Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tomsk and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,074 a month against $1,147 in Tomsk, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tomsk outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tomsk
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Tomsk Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Tomsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,147

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,147 per month in Tomsk vs $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Tomsk $1,147
Kuala Lumpur $1,074

A couple spends around $1,768 per month in Tomsk vs $1,622 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Tomsk $1,768
Kuala Lumpur $1,622

A family of three spends $2,389 per month in Tomsk vs $2,170 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Tomsk $2,389
Kuala Lumpur $2,170

Tomsk costs about 7% more than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tomsk and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Tomsk 16% lower, Kuala Lumpur 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 ₽644

$4.98 MYR 20.28

61.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.48 ₽2,438

$29.03 MYR 118

4.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ₽535

$4.85 MYR 19.78

37.73%

Cappuccino

$2.21 ₽177

$3.02 MYR 12.30

-26.82%

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

$0.91 ₽72.5

$0.79 MYR 3.21

15.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₽33.39

$0.45 MYR 1.85

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₽93.6

$4.48 MYR 18.24

-73.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ₽267

$6.16 MYR 25.11

-45.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ₽98.3

$2.11 MYR 8.60

-41.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 ₽56.2

$1.12 MYR 4.56

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₽79.1

$1.93 MYR 7.85

-48.70%

Eggs

$1.36 ₽109

$2.46 MYR 10.01

-44.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 ₽976

$14.24 MYR 58.0

-14.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.71 ₽376

$4.37 MYR 17.80

7.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 ₽793

$9.86 MYR 40.19

0.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ₽138

$3.46 MYR 14.09

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ₽156

$1.78 MYR 7.24

9.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 ₽178

$2.27 MYR 9.23

-1.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 ₽235

$1.51 MYR 6.16

94.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ₽37.29

$1.23 MYR 5.00

-61.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₽28.62

$1.30 MYR 5.31

-72.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₽139

$1.14 MYR 4.64

52.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₽40.44

$0.71 MYR 2.88

-28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 ₽223

$4.29 MYR 17.46

-34.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 ₽493

$19.77 MYR 80.5

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽73.4

$3.36 MYR 13.70

-72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₽132

$5.02 MYR 20.45

-67.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ₽36.37

$0.70 MYR 2.86

-35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.51 ₽1,480

$12.44 MYR 50.7

48.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₽193

$1.20 MYR 4.87

101.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₽25.82

$1.25 MYR 5.07

-74.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 ₽582

$4.98 MYR 20.30

45.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽66.4

$0.89 MYR 3.62

-6.74%

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

$54.1K ₽4.3M

$44.5K MYR 181.5K

21.43%

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

$41.8K ₽3.3M

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

20.67%

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

$169 ₽13.5K

$63.5 MYR 259

166.34%

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

$8.39 ₽671

$8.62 MYR 35.13

-2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.60 ₽1,088

$26.24 MYR 107

-48.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.40 ₽3,151

$49.20 MYR 200

-19.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.58 ₽1,326

$7.32 MYR 29.84

126.50%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 ₽390

$4.97 MYR 20.27

-2.01%

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

$252 ₽20.1K

$472 MYR 1,921

-46.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 53.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ₽9,747

$72.2 MYR 294

68.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.6 ₽5,969

$41.48 MYR 169

79.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$176 ₽14.1K

$83.9 MYR 342

110.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₽10.1K

$94.3 MYR 384

33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 ₽40.9K

$685 MYR 2,791

-25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₽26.5K

$358 MYR 1,458

-7.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ₽66.3K

$1,212 MYR 4,937

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ₽52.1K

$593 MYR 2,416

9.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 ₽167.7K

$3,760 MYR 15.3K

-44.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 ₽122.7K

$1,565 MYR 6,375

-1.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$930 ₽74.4K

$1,458 MYR 5,938

-36.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

427.58%

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

Last update for Tomsk: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tomsk

$332 28.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$358 33.3% 8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Tomsk

$224 19.6%

Kuala Lumpur

$131 12.2% 41.5% $93

Groceries & Markets

Tomsk

$198 17.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$274 25.5% 38.6% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tomsk

$191 16.7%

Kuala Lumpur

$98 9.2% 48.5% $93

Eating Out

Tomsk

$129 11.2%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 12.1% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Tomsk

$49 4.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.5% 20.3% $10

Getting Around

Tomsk

$24 2.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 6.9% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Tomsk versus $685 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 57% 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 $30 in Tomsk versus $29 in Kuala Lumpur. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Tomsk vs $274 in Kuala Lumpur – so Tomsk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Tomsk

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

1 h ahead of Tomsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

551,505

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Tomsk Kuala Lumpur 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Tomsk
Kuala Lumpur

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Tomsk is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,721 per month in Tomsk and $1,611 in Kuala Lumpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tomsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $685 in Kuala Lumpur.

Interestingly, groceries are about 28% cheaper in Tomsk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Tomsk and $29 in Kuala Lumpur. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,147 in Tomsk and $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kuala Lumpur has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,074 in Kuala Lumpur to $1,147 in Tomsk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.