Cost of living comparison

compared to

Malaysia vs. Kuwait Cost of Living Summary

Malaysia is 6.8% cheaper than Kuwait overall.

Restaurants: pay 12.9% less in Malaysia
Groceries: pay 41.4% more in Malaysia
Transportation: pay 5.0% less in Malaysia
Housing: pay 36.5% less in Malaysia
Childcare: pay 13.2% less in Malaysia
Entertainment and Sports: pay 20.3% less in Malaysia
Clothing: pay 1.2% less in Malaysia

Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, restaurants, transportation, and clothing are lower in Malaysia.

Malaysia vs. Kuwait Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 12.9% less for restaurants

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.58 KWD2.640	$3.22 MYR13.31	-62.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$8.32 KWD2.550	$4.41 MYR18.24	-47.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.53 KWD0.160	$0.73 MYR3.01	+37.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 KWD0.100	$0.39 MYR1.63	+20.2%
Average			-12.9%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 41.4% more for groceries

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Bread 1 loaf	$0.99 KWD0.300	$1.02 MYR4.21	+2.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.15 KWD0.660	$7.79 MYR32.19	+261.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.32 KWD1.630	$6.67 MYR27.55	+25.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.88 KWD0.580	$1.99 MYR8.21	+5.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.77 KWD0.850	$1.93 MYR7.99	-30.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.95 KWD0.290	$1.28 MYR5.29	+34.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.78 KWD0.240	$0.67 MYR2.75	-15.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.61 KWD0.190	$1.29 MYR5.34	+112.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.60 KWD0.180	$0.73 MYR3.03	+22.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.50 KWD0.150	$0.53 MYR2.20	+6.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.46 KWD0.140	$0.59 MYR2.42	+28.4%
Average			+41.4%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 5.0% less for transportation

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.33 KWD0.410	$1.86 MYR7.67	+39.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$43.22 KWD13.270	$15.26 MYR63.08	-64.7%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$20,235.14 KWD6,211.780	$35,849.31 MYR148,147.28	+77.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$23.22 KWD7.130	$6.52 MYR26.93	-71.9%
Average			-5.0%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 36.5% less for housing

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$27.12 KWD8.320	$27.18 MYR112.33	+0.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$802.93 KWD246.480	$349.73 MYR1,445.27	-56.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$600.40 KWD184.310	$247.40 MYR1,022.40	-58.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$49.82 KWD15.290	$34.37 MYR142.05	-31.0%
Average			-36.5%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 13.2% less for childcare

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$234.17 KWD71.890	$170.62 MYR705.09	-27.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$6,190.94 KWD1,900.490	$6,229.51 MYR25,743.43	+0.6%
Average			-13.2%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 20.3% less for entertainment and sports

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.96 KWD0.910	$3.72 MYR15.38	+25.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.05 KWD1.550	$2.63 MYR10.85	-48.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.94 KWD0.900	$4.18 MYR17.26	+41.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$101.00 KWD31.010	$36.40 MYR150.42	-64.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$10.68 KWD3.280	$4.62 MYR19.07	-56.8%
Average			-20.3%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 1.2% less for clothing

	Kuwait	Malaysia
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$38.78 KWD11.910	$59.37 MYR245.35	+53.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$37.81 KWD11.610	$29.69 MYR122.68	-21.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$84.62 KWD25.980	$70.68 MYR292.07	-16.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$70.86 KWD21.750	$56.86 MYR234.98	-19.8%
Average			-1.2%

Kuwait vs. Malaysia - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

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: December 2025

More cost comparisons

Kuwait vs.

Austria

Kuwait vs.

Iceland

Kuwait vs.

Peru

Kuwait vs.

Canada

Kuwait vs.

France

Kuwait vs.

China

Kuwait vs.

Spain

Kuwait vs.

Thailand

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.