Cost of living comparison

Kuwait

compared to

Malaysia

Malaysia vs. Kuwait Cost of Living Summary

Malaysia is 23.5% cheaper than Kuwait overall.

Restaurants: pay 40.7% less in Malaysia
Groceries: pay 23.0% more in Malaysia
Transportation: pay 3.5% more in Malaysia
Housing: pay 48.3% less in Malaysia
Childcare: pay 6.6% more in Malaysia
Entertainment and Sports: pay 36.6% less in Malaysia
Clothing: pay 3.6% more in Malaysia

The cost of groceries, childcare, clothing, and transportation in Malaysia are more expensive than in Kuwait. Expenses including housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Malaysia.

Planning a move to Malaysia? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Malaysia vs. Kuwait Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Malaysia instead of Kuwait, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 40.7% less for restaurants

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.31 KWD2.570	$3.42 MYR13.98	-58.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.91 KWD2.450	$4.64 MYR18.95	-41.4%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.55 KWD0.170	$0.75 MYR3.07	+36.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.31 KWD0.090	$0.42 MYR1.72	+37.3%
Average			-40.7%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 23.0% more for groceries

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Bread 1 loaf	$1.08 KWD0.330	$1.10 MYR4.49	+1.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.22 KWD0.690	$6.94 MYR28.32	+212.4%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.32 KWD1.650	$7.18 MYR29.31	+34.9%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.10 KWD0.650	$2.09 MYR8.53	-0.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.71 KWD0.840	$1.90 MYR7.75	-30.0%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.10 KWD0.340	$1.35 MYR5.53	+22.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.80 KWD0.250	$0.73 MYR2.97	-9.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.67 KWD0.210	$1.19 MYR4.84	+76.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.61 KWD0.190	$0.69 MYR2.83	+14.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.50 KWD0.160	$0.57 MYR2.34	+13.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.47 KWD0.150	$0.61 MYR2.50	+28.9%
Average			+23.0%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 3.5% more for transportation

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.25 KWD0.390	$2.76 MYR11.29	+121.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$51.95 KWD16.060	$15.28 MYR62.39	-70.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$20,021.80 KWD6,189.540	$40,802.19 MYR167K	+103.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$29.57 KWD9.140	$6.46 MYR26.37	-78.2%
Average			+3.5%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 48.3% less for housing

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$30.53 KWD9.440	$27.60 MYR112.71	-9.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$776.48 KWD240.040	$363.41 MYR1,483.90	-53.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$619.33 KWD191.460	$265.07 MYR1,082.35	-57.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$39.56 KWD12.230	$36.69 MYR149.79	-7.3%
Average			-48.3%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 6.6% more for childcare

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$251.54 KWD77.760	$231.07 MYR943.51	-8.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,500.38 KWD2,009.530	$8,043.53 MYR32,843.35	+23.7%
Average			+6.6%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 36.6% less for entertainment and sports

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.68 KWD0.830	$3.61 MYR14.73	+34.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.71 KWD1.460	$2.76 MYR11.29	-41.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.74 KWD0.850	$4.35 MYR17.74	+58.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$97.98 KWD30.290	$38.82 MYR158.52	-60.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.58 KWD3.580	$4.73 MYR19.31	-59.2%
Average			-36.6%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 3.6% more for clothing

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$37.05 KWD11.450	$58.43 MYR238.60	+57.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.45 KWD11.580	$30.42 MYR124.22	-18.8%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$95.55 KWD29.540	$77.72 MYR317.35	-18.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$70.48 KWD21.790	$77.79 MYR317.65	+10.4%
Average			+3.6%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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

Compare further: Kuwait vs. Malaysia

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Malaysia?

Quality of Life Comparison · 18 statistics

Be 72.5% more likely to be unemployed in Malaysia

Size Comparison · See true size

Kuwait is about 19 times smaller than Malaysia.

Moving from Kuwait to Malaysia · Cost, visas & climate

Compare cost of living, salary and climate.

More cost comparisons

Kuwait vs.

United Arab Emirates

Kuwait vs.

United States

Kuwait vs.

Canada

Kuwait vs.

United Kingdom

Kuwait vs.

India

Kuwait vs.

Libya

Kuwait vs.

Australia

Kuwait vs.

Bahrain

Share this

Compare by city

For example, try comparing the cost of living in Kuwait City vs. Kuala Lumpur

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Kuwait

Add prices for Malaysia

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Malaysia or Kuwait. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.