Cost of living comparison

Malaysia

compared to

China

China vs. Johor Bahru Cost of Living Summary

China is 20.3% more expensive than Johor Bahru.

Restaurants: pay 23.4% less in China
Groceries: pay 14.7% less in China
Transportation: pay 29.9% more in China
Housing: pay 29.8% less in China
Childcare: pay 2.5 times more in China
Entertainment and Sports: pay 10.8% less in China
Clothing: pay 40.0% more in China

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

China vs. Johor Bahru Cost Breakdown

If you lived in China instead of Johor Bahru, you would:

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pay 23.4% less for restaurants

	Johor Bahru	China
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.55 MYR14.33	$2.90 CN¥19.94	-18.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.74 MYR19.10	$5.02 CN¥34.52	+5.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.78 MYR3.16	$0.47 CN¥3.26	-39.5%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.47 MYR1.90	$0.28 CN¥1.90	-41.3%
Average			-23.4%

Johor Bahru vs. China - Cost of restaurants

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pay 14.7% less for groceries

	Johor Bahru	China
Bread 1 loaf	$0.98 MYR3.95	$1.63 CN¥11.21	+66.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.33 MYR21.49	$6.32 CN¥43.49	+18.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.01 MYR28.26	$6.70 CN¥46.15	-4.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.86 MYR7.51	$1.56 CN¥10.75	-16.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.20 MYR8.87	$1.52 CN¥10.49	-30.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.24 MYR4.98	$0.74 CN¥5.11	-39.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.68 MYR2.73	$0.55 CN¥3.75	-19.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.15 MYR4.62	$0.62 CN¥4.29	-45.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.56 MYR2.27	$0.50 CN¥3.47	-10.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.53 MYR2.14	$0.30 CN¥2.07	-43.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.62 MYR2.50	$0.39 CN¥2.71	-36.4%
Average			-14.7%

Johor Bahru vs. China - Cost of groceries

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pay 29.9% more for transportation

	Johor Bahru	China
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.84 MYR7.43	$4.34 CN¥29.85	+135.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.85 MYR47.76	$20.32 CN¥139.87	+71.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,545.02 MYR143K	$19,143.98 CN¥132K	-46.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$6.69 MYR26.98	$3.94 CN¥27.14	-41.1%
Average			+29.9%

Johor Bahru vs. China - Cost of transportation

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pay 29.8% less for housing

	Johor Bahru	China
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$30.15 MYR121.55	$11.18 CN¥76.92	-62.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$494.94 MYR1,995.12	$304.90 CN¥2,098.50	-38.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$375.20 MYR1,512.42	$195.65 CN¥1,346.57	-47.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$31.51 MYR127.03	$41.04 CN¥282.49	+30.2%
Average			-29.8%

Johor Bahru vs. China - Cost of housing

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pay 2.5 times more for childcare

	Johor Bahru	China
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$153.04 MYR616.91	$390.25 CN¥2,685.97	+155.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,279.62 MYR25,313.15	$15,493.57 CN¥107K	+146.7%
Average			+150.8%

Johor Bahru vs. China - Cost of childcare

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pay 10.8% less for entertainment and sports

	Johor Bahru	China
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.55 MYR14.33	$1.04 CN¥7.16	-70.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.91 MYR11.71	$2.84 CN¥19.52	-2.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.25 MYR17.15	$3.36 CN¥23.12	-21.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$34.36 MYR138.51	$41.13 CN¥283.07	+19.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.98 MYR20.06	$5.98 CN¥41.18	+20.2%
Average			-10.8%

Johor Bahru vs. China - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 40.0% more for clothing

	Johor Bahru	China
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.76 MYR200.59	$45.93 CN¥316.10	-7.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$16.59 MYR66.86	$30.93 CN¥212.89	+86.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$71.09 MYR286.56	$71.26 CN¥490.46	+0.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$40.23 MYR162.15	$72.88 CN¥501.61	+81.2%
Average			+40.0%

Johor Bahru 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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