Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maracaibo and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracaibo: $787 a month against $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Maracaibo
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Maracaibo Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$787

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $787 per month in Maracaibo vs $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Maracaibo $787
Kuala Lumpur $1,086

A couple spends around $1,302 per month in Maracaibo vs $1,663 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Maracaibo $1,302
Kuala Lumpur $1,663

A family of three spends $1,818 per month in Maracaibo vs $2,239 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Maracaibo $1,818
Kuala Lumpur $2,239

Maracaibo is about 28% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Maracaibo and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Maracaibo 42% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.56 VES 9,271

$4.76 MYR 19.40

121.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.65 VES 34.8K

$29.15 MYR 119

36.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 VES 7,889

$4.78 MYR 19.50

88.08%

Cappuccino

$2.71 VES 2,382

$3.08 MYR 12.57

-12.01%

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

$1.20 VES 1,050

$0.84 MYR 3.42

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 VES 1,184

$0.47 MYR 1.93

187.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 VES 2,006

$4.49 MYR 18.31

-49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 VES 2,691

$5.97 MYR 24.35

-48.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 VES 1,769

$2.04 MYR 8.31

-0.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 VES 1,885

$1.11 MYR 4.51

93.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 VES 920

$2.02 MYR 8.22

-48.02%

Eggs

$3.65 VES 3,203

$2.49 MYR 10.15

46.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.63 VES 5,821

$14.20 MYR 57.9

-53.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 VES 5,508

$4.44 MYR 18.11

41.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 VES 6,564

$9.85 MYR 40.19

-24.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 VES 4,096

$3.50 MYR 14.29

33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 VES 1,227

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 VES 1,410

$2.29 MYR 9.36

-29.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 VES 1,231

$1.60 MYR 6.53

-12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 VES 1,024

$1.33 MYR 5.44

-12.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 VES 1,496

$1.36 MYR 5.53

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 VES 857

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-16.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 VES 1,797

$0.67 MYR 2.72

205.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 VES 2,591

$4.52 MYR 18.46

-34.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 VES 7,973

$19.75 MYR 80.6

-54.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 VES 961

$3.54 MYR 14.43

-69.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 VES 2,324

$4.93 MYR 20.12

-46.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 VES 381

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-38.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.67 VES 36.6K

$12.45 MYR 50.8

234.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 VES 3,608

$1.23 MYR 5.04

234.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 VES 1,737

$1.19 MYR 4.84

66.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.51 VES 15.4K

$4.88 MYR 19.90

258.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 VES 601

$0.88 MYR 3.59

-22.73%

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

$15.3K VES 13.4M

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

-63.45%

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

$28.3K VES 24.9M

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

-18.82%

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

$64.2 VES 56.3K

$61.2 MYR 250

4.90%

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

$7.16 VES 6,283

$8.63 MYR 35.22

-17.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.31 VES 22.2K

$26.31 MYR 107

-3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.50 VES 29.4K

$49.33 MYR 201

-32.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.93 VES 24.5K

$7.47 MYR 30.46

273.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 VES 4,399

$4.95 MYR 20.17

1.21%

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

$147 VES 129.1K

$302 MYR 1,234

-51.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,233 VES 6.3M

$13.3K MYR 54.4K

-45.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.82 VES 24.4K

$71.6 MYR 292

-61.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.79 VES 28.8K

$41.57 MYR 170

-21.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 VES 53.8K

$84.5 MYR 345

-27.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.5 VES 51.3K

$97.4 MYR 397

-39.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$160 VES 140.7K

$610 MYR 2,490

-73.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$92.5 VES 81.2K

$371 MYR 1,513

-75.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 VES 260.9K

$1,139 MYR 4,646

-73.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 VES 172.3K

$661 MYR 2,696

-70.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$760 VES 667.3K

$4,114 MYR 16.8K

-81.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$495 VES 434.9K

$1,500 MYR 6,120

-66.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$219 VES 191.8K

$1,494 MYR 6,093

-85.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

378.47%

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

Last update for Maracaibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maracaibo

$244 31%

Kuala Lumpur

$276 25.4% 13.3% $32

Eating Out

Maracaibo

$172 21.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$129 11.9% 24.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maracaibo

$97 12.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.9% 0.5% $0.5

Accommodation & Living

Maracaibo

$93 11.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$371 34.1% 301% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Maracaibo

$81 10.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 63.6% $52

Getting Around

Maracaibo

$57 7.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$22 2.1% 60.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Maracaibo

$44 5.5%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5% 36.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $160 in Maracaibo versus $610 in Kuala Lumpur. 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 584% higher in Kuala Lumpur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Maracaibo versus $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Groceries tell a different story – $244 in Maracaibo vs $276 in Kuala Lumpur – so Maracaibo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

07:25 7:25 AM

12 h ahead of Maracaibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maracaibo Kuala Lumpur 18,310 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Maracaibo
Kuala Lumpur

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

Maracaibo vs Kuala Lumpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,180 per month in Maracaibo and $1,629 in Kuala Lumpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maracaibo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Kuala Lumpur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Maracaibo and $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Maracaibo, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Kuala Lumpur at $1,086. In Maracaibo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Lumpur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maracaibo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Maracaibo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Lumpur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.