Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kuala Lumpur vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary
Kuala Lumpur is 19.8% more expensive than Manila.
- Restaurants
- pay 5.8% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Groceries
- pay 13.2% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Transportation
- pay 63.7% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Housing
- pay 2.2% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Childcare
- pay 21.8% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 43.4% more in Kuala Lumpur
- Clothing
- pay 31.2% more in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur vs. Manila Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kuala Lumpur instead of Manila, you would:
pay 5.8% less for restaurants
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.02 ₱369.17 | $4.74 MYR19.37 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $4.30 ₱263.69 | $4.74 MYR19.37 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.97 ₱59.55 | $0.89 MYR3.62 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.50 ₱30.88 | $0.49 MYR1.99 | |
Manila vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.2% less for groceries
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.33 ₱81.77 | $0.98 MYR3.99 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.28 ₱262.16 | $7.13 MYR29.14 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.32 ₱448.81 | $7.98 MYR32.60 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.21 ₱135.71 | $2.23 MYR9.11 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.28 ₱139.99 | $2.09 MYR8.56 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.52 ₱92.93 | $1.32 MYR5.40 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.82 ₱50.42 | $0.75 MYR3.06 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.64 ₱100.35 | $1.22 MYR4.99 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.02 ₱62.77 | $0.69 MYR2.83 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.17 ₱71.73 | $0.57 MYR2.31 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.37 ₱84.27 | $0.62 MYR2.54 | |
Manila vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of groceries
pay 63.7% more for transportation
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.18 ₱256.27 | $1.87 MYR7.63 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $13.76 ₱843.81 | $11.85 MYR48.44 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $25,288.58 ₱2M | $40,284.36 MYR165K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $2.92 ₱179.31 | $10.66 MYR43.59 | |
Manila vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2% less for housing
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $27.10 ₱1,661.67 | $25.49 MYR104.19 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $512.96 ₱31,450.90 | $573.16 MYR2,343.09 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $251.74 ₱15,434.55 | $350.71 MYR1,433.71 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $100.49 ₱6,161.29 | $46.59 MYR190.46 | |
Manila vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of housing
pay 21.8% more for childcare
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $138.58 ₱8,496.66 | $264.45 MYR1,081.09 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $17,035.39 ₱1M | $9,004.74 MYR36,811.37 | |
Manila vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of childcare
pay 43.4% more for entertainment and sports
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $1.46 ₱89.65 | $4.27 MYR17.44 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.59 ₱158.64 | $3.06 MYR12.51 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.27 ₱200.40 | $4.27 MYR17.44 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $42.13 ₱2,583.28 | $46.43 MYR189.80 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $7.48 ₱458.82 | $4.98 MYR20.34 | |
Manila vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.2% more for clothing
Manila | Kuala Lumpur | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $49.23 ₱3,018.23 | $61.66 MYR252.06 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $29.70 ₱1,820.80 | $37.10 MYR151.68 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $80.85 ₱4,957.28 | $87.80 MYR358.92 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $49.70 ₱3,046.96 | $82.47 MYR337.15 | |
Manila 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: June 2026
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