Cost of living comparison
Kuala Lumpur is 33.0% cheaper than Abu Dhabi.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.1% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Groceries
-
pay 0.3% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Transportation
-
pay 17.6% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Housing
-
pay 64.2% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Childcare
-
pay 46.5% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.4% less in Kuala Lumpur
- Clothing
-
pay 27.8% less in Kuala Lumpur
Expenses including housing, entertainment and sports, childcare, clothing, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Kuala Lumpur.
If you lived in Kuala Lumpur instead of Abu Dhabi, you would:
pay 26.1% less for restaurants
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$4.54
MYR19.20
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
AED35.00
|
$4.54
MYR19.20
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
AED3.95
|
$0.84
MYR3.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.42
AED1.53
|
$0.53
MYR2.26
|
|
pay 0.3% less for groceries
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.37
AED5.03
|
$0.95
MYR4.00
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.80
AED17.63
|
$7.58
MYR32.03
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.85
AED25.17
|
$7.22
MYR30.51
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.16
AED11.62
|
$2.36
MYR9.96
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.61
AED13.24
|
$1.94
MYR8.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.00
AED3.67
|
$1.24
MYR5.24
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
AED3.00
|
$0.69
MYR2.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.81
AED2.97
|
$1.25
MYR5.29
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
AED2.52
|
$0.63
MYR2.65
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
AED1.83
|
$0.47
MYR1.97
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.58
AED2.13
|
$0.51
MYR2.17
|
|
pay 17.6% less for transportation
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.03
AED11.11
|
$1.77
MYR7.50
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$24.50
AED90.00
|
$11.36
MYR48.01
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$45,026.41
AED165,377.50
|
$37,478.71
MYR158,441.23
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.23
AED26.56
|
$10.22
MYR43.21
|
|
pay 64.2% less for housing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$103.04
AED378.45
|
$25.27
MYR106.81
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,349.31
AED4,955.87
|
$536.30
MYR2,267.19
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,005.59
AED3,693.45
|
$371.69
MYR1,571.32
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$119.02
AED437.13
|
$50.02
MYR211.47
|
|
pay 46.5% less for childcare
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$669.40
AED2,458.63
|
$250.80
MYR1,060.28
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,841.46
AED47,165.38
|
$8,920.55
MYR37,711.63
|
|
pay 48.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.89
AED40.00
|
$4.09
MYR17.28
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.88
AED21.61
|
$2.92
MYR12.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.13
AED22.50
|
$4.09
MYR17.28
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$64.83
AED238.12
|
$44.75
MYR189.17
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.61
AED50.00
|
$4.77
MYR20.17
|
|
pay 27.8% less for clothing
|
Abu Dhabi
|
Kuala Lumpur
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.20
AED246.81
|
$57.74
MYR244.09
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$62.59
AED229.90
|
$35.00
MYR147.97
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.06
AED378.54
|
$76.75
MYR324.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$100.93
AED370.70
|
$73.25
MYR309.68
|
|
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