Cost of living comparison

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

compared to

Beijing, China

Beijing vs. Kota Kinabalu Cost of Living Summary

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.

Beijing vs. Kota Kinabalu Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Beijing instead of Kota Kinabalu, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 1.5% less for restaurants

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.41 MYR14.40	$4.17 CN¥30.01	+22.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.32 MYR18.24	$5.57 CN¥40.02	+29.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.70 MYR2.94	$0.50 CN¥3.57	-28.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.44 MYR1.84	$0.31 CN¥2.22	-29.0%
Average			-1.5%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.8% less for groceries

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$1.07 MYR4.53	$1.43 CN¥10.31	+33.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$12.49 MYR52.81	$7.31 CN¥52.53	-41.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.10 MYR25.80	$7.17 CN¥51.55	+17.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.98 MYR12.62	$1.74 CN¥12.50	-41.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.95 MYR8.26	$1.53 CN¥11.01	-21.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.78 MYR3.30	$0.92 CN¥6.59	+17.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.44 MYR1.85	$0.71 CN¥5.11	+62.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.41 MYR5.95	$0.89 CN¥6.38	-37.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.60 MYR2.52	$0.58 CN¥4.19	-2.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.41 MYR1.74	$0.37 CN¥2.65	-10.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.51 MYR2.15	$0.47 CN¥3.39	-7.6%
Average			-2.8%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 22.4% more for transportation

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$1.76 MYR7.45	$4.36 CN¥31.35	+147.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$39.50 MYR167.00	$33.40 CN¥240.10	-15.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$28,392.96 MYR120,031.23	$20,872.18 CN¥150,060.53	-26.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.45 MYR23.05	$4.59 CN¥33.01	-15.8%
Average			+22.4%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 79.3% more for housing

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$36.72 MYR155.24	$13.28 CN¥95.50	-63.8%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$356.94 MYR1,508.96	$929.88 CN¥6,685.36	+160.5%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$159.00 MYR672.17	$492.44 CN¥3,540.41	+209.7%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$37.98 MYR160.56	$42.04 CN¥302.25	+10.7%
Average			+79.3%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 5.9 times more for childcare

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$118.87 MYR502.53	$763.49 CN¥5,489.14	+542.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$4,202.16 MYR17,764.62	$22,913.01 CN¥164,733.11	+445.3%
Average			+493.8%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 37.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.64 MYR11.14	$1.11 CN¥8.00	-57.8%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.67 MYR11.28	$3.60 CN¥25.90	+35.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$4.71 MYR19.93	$3.48 CN¥25.01	-26.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$28.01 MYR118.43	$65.46 CN¥470.60	+133.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$4.09 MYR17.28	$8.35 CN¥60.02	+104.2%
Average			+37.8%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 18.8% more for clothing

	Kota Kinabalu	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$57.30 MYR242.22	$62.65 CN¥450.45	+9.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$21.95 MYR92.79	$34.69 CN¥249.38	+58.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$93.70 MYR396.10	$83.45 CN¥599.99	-10.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$90.86 MYR384.10	$107.64 CN¥773.85	+18.5%
Average			+18.8%

Kota Kinabalu vs. Beijing - Cost of clothing

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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 2025

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