Cost of living comparison
compared to
Malaysia vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Malaysia is 53.7% cheaper than United States overall.
Malaysia vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Malaysia instead of United States, you would:
pay 73.9% less for restaurants
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.45 | $3.22 MYR13.17 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.12 | $4.41 MYR18.04 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.56 | $0.73 MYR2.98 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $0.39 MYR1.61 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - Cost of restaurants
pay 34.9% less for groceries
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.56 | $1.02 MYR4.16 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.50 | $7.79 MYR31.84 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.97 | $6.67 MYR27.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.27 | $1.99 MYR8.13 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.41 | $1.93 MYR7.91 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.37 | $1.28 MYR5.23 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.67 MYR2.72 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.04 | $1.29 MYR5.28 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.21 | $0.73 MYR3.00 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.34 | $0.53 MYR2.18 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.38 | $0.59 MYR2.39 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - Cost of groceries
pay 43.6% less for transportation
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.41 | $1.86 MYR7.58 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.85 | $15.26 MYR62.40 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,336.38 | $35,849.31 MYR147K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.61 | $6.52 MYR26.64 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - Cost of transportation
pay 74.8% less for housing
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $68.97 | $27.18 MYR111.12 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,664.59 | $349.73 MYR1,429.70 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,416.15 | $247.40 MYR1,011.39 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $150.19 | $34.37 MYR140.52 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - Cost of housing
pay 80.4% less for childcare
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,387.27 | $170.62 MYR697.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,196.46 | $6,229.51 MYR25,466.22 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - Cost of childcare
pay 47.7% less for entertainment and sports
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 | $3.72 MYR15.21 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.15 | $2.63 MYR10.73 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.90 | $4.18 MYR17.08 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.45 | $36.40 MYR148.80 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.64 | $4.62 MYR18.87 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.3% less for clothing
United States | Malaysia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $51.08 | $59.37 MYR242.71 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.81 | $29.69 MYR121.36 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.56 | $70.68 MYR288.93 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.04 | $56.86 MYR232.45 | |
United States vs. Malaysia - 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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