🇲🇾 Malaysia · #394 of 538 cities · 2026

Cost of Living in Kuala Lumpur

2.5% above the Malaysia average

Ranked #394 of 538 cities · More expensive than 26.8% of cities worldwide

Compared to Malaysia average

Rent Prices

Rent Prices in Kuala Lumpur

Apartment City Centre Outside Centre You Save
1-Bedroom MYR 2,612/mo ≈ $659 MYR 1,513/mo ≈ $381 42%
3-Bedroom MYR 5,022/mo ≈ $1,267 MYR 2,908/mo ≈ $733 42%
Numbeo · 2026-03-18

Multi-Source Comparison

★★ Medium Confidence

Kuala Lumpur has a composite cost index of 19.7 from 3 independent data sources.

19.7
Composite
3
Sources
1.6
Spread

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo
22.6
Expatistan
19.7
LivingCost
No data
SIM
22.7
View all 127 cities | Data last updated: 2026-03-18

Cost Indices

Cost of Living
+2.5% Average
Rent
+3.9% Average
Groceries
+2.0% Average
Restaurants
+3.1% Average
Purchasing Power
+32.8% Very strong

Living in Kuala Lumpur: What to Expect

Kuala Lumpur is average by global standards (ranked #394 of 538 cities). It is 2.5% more expensive than the Malaysia average, based on 3 cities.

Groceries are average, while dining out is average. Groceries offers the best value, while Rent is the priciest.

Local purchasing power is strong — residents can afford more goods and services than in most cities.

Similar Cities

How Does Kuala Lumpur Compare?

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