How Much Does It Cost to Live In Kuala Lumpur?
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, has a higher standard of living than most other cities in this country.
Still, if you plan on moving here, the cost of your living will depend on which area you will be working/staying at, because Kuala Lumpur is, honestly, huge.
Due to the recent inflation, the Malaysian currency has dropped so it has become a little less expensive if you’re going to Kuala Lumpur for a vacation.
Also, if you’re a foreigner from a first-world country, Malaysia is a cheap place to live, definitely, but if you want to live and work here, count on the lower incomes that come with low prices, too.
Malaysia : Cost of Living by City
Cost of Living in Malaysia
RESTAURANTS
Local Malaysians love to eat outside in Kuala Lumpur and the quality of food is good.
If you are eating out every day at a decent place, it comes to around 5$ for your meals for a whole day (so that includes your breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
Of course, it depends on where you are eating, but you can find some decent and delicious food for these figures.
MARKETS
The good news is you can always shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at street markets: for example, if you plan on cooking by yourself, you can find a bunch of grocery stores in the Brickfields area that only sell fresh veggies.
If you want some more luxury items you can find them at Cold Storage and Jaya supermarket.
TRANSPORTATION
Kuala Lumpur has very impressive public transport connecting almost every corner of the city with trains, monorail, and buses.
The tickets for all these means of transport are cheap.
If you decide to buy a car, which is the cheapest option for Malaysia, you can get a good used car for about 2500$ and a liter of gasoline costs 0.47$.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Monthly utilities in Kuala Lumpur are very cheap.
Depending on the size of the apartment you want to rent and the place you’ll be located, utilities can move anywhere from 20$ to 50$.
For an apartment that has 85m2, all basic utilities will cost less than 50$.
Internet, however, is pretty pricey compared to this.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Like everything else, prices in Kuala Lumpur of sports and pastime activities are low too, though a bit more expensive than the country’s average.
If you want a gym or a fitness club membership, the price you’ll pay is only about 41$.
This is very cheap compared to the prices around the world.
If you want to go cinema, the prices of tickets aren’t high either – they only cost about 4$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Kuala Lumpur is really brimming with gorgeous shopping centers and the best part about it is that shopping for clothes in them isn’t even that expensive.
For example, quality jeans will cost you around 47.23 $, while a pair of Nike running shoes can cost as much as 70$.
Kuala Lumpur is actually cheaper than most other Malaysian cities when it comes to shopping for clothes.
RENT PER MONTH
The most expensive thing about living in Kuala Lumpur is the rent.
Of course, the price of rent depends on what you want from a home: a room, an apartment, a house, furnished, un-furnished, the number of rooms.
It also highly depends on your location.
Usually, the expatriates live in more luxurious apartments that cost around 1000$ for rent alone.
Cost of Living Averages Table for Kuala Lumpur
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $3.35 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $3.91 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.39 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.67 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $0.80 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.77 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $0.67 |
| Monthly Pass | $11.17 |
| Gasoline | $0.47 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $53.97 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.10 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $25.67 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $41.76 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $7.82 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $4.4 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $47.23 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $29.02 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $69.55 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $469.81 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $285.28 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $973.2 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Kuala Lumpur?
A vast percentage of an average person’s salary gets spent on food in Malaysia’s capital – as much as 36% of one’s entire salary.
Another quite big expense for the people of Kuala Lumpur is the rent since the prices are pretty high for the average salary in Malaysia.
Transportation is third on the list: even though it’s not too expensive it is an everyday necessity and it basically sends money down the drain each day.
Restaurants are also quite an expense.
What’s interesting is that sports and leisure draw more money than utilities in Kuala Lumpur.
Average Costs Breakdown
Kuala Lumpur: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Considering their monthly salaries, the people of Kuala Lumpur might find it hard to make ends meet sometimes, though the situation is not dire.
Their minimum monthly wage is, shockingly, only about 359.3$, which is definitely a small amount of money, and there’s a huge gap between the minimum wage and the average monthly wage.
With their average monthly net salaries are around 1200$, however, people can cover most of their expenses, even if they’re renting, though rent is a huge financial burden.
If you want to travel to Kuala Lumpur, the optimal amount of money for you is around 1500$.
Kuala Lumpur Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Kuala Lumpur Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: HIGH
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: HIGH
- TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
- SCAMS RISK: HIGH
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
Cost of Living by City in Kuala Lumpur
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Johor Bahru | 42.59 |
| Kota Kinabalu | 42.15 |
| Kuching | 42.15 |
| Penang | 43.98 |
| Petaling Jaya | 44.31 |
| Selangor | 44.53 |
