Japan vs Malaysia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan Malaysia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1160
$687
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2959
$1664
🏠 One person rent
$528
$313
🏘️ Family rent
$1024
$549
🍽️ Food expenses
$394
$261
🚐 Transport expenses
$136
$42.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2197
$948
💸 GDP per capita
$33834
$11649
😃 Human freedom index
8.4
6.66
❤️ Life expectancy
84
76.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
73
50
🌐 English speaking %
15%
57.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
79
😀 Quality of life
89
60
🏙️ Population
125M
32.4M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1160) is 69% more expensive than in Malaysia ($687). Japan ranked 65th vs 142nd 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 1.9 months in Japan compared to 1.4 months in Malaysia. Ranked 16th and 58th 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

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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
$6.89
$3.05
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$36.4
$20.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.23
$4.27
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.26
$4.19
 Cappuccino
$3.06
$2.77
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.07
$0.72
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$531
$332
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$359
$230
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1193
$658
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$747
$421
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$100
$33.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$52.1
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$34
$28.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.83%
3.94%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5404
$1805
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3197
$1030
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.83
$0.7
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.6
$17.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$26.3
$7.23
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$0.5
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.49
$1.8
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.56
$0.95
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.15
$1.37
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.23
$2.09
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.7
$13.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.34
$4.28
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.8
$8.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.83
$2.72
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.36
$1.4
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.86
$2.8
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.55
$1.53
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$1.08
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.57
$1.21
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$0.38
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.48
$1.09
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.16
$18
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.97
$2.74
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.19
$4.33
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$3.87
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.78
$3.63
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.41
$1.43
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.69
$1.66
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$57
$36.5
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$4.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.3
$21.6
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.1
$6.06
👖 Brand Jeans
$45.4
$59.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$60.2
$68.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$350
$174
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11669
$6583

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
$1641
14.3M
Yokohama
$1385
3.76M
Osaka
$1212
2.75M
Nagoya
$1248
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1187
1.54M
Sapporo
$1268
1.96M
Kyoto
$1210
1.46M
Kobe
$1119
1.52M
Sendai
$1111
1.06M
Saitama
$1038
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1162
1.6M
Sakai
$1174
824K
Hiroshima
$1003
1.2M
Yokosuka
$1153
390K
Sagamihara
$1060
726K
Chiba
$1244
975K
Kitakyushu
$1044
935K
Kagoshima
$1092
594K
Hachioji
$1252
576K
Kumamoto
$970
738K
Wakayama
$1226
353K
Amagasaki
$1132
456K
Kawaguchi
$1056
594K
Utsunomiya
$1048
518K
Niigata
$1108
791K
Shizuoka
$991
686K
Hamamatsu
$1046
788K
Funabashi
$1145
641K
Himeji
$1212
528K
Kurashiki
$1103
475K

In Malaysia

City Cost of living Population
Kuala Lumpur
$892
1.98M
Shah Alam
$687
741K
George Town
$669
794K
Ipoh
$670
867K
Johor Bahru
$709
798K
Petaling Jaya
$738
639K
Subang Jaya
$732
708K
Kuantan
$518
608K
Klang
$729
878K
Malacca
$699
455K
Sandakan
$548
396K
Chukai
$579
256K
Kota Kinabalu
$673
452K
Teluk Intan
$673
233K
Seremban
$630
420K
Miri
$574
235K
Alor Setar
$523
217K
Muar
$752
315K
Kluang
$745
205K
Sungai Petani
$637
545K
Kuching
$629
325K
Taiping
$759
245K
Kota Bharu
$517
491K
Lahad Datu
$564
200K
Putrajaya
$571
109K
Sibu
$586
248K
Kuala Terengganu
$544
255K
Batu Pahat
$750
140K
Langkawi
$594
85.6K
Cyberjaya
$617
49.3K