China vs Malaysia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Malaysia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$656
$652
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1847
$1575
🏠 One person rent
$279
$299
🏘️ Family rent
$535
$517
🍽️ Food expenses
$228
$246
🚐 Transport expenses
$70.2
$40.3
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$843
$879
💸 GDP per capita
$12614
$11379
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
7.06
❤️ Life expectancy
78.6
76.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
50
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
57.3%
🎓 Higher education
91
79
😀 Quality of life
48
60
🏙️ Population
1.44B
32.4M

The average cost of living in China ($656) is 0.7% more expensive than in Malaysia ($652). China ranked 153rd vs 154th 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 1.3 months in Malaysia. Ranked 82nd and 58th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs Malaysia infographic

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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
$3.26
$3.08
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.4
$19.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.96
$4.09
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.27
$3.68
 Cappuccino
$3.03
$2.61
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$0.7
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$307
$329
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$213
$223
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$637
$627
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$427
$402
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.3
$28.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.2
$43.3
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12
$26.5
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.2%
4.13%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4438
$1609
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2622
$946
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$0.69
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.9
$15.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$3.98
$6.96
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.12
$0.47
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.77
$1.69
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.55
$0.91
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.98
$1.23
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.59
$1.97
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.3
$12.9
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.34
$4.06
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.9
$8.29
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$2.62
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$1.37
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.47
$2.65
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$1.4
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$1
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.9
$1.19
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.37
$0.36
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.18
$1.03
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.9
$16.2
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.8
$2.46
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.27
$3.92
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.77
$3.64
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.5
$3.48
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.42
$1.38
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.62
$1.57
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.5
$33.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.06
$4.12
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.5
$20.3
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.45
$5.62
👖 Brand Jeans
$50.5
$56.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$73
$63.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$407
$179
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17132
$6426

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs Malaysia

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Shanghai
$1097
24.9M
Beijing
$1016
21.9M
Shenzhen
$916
17.7M
Chongqing
$634
32.1M
Hong Kong
$2737
7.41M
Guangzhou
$774
18.7M
Chengdu
$623
20.9M
Suzhou
$868
12.7M
Hangzhou
$805
11.9M
Tianjin
$687
13.9M
Xi'an
$587
13M
Wuhan
$656
12.3M
Baoding
$472
11.5M
Wuxi
$670
7.46M
Xuzhou
$484
9.08M
Jinhua
$587
7.05M
Nantong
$602
7.73M
Hefei
$625
9.37M
Nanjing
$746
9.31M
Qingdao
$612
10.1M
Bijie
$584
6.9M
Zhengzhou
$512
12.6M
Changchun
$573
9.07M
Ganzhou
$761
8.97M
Pudong
$984
5.68M
Guiyang
$559
5.99M
Changsha
$577
10M
Quanzhou
$644
8.78M
Dongguan
$656
10.5M
Wenzhou
$726
9.57M

In Malaysia

City Cost of living Population
Kuala Lumpur
$810
1.98M
George Town
$620
794K
Shah Alam
$645
741K
Johor Bahru
$759
798K
Petaling Jaya
$701
639K
Ipoh
$628
867K
Klang
$670
878K
Subang Jaya
$714
708K
Kuantan
$529
608K
Malacca
$669
455K
Sandakan
$523
396K
Kota Kinabalu
$661
452K
Teluk Intan
$631
233K
Seremban
$604
420K
Kuching
$631
325K
Miri
$546
235K
Chukai
$565
256K
Alor Setar
$490
217K
Muar
$682
315K
Sungai Petani
$605
545K
Kluang
$679
205K
Taiping
$695
245K
Kota Bharu
$485
491K
Lahad Datu
$538
200K
Putrajaya
$532
109K
Sibu
$567
248K
Kuala Terengganu
$501
255K
Batu Pahat
$703
140K
Langkawi
$560
85.6K
Cyberjaya
$585
49.3K