Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szekesfehervar and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $946 a month against $1,089 in Szekesfehervar, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
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Szekesfehervar Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

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Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,089

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Szekesfehervar and in Kota Kinabalu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,089 in Szekesfehervar versus $946 in Kota Kinabalu.

Szekesfehervar $1,089
Kota Kinabalu $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,787 in Szekesfehervar versus $1,398 in Kota Kinabalu.

Szekesfehervar $1,787
Kota Kinabalu $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,485 in Szekesfehervar versus $1,850 in Kota Kinabalu.

Szekesfehervar $2,485
Kota Kinabalu $1,850

Living in Szekesfehervar is roughly 15% more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Szekesfehervar 20% lower, Kota Kinabalu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.27 Ft 3,033

$3.63 MYR 14.72

155.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 Ft 19.2K

$19.53 MYR 79.2

200.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.64 Ft 2,828

$4.75 MYR 19.24

81.89%

Cappuccino

$2.11 Ft 690

$2.61 MYR 10.57

-19.16%

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

$1.39 Ft 454

$0.55 MYR 2.22

152.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 Ft 333

$0.30 MYR 1.21

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 Ft 656

$2.47 MYR 10.00

-19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 Ft 753

$3.63 MYR 14.72

-36.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 367

$1.81 MYR 7.32

-38.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 Ft 440

$1.32 MYR 5.36

1.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 816

$2.26 MYR 9.16

10.18%

Eggs

$3.55 Ft 1,161

$3.53 MYR 14.30

0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.58 Ft 3,463

$28.39 MYR 115

-62.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.10 Ft 1,998

$3.76 MYR 15.25

62.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 Ft 5,272

$6.62 MYR 26.82

143.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 691

$2.24 MYR 9.09

-5.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 Ft 724

$1.45 MYR 5.88

52.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 Ft 646

$1.99 MYR 8.08

-1.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 Ft 1,012

$1.98 MYR 8.04

56.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 334

$1.74 MYR 7.07

-41.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 Ft 360

$2.05 MYR 8.29

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 Ft 536

$0.94 MYR 3.81

74.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Ft 168

$0.48 MYR 1.94

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.73 Ft 2,205

$4.91 MYR 19.89

37.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.05 Ft 1,000

$15.67 MYR 63.5

-80.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 415

$3.82 MYR 15.47

-66.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 Ft 672

$2.40 MYR 9.74

-14.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 Ft 391

$0.19 MYR 0.77

526.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.36 Ft 8,628

$25.16 MYR 102

4.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 Ft 961

$2.01 MYR 8.13

46.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 Ft 531

$0.23 MYR 0.93

604.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.45 Ft 6,039

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 606

$0.77 MYR 3.14

140.26%

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

$27.1K Ft 8.9M

$44.7K MYR 181.3K

-39.29%

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

$29.9K Ft 9.8M

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

-15.41%

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

$127 Ft 41.6K

$70.5 MYR 286

80.17%

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

$27.40 Ft 8,969

$9.30 MYR 37.69

194.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.40 Ft 6,351

$32.18 MYR 130

-39.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.83 Ft 14.7K

$35.85 MYR 145

25.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.04 MYR 12.34

Cinema Ticket

$8.49 Ft 2,781

$5.21 MYR 21.13

62.96%

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

$243 Ft 79.4K

$142 MYR 578

70.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,655 Ft 2.2M

$6,866 MYR 27.8K

-3.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 Ft 22.4K

$82.7 MYR 335

-17.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.45 Ft 8,003

$37.42 MYR 152

-34.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 Ft 24.4K

$92.8 MYR 376

-19.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 Ft 26.9K

$49.47 MYR 201

65.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 Ft 129.1K

$619 MYR 2,511

-36.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 Ft 100.8K

$253 MYR 1,026

21.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 206.0K

$708 MYR 2,870

-11.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 Ft 214.4K

$376 MYR 1,523

74.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,372 Ft 1.1M

$1,810 MYR 7,339

86.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,051 Ft 998.9K

$1,097 MYR 4,447

178.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,489 Ft 487.3K

$584 MYR 2,366

155.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

3.9

71.03%

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

Last update for Szekesfehervar: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szekesfehervar

$308 28.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$253 26.8% 17.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Szekesfehervar

$241 22.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$290 30.7% 20.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szekesfehervar

$174 16%

Kota Kinabalu

$112 11.8% 35.6% $62

Eating Out

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.3% 34.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Szekesfehervar

$112 10.3%

Kota Kinabalu

$118 12.5% 5.2% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Szekesfehervar

$62 5.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$46 4.9% 25.1% $16

Getting Around

Szekesfehervar

$42 3.9%

Kota Kinabalu

$29 3.1% 31.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $394 in Szekesfehervar and $619 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Szekesfehervar pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Szekesfehervar vs $20 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries flip the comparison at $241 vs $290, with Szekesfehervar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

10:45 10:45 AM

17:45 5:45 PM

7 h ahead of Szekesfehervar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,024

500,425

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Szekesfehervar Kota Kinabalu 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Szekesfehervar
Kota Kinabalu

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

Szekesfehervar vs Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kota Kinabalu wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Szekesfehervar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kota Kinabalu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Szekesfehervar is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $394 in Szekesfehervar versus $619 in Kota Kinabalu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kota Kinabalu runs roughly 5% less than in Szekesfehervar. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $243 in Szekesfehervar versus $142 in Kota Kinabalu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kota Kinabalu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Szekesfehervar and Kota Kinabalu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kota Kinabalu wins on affordability, Szekesfehervar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.