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:

pay 62.1% less for restaurants

 
Nuku'alofa
Kuala Lumpur
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.40
TOP20.23
$4.54
MYR19.32
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.50
TOP25.29
$4.54
MYR19.32
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.66
TOP6.41
$0.84
MYR3.59

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pay 22.6% less for groceries

 
Nuku'alofa
Kuala Lumpur
Bread
1 loaf
$1.05
TOP2.53
$0.95
MYR4.03
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.55
TOP10.96
$7.58
MYR32.22
Milk (1 gallon) $5.99
TOP14.42
$7.22
MYR30.69

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pay 77.7% more for transportation

 
Nuku'alofa
Kuala Lumpur
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.57
TOP13.40
$1.77
MYR7.54
Monthly public transit pass $42.01
TOP101.15
$11.36
MYR48.30
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $5,881.34
TOP14,160.85
$37,478.71
MYR159,378.19

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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
MYR107.44
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area ?? $536.30
MYR2,280.60
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center ?? $371.69
MYR1,580.61

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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
MYR1,066.55
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $252.06
TOP606.89
$8,920.55
MYR37,934.64

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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
MYR17.39
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.94
TOP7.08
$2.92
MYR12.41
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.29
TOP24.78
$4.09
MYR17.39

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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
MYR245.53
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$17.85
TOP42.99
$35.00
MYR148.84
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$21.00
TOP50.57
$76.75
MYR326.39

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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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