Cost of living comparison

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

compared to

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur vs. Nuku'alofa Cost of Living Summary

Kuala Lumpur is 4.0 times more expensive than Nuku'alofa.

Restaurants: pay 62.1% less in Kuala Lumpur
Groceries: pay 22.6% less in Kuala Lumpur
Transportation: pay 77.7% more in Kuala Lumpur
Housing: pay 72.7% less in Kuala Lumpur
Childcare: pay 18.5 times more in Kuala Lumpur
Entertainment and Sports: pay 17.2% less in Kuala Lumpur
Clothing: pay 5.5 times more in Kuala Lumpur

The cost of childcare, clothing, and transportation in Kuala Lumpur are more expensive than in Nuku'alofa. Expenses including housing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Kuala Lumpur. Notably, childcare, clothing, and transportation are significantly more expensive in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur vs. Nuku'alofa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kuala Lumpur instead of Nuku'alofa, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 62.1% less for restaurants

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$8.40 TOP20.23	$4.54 MYR19.20	-45.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$10.50 TOP25.29	$4.54 MYR19.20	-56.7%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.66 TOP6.41	$0.84 MYR3.56	-68.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.38 TOP5.73	$0.53 MYR2.26	-77.6%
Average			-62.1%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of restaurants

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pay 22.6% less for groceries

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Bread 1 loaf	$1.05 TOP2.53	$0.95 MYR4.00	-9.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.55 TOP10.96	$7.58 MYR32.03	+66.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.99 TOP14.42	$7.22 MYR30.51	+20.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$5.15 TOP12.41	$2.36 MYR9.96	-54.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.70 TOP6.50	$1.94 MYR8.18	-28.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.27 TOP3.06	$1.24 MYR5.24	-2.4%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.27 TOP3.06	$0.69 MYR2.92	-45.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.33 TOP3.21	$1.25 MYR5.29	-6.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.71 TOP4.13	$0.63 MYR2.65	-63.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.46 TOP3.52	$0.47 MYR1.97	-68.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.21 TOP2.91	$0.51 MYR2.17	-57.5%
Average			-22.6%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of groceries

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pay 77.7% more for transportation

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.57 TOP13.40	$1.77 MYR7.50	-68.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$42.01 TOP101.15	$11.36 MYR48.01	-73.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$5,881.34 TOP14,160.85	$37,478.71 MYR158,441.23	+537.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$69.32 TOP166.90	$10.22 MYR43.21	-85.3%
Average			+77.7%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of transportation

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pay 72.7% less for housing

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$126.03 TOP303.45	$25.27 MYR106.81	-80.0%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	??	$536.30 MYR2,267.19
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	??	$371.69 MYR1,571.32
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$144.56 TOP348.07	$50.02 MYR211.47	-65.4%
Average			-72.7%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of housing

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pay 18.5 times more for childcare

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$159.64 TOP384.37	$250.80 MYR1,060.28	+57.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$252.06 TOP606.89	$8,920.55 MYR37,711.63	+3439.1%
Average			+1748.1%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of childcare

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pay 17.2% less for entertainment and sports

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.36 TOP8.09	$4.09 MYR17.28	+21.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.94 TOP7.08	$2.92 MYR12.34	-0.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$10.29 TOP24.78	$4.09 MYR17.28	-60.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$31.51 TOP75.86	$44.75 MYR189.17	+42.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$42.01 TOP101.15	$4.77 MYR20.17	-88.6%
Average			-17.2%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 5.5 times more for clothing

	Nuku'alofa	Kuala Lumpur
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$4.20 TOP10.11	$57.74 MYR244.09	+1274.4%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$17.85 TOP42.99	$35.00 MYR147.97	+96.0%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$21.00 TOP50.57	$76.75 MYR324.47	+265.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$29.41 TOP70.80	$73.25 MYR309.68	+149.1%
Average			+446.2%

Nuku'alofa vs. Kuala Lumpur - 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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