Cost of living comparison
Beijing is 92.5% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu.
- Restaurants
-
pay 1.5% less in Beijing
- Groceries
-
pay 2.8% less in Beijing
- Transportation
-
pay 22.4% more in Beijing
- Housing
-
pay 79.3% more in Beijing
- Childcare
-
pay 5.9 times more in Beijing
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 37.8% more in Beijing
- Clothing
-
pay 18.8% more in Beijing
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, and clothing in Beijing are more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu. Expenses including groceries and restaurants are lower in Beijing. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Beijing.
If you lived in Beijing instead of Kota Kinabalu, you would:
pay 1.5% less for restaurants
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.41
MYR14.49
|
$4.17
CN¥29.97
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.32
MYR18.35
|
$5.57
CN¥39.96
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.70
MYR2.96
|
$0.50
CN¥3.56
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
MYR1.85
|
$0.31
CN¥2.22
|
|
pay 2.8% less for groceries
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
MYR4.56
|
$1.43
CN¥10.30
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.49
MYR53.13
|
$7.31
CN¥52.46
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.10
MYR25.95
|
$7.17
CN¥51.48
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.98
MYR12.69
|
$1.74
CN¥12.48
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.95
MYR8.31
|
$1.53
CN¥10.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.78
MYR3.32
|
$0.92
CN¥6.59
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.44
MYR1.86
|
$0.71
CN¥5.11
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.41
MYR5.99
|
$0.89
CN¥6.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
MYR2.54
|
$0.58
CN¥4.18
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.41
MYR1.75
|
$0.37
CN¥2.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.51
MYR2.17
|
$0.47
CN¥3.38
|
|
pay 22.4% more for transportation
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.76
MYR7.50
|
$4.36
CN¥31.31
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.50
MYR167.99
|
$33.40
CN¥239.78
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,392.96
MYR120,741.06
|
$20,872.18
CN¥149,860.16
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.45
MYR23.18
|
$4.59
CN¥32.97
|
|
pay 79.3% more for housing
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$36.72
MYR156.16
|
$13.28
CN¥95.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$356.94
MYR1,517.89
|
$929.88
CN¥6,676.43
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$159.00
MYR676.15
|
$492.44
CN¥3,535.69
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$37.98
MYR161.51
|
$42.04
CN¥301.84
|
|
pay 5.9 times more for childcare
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$118.87
MYR505.50
|
$763.49
CN¥5,481.81
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,202.16
MYR17,869.68
|
$22,913.01
CN¥164,513.15
|
|
pay 37.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.64
MYR11.21
|
$1.11
CN¥7.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.67
MYR11.35
|
$3.60
CN¥25.87
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.71
MYR20.04
|
$3.48
CN¥24.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.01
MYR119.13
|
$65.46
CN¥469.97
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.09
MYR17.39
|
$8.35
CN¥59.94
|
|
pay 18.8% more for clothing
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Beijing
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.30
MYR243.66
|
$62.65
CN¥449.85
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$21.95
MYR93.34
|
$34.69
CN¥249.05
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$93.70
MYR398.45
|
$83.45
CN¥599.19
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$90.86
MYR386.37
|
$107.64
CN¥772.82
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Beijing or Kota Kinabalu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.