Cost of living comparison

 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
compared to
 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Summary

Riyadh is 54.3% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur.

Restaurants
pay 26.6% more in Riyadh
Groceries
pay 10.8% more in Riyadh
Transportation
pay 77.7% more in Riyadh
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Riyadh
Childcare
pay 30.0% more in Riyadh
Entertainment and Sports
pay 88.1% more in Riyadh
Clothing
pay 27.2% more in Riyadh

The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, childcare, clothing, and restaurants in Riyadh are more expensive than in Kuala Lumpur. Notably, housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Riyadh.

Riyadh vs. Kuala Lumpur Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Riyadh instead of Kuala Lumpur, you would:

pay 26.6% more for restaurants

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.54
MYR19.34
$8.39
SAR31.47
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.54
MYR19.34
$7.99
SAR29.97
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.84
MYR3.59
$0.76
SAR2.86

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pay 10.8% more for groceries

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Bread
1 loaf
$0.95
MYR4.03
$1.24
SAR4.64
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.58
MYR32.25
$3.91
SAR14.67
Milk (1 gallon) $7.22
MYR30.72
$6.64
SAR24.92

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pay 77.7% more for transportation

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Gasoline (1 gallon) $1.77
MYR7.55
$2.31
SAR8.67
Monthly public transit pass $11.36
MYR48.34
$37.27
SAR139.85
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $37,478.71
MYR159,528.11
$33,280.09
SAR124,863.22

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$25.27
MYR107.54
$74.70
SAR280.25
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $536.30
MYR2,282.74
$1,116.87
SAR4,190.37
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $371.69
MYR1,582.10
$782.38
SAR2,935.42

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pay 30.0% more for childcare

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $250.80
MYR1,067.55
$360.22
SAR1,351.50
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,920.55
MYR37,970.33
$10,375.93
SAR38,929.35

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pay 88.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.09
MYR17.40
$2.13
SAR7.99
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.92
MYR12.42
$4.25
SAR15.95
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.09
MYR17.40
$7.45
SAR27.97

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pay 27.2% more for clothing

 
Kuala Lumpur
Riyadh
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$57.74
MYR245.76
$52.20
SAR195.87
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$35.00
MYR148.98
$54.44
SAR204.25
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$76.75
MYR326.70
$107.53
SAR403.44

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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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See the cost of living in Malaysia vs. Saudi Arabia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

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