Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vladivostok and Kuala Lumpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Lumpur: $1,067 a month against $1,241 in Vladivostok, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vladivostok outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Vladivostok
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Vladivostok Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Lumpur
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Kuala Lumpur Living Index

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Vladivostok

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,241 per month in Vladivostok vs $1,067 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Vladivostok $1,241
Kuala Lumpur $1,067

A couple spends around $1,899 per month in Vladivostok vs $1,662 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Vladivostok $1,899
Kuala Lumpur $1,662

A family of three spends $2,557 per month in Vladivostok vs $2,257 in Kuala Lumpur, rent included.

Vladivostok $2,557
Kuala Lumpur $2,257

Vladivostok costs about 16% more than Kuala Lumpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Vladivostok and Kuala Lumpur are more affordable than the global median – Vladivostok 7% lower, Kuala Lumpur 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₽1,004

$4.80 MYR 19.62

146.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.20 ₽2,993

$28.82 MYR 118

22.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.32 ₽538

$5.00 MYR 20.43

26.40%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ₽264

$3.05 MYR 12.48

1.64%

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

$1.03 ₽87.6

$0.85 MYR 3.46

21.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₽54.2

$0.45 MYR 1.84

42.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.43 ₽121

$4.51 MYR 18.43

-68.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₽193

$6.00 MYR 24.53

-62.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₽142

$2.11 MYR 8.64

-20.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 ₽55.8

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ₽135

$2.02 MYR 8.25

-21.29%

Eggs

$2.29 ₽195

$2.55 MYR 10.42

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.34 ₽1,135

$13.85 MYR 56.6

-3.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 ₽523

$4.39 MYR 17.94

40.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ₽957

$9.66 MYR 39.50

16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ₽238

$3.47 MYR 14.18

-19.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ₽169

$1.77 MYR 7.24

12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 ₽225

$2.25 MYR 9.22

17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 ₽364

$1.55 MYR 6.35

176.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ₽83.5

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ₽88.4

$1.38 MYR 5.65

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ₽112

$1.17 MYR 4.79

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₽89.5

$0.67 MYR 2.73

56.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ₽256

$4.38 MYR 17.89

-31.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 ₽659

$18.87 MYR 77.2

-58.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽102

$3.62 MYR 14.80

-66.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₽199

$5.06 MYR 20.67

-53.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ₽51.7

$0.72 MYR 2.93

-15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.46 MYR 50.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₽202

$1.25 MYR 5.11

90.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₽52.2

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-50.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.87 ₽1,009

$4.82 MYR 19.71

146.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 ₽67.1

$0.86 MYR 3.52

-8.14%

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

$45.6K ₽3.9M

$41.4K MYR 169.0K

10.36%

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

$35.0K ₽3.0M

$34.6K MYR 141.3K

1.40%

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

$152 ₽12.9K

$61.5 MYR 251

146.49%

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

$8.30 ₽706

$8.60 MYR 35.16

-3.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.36 ₽796

$26.25 MYR 107

-64.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.06 MYR 201

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.69 MYR 31.43

Cinema Ticket

$5.16 ₽439

$4.95 MYR 20.25

4.24%

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

$788 ₽67.0K

$295 MYR 1,205

167.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 ₽9,949

$72.6 MYR 297

61.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.0 ₽5,102

$41.57 MYR 170

44.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.6 ₽8,211

$85.7 MYR 350

12.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 ₽10.6K

$95.2 MYR 389

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ₽46.0K

$625 MYR 2,557

-13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 ₽39.9K

$378 MYR 1,547

24.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 ₽110.8K

$1,177 MYR 4,812

10.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 ₽66.2K

$639 MYR 2,611

21.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,120 ₽265.2K

$4,112 MYR 16.8K

-24.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 ₽195.0K

$1,504 MYR 6,149

52.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$989 ₽84.1K

$1,491 MYR 6,095

-33.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.6

4.18

464.59%

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

Last update for Vladivostok: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vladivostok

$470 37.4%

Kuala Lumpur

$378 34.7% 19.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

Vladivostok

$250 19.9%

Kuala Lumpur

$273 25% 8.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Vladivostok

$179 14.3%

Kuala Lumpur

$133 12.2% 25.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vladivostok

$169 13.5%

Kuala Lumpur

$96 8.8% 43.1% $73

Eating Out

Vladivostok

$169 13.5%

Kuala Lumpur

$130 11.9% 23.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Vladivostok

$10 * 0.8%

Kuala Lumpur

$59 5.4% 471% $49

Getting Around

Vladivostok

$7.9 * 0.6%

Kuala Lumpur

$23 2.1% 189% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Vladivostok versus $625 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 51% 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 $35.00 in Vladivostok versus $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Vladivostok vs $273 in Kuala Lumpur – so Vladivostok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Vladivostok

🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

2 h behind Vladivostok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,871

1,982,112 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vladivostok Kuala Lumpur 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Vladivostok
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

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

Yes – Vladivostok is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,861 per month in Vladivostok and $1,600 in Kuala Lumpur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Vladivostok and $29.00 in Kuala Lumpur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Vladivostok – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Lumpur, where all-in costs run around $1,067, than in Vladivostok at $1,241. In Kuala Lumpur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vladivostok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Lumpur – 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 Kuala Lumpur. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vladivostok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.