Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,067 a month against $3,281 in Vanuatu, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Vanuatu
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Vanuatu Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

Jump to prices

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,281

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Vanuatu is 122.9% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 207.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Vanuatu is 94% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 140% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.78 VUV 1,497

$4.80 MYR 19.60

166.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 VUV 6,697

$28.82 MYR 118

98.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.57 VUV 1,706

$5.00 MYR 20.40

191.40%

Cappuccino

$4.03 VUV 471

$3.05 MYR 12.47

32.13%

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

$2.25 VUV 264

$0.85 MYR 3.46

164.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 VUV 278

$0.45 MYR 1.84

428.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 VUV 578

$4.51 MYR 18.41

9.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 VUV 833

$6.00 MYR 24.50

18.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.03 VUV 355

$2.11 MYR 8.63

43.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 VUV 295

$1.08 MYR 4.40

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 VUV 445

$2.02 MYR 8.24

88.12%

Eggs

$5.87 VUV 687

$2.55 MYR 10.40

130.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.92 VUV 1,863

$13.85 MYR 56.6

14.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.16 VUV 1,892

$4.39 MYR 17.91

268.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 VUV 1,549

$9.66 MYR 39.46

36.96%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 VUV 797

$3.47 MYR 14.16

95.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 VUV 250

$1.77 MYR 7.23

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 VUV 481

$2.25 MYR 9.21

82.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.62 VUV 1,126

$1.55 MYR 6.34

520.65%

Potato (1kg)

$8.75 VUV 1,025

$1.33 MYR 5.43

557.89%

Onion (1kg)

$4.33 VUV 507

$1.38 MYR 5.64

213.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 VUV 289

$1.17 MYR 4.79

111.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 VUV 139

$0.67 MYR 2.73

77.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 VUV 1,178

$4.38 MYR 17.87

129.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.80 VUV 1,499

$18.87 MYR 77.1

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 VUV 342

$3.62 MYR 14.78

-19.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 VUV 352

$5.06 MYR 20.64

-40.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 VUV 146

$0.72 MYR 2.92

73.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 VUV 7,819

$12.46 MYR 50.9

435.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 VUV 301

$1.25 MYR 5.11

105.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 VUV 96.7

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-33.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 VUV 606

$4.82 MYR 19.68

7.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 VUV 205

$0.86 MYR 3.52

103.49%

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

$23.3K VUV 2.7M

$41.4K MYR 168.8K

-43.69%

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

$37.8K VUV 4.4M

$34.6K MYR 141.1K

9.30%

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

$624 VUV 73.0K

$61.5 MYR 251

914.77%

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

$22.67 VUV 2,654

$8.60 MYR 35.12

163.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$367 VUV 42.9K

$26.25 MYR 107

1297.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 VUV 8,063

$49.06 MYR 200

40.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.76 VUV 1,962

$7.69 MYR 31.39

117.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 MYR 20.23

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

$634 VUV 74.2K

$295 MYR 1,204

114.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,742 VUV 789.4K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-49.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.55 VUV 4,747

$72.6 MYR 296

-44.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 VUV 7,834

$41.57 MYR 170

60.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 VUV 9,706

$85.7 MYR 350

-3.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 VUV 11.6K

$95.2 MYR 389

4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 VUV 185.4K

$625 MYR 2,553

153.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 VUV 142.6K

$378 MYR 1,545

221.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,463 VUV 405.5K

$1,177 MYR 4,806

194.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,840 VUV 215.4K

$639 MYR 2,608

188.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,084 VUV 712.3K

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

47.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,144 VUV 251.0K

$1,504 MYR 6,141

42.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$342 VUV 40.1K

$1,491 MYR 6,088

-77.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

4.18

47.85%

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

Last update for Vanuatu: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vanuatu

$1.2K 37.6%

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7% 68.9% $840

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vanuatu

$1K 31.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8% 90.5% $917

Groceries & Markets

Vanuatu

$479 14.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25% 43.1% $206

Eating Out

Vanuatu

$252 7.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9% 48.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Vanuatu

$130 4%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 1.9% $2.4

Getting Around

Vanuatu

$78 2.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 71% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Vanuatu

$69 * 2.1%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4% 14.4% $9.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

11:29 11:29 AM

3 h behind Vanuatu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,019

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vanuatu Kuala Lumpur 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Vanuatu
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

Vanuatu vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vanuatu and Kuala Lumpur

MYR, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Vanuatu

Kuala Lumpur

Vanuatu

Kuala Lumpur

Vanuatu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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