Cost of living comparison
Malaysia is 4.7% more expensive than Kota Kinabalu.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.3% less in Malaysia
- Groceries
-
pay 1.1% less in Malaysia
- Transportation
-
pay 2.9% less in Malaysia
- Housing
-
pay 4.3% less in Malaysia
- Childcare
-
pay 47.7% more in Malaysia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 9.6% more in Malaysia
- Clothing
-
pay 9.1% less in Malaysia
The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in Malaysia are more expensive than in Kota Kinabalu. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, housing, transportation, and groceries are lower in Malaysia.
If you lived in Malaysia instead of Kota Kinabalu, you would:
pay 7.3% less for restaurants
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.41
MYR15.12
|
$2.98
MYR13.21
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.32
MYR19.15
|
$4.23
MYR18.76
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.70
MYR3.08
|
$0.68
MYR3.01
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.44
MYR1.93
|
$0.38
MYR1.70
|
|
pay 1.1% less for groceries
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
MYR4.76
|
$0.91
MYR4.05
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.49
MYR55.43
|
$7.65
MYR33.94
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.10
MYR27.08
|
$6.39
MYR28.34
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.98
MYR13.24
|
$1.97
MYR8.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.95
MYR8.67
|
$1.83
MYR8.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.78
MYR3.47
|
$1.17
MYR5.20
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.44
MYR1.94
|
$0.57
MYR2.53
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.41
MYR6.25
|
$1.21
MYR5.39
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.60
MYR2.65
|
$0.63
MYR2.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.41
MYR1.83
|
$0.43
MYR1.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.51
MYR2.26
|
$0.51
MYR2.26
|
|
pay 2.9% less for transportation
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$1.76
MYR7.82
|
$1.77
MYR7.86
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.50
MYR175.28
|
$15.69
MYR69.60
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,392.96
MYR125,979.56
|
$34,330.57
MYR152,324.76
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.45
MYR24.19
|
$6.94
MYR30.78
|
|
pay 4.3% less for housing
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$36.72
MYR162.93
|
$26.31
MYR116.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$356.94
MYR1,583.74
|
$322.80
MYR1,432.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$159.00
MYR705.49
|
$212.35
MYR942.20
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$37.98
MYR168.52
|
$33.00
MYR146.42
|
|
pay 47.7% more for childcare
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$118.87
MYR527.43
|
$163.68
MYR726.24
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,202.16
MYR18,644.97
|
$6,626.64
MYR29,402.40
|
|
pay 9.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.64
MYR11.69
|
$3.66
MYR16.23
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.67
MYR11.84
|
$2.54
MYR11.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.71
MYR20.91
|
$4.07
MYR18.04
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.01
MYR124.30
|
$36.32
MYR161.16
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$4.09
MYR18.14
|
$4.00
MYR17.74
|
|
pay 9.1% less for clothing
|
Kota Kinabalu
|
Malaysia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.30
MYR254.23
|
$53.15
MYR235.82
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$21.95
MYR97.39
|
$30.13
MYR133.68
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$93.70
MYR415.73
|
$65.18
MYR289.19
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$90.86
MYR403.13
|
$57.93
MYR257.06
|
|
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