 5.4% 54.1% $25

Getting Around

Malaysia

$21 2.3%

India

$12 3% 44% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $405 in Malaysia, $120 in India. Capital cities: $685 in Kuala Lumpur vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $904 in Malaysia, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 238% higher in Malaysia.

Dining out costs 82% more in Malaysia.

Public transport is 63% more expensive in Malaysia.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in Malaysia.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malaysia

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

22:09 10:09 PM

2 h 30 min behind Malaysia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,447,385

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malaysia India 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Malaysia
India

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

Malaysia vs India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $932 in Malaysia, India comes out about 57% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $405 in Malaysia and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Malaysia it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.