China vs Malaysia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Malaysia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$663
$818
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1807
$1932
🏠 One person rent
$276
$385
🏘️ Family rent
$463
$618
🍽️ Food expenses
$235
$288
🚐 Transport expenses
$72.4
$65.3
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$868
$919
💸 GDP per capita
$13303
$11874
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
7.11
❤️ Life expectancy
78
76.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
52
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
57.3%
🎓 Higher education
88
78
😀 Quality of life
52
68
🏙️ Population
1.41B
35.6M

The average cost of living in China ($663) is 19% less expensive than in Malaysia ($818). China ranked 158th vs 127th for Malaysia in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.3 months in China compared to 1.1 months in Malaysia. Ranked 85th and 55th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in China vs Malaysia

We calculate prices for China and Malaysia as a population-weighted mean of 544 and 34 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

China Malaysia
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.15
$3.74
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.8
$23.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.04
$4.73
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.32
$4.35
 Cappuccino
$2.84
$3.06
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.51
$0.77
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$316
$474
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$209
$288
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$687
$830
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$419
$483
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.8
$33.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.1
$52
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$11
$27.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.45%
4.27%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4148
$2250
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2286
$1191
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$0.81
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.7
$15.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.21
$8.29
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.19
$0.64
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.78
$2.03
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.68
$1.12
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.01
$1.51
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.59
$2.33
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$13.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.58
$4.94
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11
$9.24
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$3.13
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$1.78
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.49
$2.65
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.27
$1.54
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$1.34
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.92
$1.51
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$0.39
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.27
$1.14
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12
$19.2
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.86
$2.98
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.51
$4.36
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.2
$4
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.85
$3.8
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.53
$1.64
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.74
$1.94
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.7
$40.8
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.26
$4.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$34.5
$24.6
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.76
$7.71
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.5
$62.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$73.8
$80.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$479
$233
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17696
$8255

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs Malaysia

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Chongqing
$631
32.1M
Shanghai
$1147
24.9M
Chengdu
$688
20.9M
Guangzhou
$785
18.7M
Suzhou
$798
12.7M
Beijing
$1108
21.9M
Shenzhen
$995
17.5M
Tianjin
$682
13.9M
Wuhan
$657
12.3M
Baoding
$480
11.5M
Xi'an
$594
13M
Nanjing
$789
9.31M
Zhengzhou
$523
12.6M
Qingdao
$649
10.1M
Ningbo
$660
9.4M
Hangzhou
$899
11.9M
Changsha
$622
10M
Nantong
$581
7.73M
Shenyang
$612
9.07M
Hefei
$670
9.37M
Jinan
$546
9.2M
Harbin
$713
10M
Linyi
$523
11M
Dongguan
$694
10.5M
Shijiazhuang
$521
10.6M
Changchun
$607
9.07M
Xuzhou
$531
9.08M
Fuzhou
$679
8.29M
Dalian
$737
7.45M
Wenzhou
$774
9.57M

In Malaysia

City Cost of living Population
Kuala Lumpur
$992
9M
Shah Alam
$741
741K
Johor Bahru
$843
798K
George Town
$762
794K
Ipoh
$677
867K
Klang
$743
878K
Subang Jaya
$798
708K
Petaling Jaya
$783
639K
Kuantan
$576
608K
Sandakan
$583
396K
Kota Bharu
$531
491K
Seremban
$617
420K
Sungai Petani
$637
545K
Kota Kinabalu
$718
452K
Chukai
$621
256K
Muar
$759
357K
Teluk Intan
$678
233K
Malacca
$707
455K
Kuching
$698
325K
Miri
$688
235K
Kluang
$717
205K
Lahad Datu
$620
200K
Alor Setar
$545
217K
Taiping
$555
245K
Putrajaya
$610
109K
Kuala Terengganu
$550
255K
Sibu
$614
248K
Batu Pahat
$737
140K
Butterworth
$720
80.4K
Bintulu
$588
114K