Japan vs Malaysia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan Malaysia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1097
$582
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2818
$1414
🏠 One person rent
$496
$262
🏘️ Family rent
$967
$465
🍽️ Food expenses
$376
$222
🚐 Transport expenses
$130
$36.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2172
$796
💸 GDP per capita
$33824
$11993
😃 Human freedom index
8.4
6.66
❤️ Life expectancy
84.4
74.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
73
50
🌐 English speaking %
15%
57.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
79
😀 Quality of life
91
60
🏙️ Population
125M
32.4M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1097) is 89% more expensive than in Malaysia ($582). Japan ranked 67th vs 159th 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 2 months in Japan compared to 1.4 months in Malaysia. Ranked 14th and 59th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Japan vs Malaysia infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Japan vs Malaysia

We calculate prices for Japan and Malaysia as a population-weighted mean of 907 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.

Japan Malaysia
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.35
$2.62
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.4
$19.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.89
$3.68
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.02
$3.34
 Cappuccino
$3.07
$2.43
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.04
$0.69
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$484
$276
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$337
$192
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1107
$573
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$704
$354
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$97.8
$27.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$151
$42.5
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$32.1
$25.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.75%
3.94%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4271
$1609
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2747
$927
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.68
$0.64
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$59.4
$15.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.3
$5.92
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.1
$0.43
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.4
$1.47
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.51
$0.79
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.96
$1.06
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.08
$1.8
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.3
$11
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.18
$3.87
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.2
$8.23
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.31
$2.17
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.24
$1.17
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.32
$2.52
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.01
$1.23
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.4
$0.75
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.21
$0.92
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.55
$0.34
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.42
$0.9
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.28
$13.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.88
$2.22
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.73
$3.63
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.8
$3.42
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.75
$3.13
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.35
$1.28
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.63
$1.35
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$51.7
$31.8
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.9
$3.59
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$31.1
$18
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.3
$5.34
👖 Brand Jeans
$41.4
$51
👟 Brand Sneakers
$56.1
$61.3
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$362
$142
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11309
$5077

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Japan vs Malaysia

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Japan

City Cost of living Population
Tokyo
$1556
14M
Yokohama
$1329
3.76M
Osaka
$1116
2.75M
Nagoya
$1196
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1101
1.54M
Kobe
$1076
1.52M
Sapporo
$1173
1.96M
Sendai
$1026
1.06M
Fukuoka
$1054
1.6M
Hiroshima
$954
1.2M
Saitama
$1063
1.33M
Kyoto
$1026
1.46M
Yokosuka
$1136
390K
Sakai
$1103
824K
Chiba
$1161
975K
Sagamihara
$1020
726K
Kitakyushu
$963
935K
Hachioji
$1117
576K
Kagoshima
$999
594K
Kumamoto
$886
738K
Kawaguchi
$1052
593K
Amagasaki
$1058
459K
Utsunomiya
$998
518K
Niigata
$1056
791K
Funabashi
$1224
641K
Kashiwa
$1136
428K
Hamamatsu
$1033
788K
Shizuoka
$980
686K
Himeji
$1132
528K
Kurashiki
$1004
475K

In Malaysia

City Cost of living Population
Kuala Lumpur
$743
1.98M
Shah Alam
$582
741K
Ipoh
$550
867K
Petaling Jaya
$645
639K
George Town
$566
708K
Kuantan
$482
608K
Subang Jaya
$644
708K
Johor Bahru
$623
798K
Klang
$553
878K
Malacca
$602
455K
Sandakan
$465
396K
Chukai
$512
256K
Kota Kinabalu
$574
452K
Teluk Intan
$565
233K
Seremban
$545
420K
Muar
$611
357K
Sungai Petani
$544
545K
Miri
$492
235K
Kuching
$537
325K
Taiping
$638
245K
Kota Bharu
$455
491K
Lahad Datu
$470
200K
Kluang
$610
170K
Kuala Terengganu
$465
255K
Alor Setar
$453
217K
Batu Pahat
$609
140K
Langkawi
$496
85.6K
Butterworth
$578
108K
Bintulu
$479
114K
Sibu
$495
248K