Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samsun and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $950 a month against $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
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Samsun Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$950

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samsun 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 Samsun and in Kuala Lumpur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $950 per month in Samsun vs $1,086 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Samsun $950
Kuala Lumpur $1,086

A couple spends around $1,647 per month in Samsun vs $1,663 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Samsun $1,647
Kuala Lumpur $1,663

A family of three spends $2,344 per month in Samsun vs $2,239 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Samsun $2,344
Kuala Lumpur $2,239

Samsun is about 13% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Samsun and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Samsun 30% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 ₺503

$4.76 MYR 19.40

113.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₺3,001

$29.15 MYR 119

107.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 ₺522

$4.78 MYR 19.50

120.50%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₺195

$3.08 MYR 12.57

27.92%

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

$0.79 ₺39.25

$0.84 MYR 3.42

-5.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₺14.32

$0.47 MYR 1.93

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₺87.8

$4.49 MYR 18.31

-60.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₺101

$5.97 MYR 24.35

-65.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 ₺58.2

$2.04 MYR 8.31

-42.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 ₺99.2

$1.11 MYR 4.51

80.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₺132

$2.02 MYR 8.22

32.18%

Eggs

$2.48 ₺123

$2.49 MYR 10.15

-0.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 ₺421

$14.20 MYR 57.9

-40.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.44 MYR 18.11

27.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.52 ₺1,313

$9.85 MYR 40.19

169.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 ₺116

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 ₺122

$1.82 MYR 7.44

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ₺75.8

$2.29 MYR 9.36

-33.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₺51.6

$1.60 MYR 6.53

-35.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₺21.59

$1.33 MYR 5.44

-66.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₺17.89

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-73.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ₺41.25

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-29.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₺33.65

$0.67 MYR 2.72

1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 ₺105

$4.52 MYR 18.46

-53.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.19 ₺455

$19.75 MYR 80.6

-53.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₺82.0

$3.54 MYR 14.43

-53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺111

$4.93 MYR 20.12

-54.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ₺30.48

$0.70 MYR 2.87

-11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.22 ₺605

$12.45 MYR 50.8

-1.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 ₺98.3

$1.23 MYR 5.04

61.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₺30.92

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-47.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 ₺314

$4.88 MYR 19.90

29.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₺65.8

$0.88 MYR 3.59

51.14%

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

$41.6K ₺2.1M

$41.8K MYR 170.4K

-0.37%

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

$40.6K ₺2.0M

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

16.43%

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

$88.1 ₺4,360

$61.2 MYR 250

43.98%

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

$12.35 ₺612

$8.63 MYR 35.22

43.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.44 ₺616

$26.31 MYR 107

-52.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.40 ₺1,505

$49.33 MYR 201

-38.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₺294

$7.47 MYR 30.46

-20.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.13 ₺204

$4.95 MYR 20.17

-16.57%

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

$252 ₺12.5K

$302 MYR 1,234

-16.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.48 ₺1,212

$71.6 MYR 292

-65.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.45 ₺1,507

$41.57 MYR 170

-26.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₺3,569

$84.5 MYR 345

-14.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 ₺2,999

$97.4 MYR 397

-37.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 ₺17.3K

$610 MYR 2,490

-42.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₺12.3K

$371 MYR 1,513

-33.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ₺37.4K

$1,139 MYR 4,646

-33.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 ₺30.4K

$661 MYR 2,696

-7.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$976 ₺48.3K

$4,114 MYR 16.8K

-76.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$656 ₺32.5K

$1,500 MYR 6,120

-56.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$918 ₺45.5K

$1,494 MYR 6,093

-38.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.18

1072.25%

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

Last update for Samsun: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samsun

$268 28.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$276 25.4% 2.9% $7.8

Accommodation & Living

Samsun

$248 26.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$371 34.1% 49.3% $122

Eating Out

Samsun

$177 18.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$129 11.9% 27.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samsun

$113 11.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.9% 14.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Samsun

$84 8.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 57.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Samsun

$39 4.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5% 53.2% $21

Getting Around

Samsun

$20 2.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$22 2.1% 13.4% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Samsun 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 63% 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 $61.0 in Samsun versus $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Samsun vs $276 in Kuala Lumpur – so Samsun wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Samsun

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

14:09 2:09 PM

5 h ahead of Samsun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,295,927

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samsun Kuala Lumpur 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Samsun
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

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

Yes – Kuala Lumpur is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,425 per month in Samsun 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 Samsun, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% 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 $61.0 in Samsun 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 Samsun, where all-in costs run around $950, than in Kuala Lumpur at $1,086. In Samsun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Lumpur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samsun – 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 Samsun. 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.