Japan vs Malaysia - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan Malaysia
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1130
$694
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2751
$1625
🏠 One person rent
$510
$319
🏘️ Family rent
$843
$511
🍽️ Food expenses
$388
$262
🚐 Transport expenses
$134
$41.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1977
$804
💸 GDP per capita
$32476
$11867
😃 Human freedom index
8.73
7.06
❤️ Life expectancy
84
76.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
71
50
🌐 English speaking %
15%
57.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
78
😀 Quality of life
89
63
🏙️ Population
124M
35.6M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1130) is 63% more expensive than in Malaysia ($694). Japan ranked 76th vs 149th 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 1.7 months in Japan compared to 1.2 months in Malaysia. Ranked 18th and 61st 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
$6.32
$3.21
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$34.1
$19.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.95
$4.3
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.96
$3.97
 Cappuccino
$3.11
$2.69
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.09
$0.73
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$514
$359
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$355
$237
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1107
$630
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$694
$412
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$92.9
$29.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$143
$45.8
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$30.2
$27.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.8%
4.24%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4931
$1684
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2794
$1051
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.66
$0.76
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$59.9
$16.7
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.5
$6.77
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.11
$0.5
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.43
$1.78
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.42
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.03
$1.3
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.06
$2.06
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.2
$13.6
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.28
$4.29
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.7
$8.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.71
$2.81
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.47
$1.5
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.68
$2.74
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.51
$1.58
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.62
$1.2
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.39
$1.31
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.6
$0.37
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.46
$1.08
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.31
$18.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.93
$2.81
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.66
$4.13
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.3
$3.84
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.65
$3.63
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.36
$1.47
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.63
$1.65
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$53.7
$33.8
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.1
$4.33
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.3
$22.1
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.4
$5.79
👖 Brand Jeans
$45.2
$60.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$56.9
$69.7
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$336
$178
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12869
$6210

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
$1698
14.3M
Yokohama
$1336
3.76M
Osaka
$1237
2.75M
Nagoya
$1189
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1354
1.54M
Sapporo
$1181
1.96M
Hiroshima
$883
1.2M
Kyoto
$1107
1.46M
Kobe
$1106
1.52M
Saitama
$1037
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1065
1.6M
Chiba
$1251
975K
Shizuoka
$1025
686K
Sakai
$1115
824K
Sagamihara
$1021
726K
Sendai
$1069
1.06M
Niigata
$1007
791K
Kitakyushu
$1078
935K
Funabashi
$1117
641K
Hachioji
$1286
576K
Kawaguchi
$1025
594K
Hamamatsu
$1016
788K
Kumamoto
$991
738K
Kagoshima
$1016
594K
Kashiwa
$1116
428K
Utsunomiya
$1052
518K
Machida
$1049
434K
Matsudo
$1024
498K
Ichikawa
$1041
496K
Nishinomiya
$1091
487K

In Malaysia

City Cost of living Population
Kuala Lumpur
$866
1.98M
Ipoh
$657
867K
Johor Bahru
$789
798K
Klang
$704
878K
George Town
$754
794K
Subang Jaya
$789
708K
Shah Alam
$681
741K
Petaling Jaya
$731
639K
Kuantan
$552
608K
Kota Bharu
$517
491K
Sandakan
$518
396K
Kota Kinabalu
$687
452K
Seremban
$643
420K
Sungai Petani
$653
545K
Alor Setar
$509
217K
Muar
$771
315K
Kuching
$642
325K
Teluk Intan
$654
233K
Malacca
$689
455K
Chukai
$598
256K
Miri
$658
235K
Kluang
$771
205K
Lahad Datu
$556
200K
Taiping
$552
245K
Kuala Terengganu
$534
255K
Sibu
$592
248K
Batu Pahat
$788
140K
Putrajaya
$584
109K
Tawau
$578
114K
Butterworth
$701
80.4K