Rio De Janeiro vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Rio De Janeiro is 24.7% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants
pay 93.5% more in Rio De Janeiro
Groceries
pay 8.9% less in Rio De Janeiro
Transportation
pay 36.2% more in Rio De Janeiro
Housing
pay 50.2% more in Rio De Janeiro
Childcare
pay 40.8% more in Rio De Janeiro
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.7% less in Rio De Janeiro
Clothing
pay 19.7% less in Rio De Janeiro

The cost of restaurants, housing, childcare, and transportation in Rio De Janeiro are more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur. Expenses including entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries are lower in Rio De Janeiro. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Rio De Janeiro.

Rio De Janeiro vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Rio De Janeiro instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

pay 93.5% more for restaurants

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.89
MYR19.98
$9.95
R$50.39
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.89
MYR19.98
$8.46
R$42.84
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.81
MYR3.30
$1.59
R$8.06

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pay 8.9% less for groceries

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Bread
1 loaf
$1.09
MYR4.47
$2.08
R$10.53
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.00
MYR28.58
$5.43
R$27.47
Milk (1 gallon) $7.96
MYR32.51
$4.35
R$22.04

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pay 36.2% more for transportation

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.22
MYR13.14
$4.98
R$25.19
Monthly public transit pass $12.24
MYR49.96
$50.77
R$257.01
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $41,736.41
MYR170K
$23,669.59
R$120K

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pay 50.2% more for housing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$26.27
MYR107.27
$22.76
R$115.23
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $617.87
MYR2,522.90
$909.17
R$4,602.67
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $371.37
MYR1,516.38
$533.31
R$2,699.87

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pay 40.8% more for childcare

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $299.09
MYR1,221.23
$594.40
R$3,009.15
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $13,124.70
MYR53,590.76
$13,090.04
R$66,268.35

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pay 19.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.40
MYR17.99
$2.39
R$12.09
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.10
MYR12.64
$2.33
R$11.78
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.40
MYR17.99
$2.96
R$14.99

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pay 19.7% less for clothing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Rio De Janeiro
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$71.46
MYR291.78
$41.81
R$211.66
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.92
MYR171.18
$49.05
R$248.31
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$86.22
MYR352.05
$74.57
R$377.50

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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