Cost of living comparison

Malaysia

compared to

China

China vs. Ipoh Cost of Living Summary

China is 30.4% more expensive than Ipoh.

Restaurants: pay 5.9% less in China
Groceries: pay 24.4% less in China
Transportation: pay 8.1% more in China
Housing: pay 30.1% less in China
Childcare: pay 3.4 times more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 19.8% more in China
Clothing: pay 2.0% more in China

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in China are more expensive than in Ipoh. Expenses including housing, groceries, and restaurants are lower in China. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in China.

China vs. Ipoh Cost Breakdown

If you lived in China instead of Ipoh, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 5.9% less for restaurants

	Ipoh	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.84 MYR11.46	$2.90 CN¥19.94	+1.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$3.79 MYR15.28	$5.02 CN¥34.52	+32.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.70 MYR2.82	$0.47 CN¥3.26	-32.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 MYR1.50	$0.28 CN¥1.90	-25.7%
Average			-5.9%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 24.4% less for groceries

	Ipoh	China
Bread 1 loaf	$1.01 MYR4.08	$1.63 CN¥11.21	+61.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.54 MYR26.38	$6.32 CN¥43.49	-3.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.91 MYR27.84	$6.70 CN¥46.15	-2.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.88 MYR7.57	$1.56 CN¥10.75	-16.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.38 MYR9.59	$1.52 CN¥10.49	-35.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.34 MYR5.42	$0.74 CN¥5.11	-44.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 MYR3.23	$0.55 CN¥3.75	-31.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.38 MYR5.56	$0.62 CN¥4.29	-54.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.94 MYR3.78	$0.50 CN¥3.47	-46.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.68 MYR2.72	$0.30 CN¥2.07	-55.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.62 MYR2.52	$0.39 CN¥2.71	-36.9%
Average			-24.4%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 8.1% more for transportation

	Ipoh	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.84 MYR7.41	$4.34 CN¥29.85	+135.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$17.54 MYR70.69	$20.32 CN¥139.87	+15.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$43,905.21 MYR177K	$19,143.98 CN¥132K	-56.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$10.66 MYR42.98	$3.94 CN¥27.14	-63.0%
Average			+8.1%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 30.1% less for housing

	Ipoh	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$28.36 MYR114.31	$11.18 CN¥76.92	-60.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$355.45 MYR1,432.82	$304.90 CN¥2,098.50	-14.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$236.97 MYR955.21	$195.65 CN¥1,346.57	-17.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$57.19 MYR230.54	$41.04 CN¥282.49	-28.2%
Average			-30.1%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 3.4 times more for childcare

	Ipoh	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$118.48 MYR477.61	$390.25 CN¥2,685.97	+229.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,344.39 MYR17,512.24	$15,493.57 CN¥107K	+256.6%
Average			+243.0%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 19.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Ipoh	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.27 MYR17.19	$1.04 CN¥7.16	-75.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.21 MYR8.92	$2.84 CN¥19.52	+28.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.27 MYR17.19	$3.36 CN¥23.12	-21.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$23.70 MYR95.52	$41.13 CN¥283.07	+73.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.08 MYR12.42	$5.98 CN¥41.18	+94.2%
Average			+19.8%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 2.0% more for clothing

	Ipoh	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$59.24 MYR238.80	$45.93 CN¥316.10	-22.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$35.55 MYR143.28	$30.93 CN¥212.89	-13.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$59.24 MYR238.80	$71.26 CN¥490.46	+20.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$59.24 MYR238.80	$72.88 CN¥501.61	+23.0%
Average			+2.0%

Ipoh vs. China - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2026

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