Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kuala Lumpur vs. Malaysia Cost of Living Summary
Kuala Lumpur is 23.5% more expensive than Malaysia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.9% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Groceries
-
pay 4.0% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Transportation
-
pay 13.6% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Housing
-
pay 33.8% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Childcare
-
pay 49.8% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 13.7% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Clothing
-
pay 24.5% more in Kuala Lumpur
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Kuala Lumpur are more expensive than in Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur vs. Malaysia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kuala Lumpur instead of Malaysia, you would:
pay 24.9% more for restaurants
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.22
MYR13.13
|
$4.74
MYR19.32
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.41
MYR17.99
|
$4.74
MYR19.32
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.73
MYR2.97
|
$0.89
MYR3.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
MYR1.60
|
$0.49
MYR1.98
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.0% more for groceries
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.02
MYR4.15
|
$0.98
MYR3.98
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.79
MYR31.76
|
$7.13
MYR29.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.67
MYR27.18
|
$7.98
MYR32.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.99
MYR8.10
|
$2.23
MYR9.08
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.93
MYR7.89
|
$2.09
MYR8.54
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.28
MYR5.22
|
$1.32
MYR5.38
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.67
MYR2.71
|
$0.75
MYR3.05
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
MYR5.27
|
$1.22
MYR4.98
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.73
MYR2.99
|
$0.69
MYR2.82
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
MYR2.17
|
$0.57
MYR2.30
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
MYR2.39
|
$0.62
MYR2.53
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of groceries
pay 13.6% more for transportation
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.86
MYR7.56
|
$1.87
MYR7.61
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.26
MYR62.23
|
$11.85
MYR48.31
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,849.31
MYR146,157.64
|
$40,284.36
MYR164,239.34
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.52
MYR26.57
|
$10.66
MYR43.48
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of transportation
pay 33.8% more for housing
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$27.18
MYR110.82
|
$25.49
MYR103.91
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$349.73
MYR1,425.86
|
$573.16
MYR2,336.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$247.40
MYR1,008.67
|
$350.71
MYR1,429.85
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$34.37
MYR140.14
|
$46.59
MYR189.95
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of housing
pay 49.8% more for childcare
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$170.62
MYR695.62
|
$264.45
MYR1,078.18
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,229.51
MYR25,397.70
|
$9,004.74
MYR36,712.32
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of childcare
pay 13.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.72
MYR15.17
|
$4.27
MYR17.39
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.63
MYR10.70
|
$3.06
MYR12.48
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.18
MYR17.03
|
$4.27
MYR17.39
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.40
MYR148.40
|
$46.43
MYR189.28
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.62
MYR18.82
|
$4.98
MYR20.29
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.5% more for clothing
|
Malaysia
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$59.37
MYR242.06
|
$61.66
MYR251.38
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$29.69
MYR121.03
|
$37.10
MYR151.28
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.68
MYR288.15
|
$87.80
MYR357.96
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$56.86
MYR231.82
|
$82.47
MYR336.25
|
|
Malaysia vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of clothing
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
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