Kuala Lumpur vs Medan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated: March 02, 2025

	Kuala Lumpur	Medan
🚶 Cost of living one person	$810	$481
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family	$1984	$1335
🏠 One person rent	$393	$187
🏘️ Family rent	$711	$394
🍽️ Food expenses	$278	$189
🚐 Transport expenses	$64.8	$35.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax	$1392	$262
😷 Air quality	Moderate	Moderate
✈️ Airport proximity	16 km	12 km
🎓 Higher education	93	53
😀 Quality of life	77	44
🏙️ Population	1.98M	2.11M

The cost of living in Kuala Lumpur is 68% more expensive than in Medan. Cities ranked 6403rd and 8745th ($810 vs $481) in the list of the most expensive cities in the world and ranked 1st and 47th in Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively. Check Malaysia vs Indonesia comparison.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.7 months in Kuala Lumpur compared to 0.5 months in Medan. Kuala Lumpur ranked 1st best city to live in Malaysia vs Medan ranked 14th in Indonesia, while ranked 811th and 6633rd among best cities to live in the world.

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the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Kuala Lumpur vs Medan infographic

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<img src="https://livingcost.org/assets/photo/cost/kuala-lumpur/medan.jpg" alt="Cost of living in Kuala Lumpur vs Medan infographic" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"><p>Source: <a href="https://livingcost.org/cost/kuala-lumpur/medan" target="_blank">Kuala Lumpur vs Medan - Cost of Living Comparison</a></p>

Prices in Kuala Lumpur vs Medan

Prices for goods and services in Kuala Lumpur and Medan are partly crowdsourced by our visitors, just like yourself. Please consider telling us about your city.

	Kuala Lumpur	Medan
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu	$4.17	$1.97
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2	$25.4	$12.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's	$4.54	$3.31
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$4.64	$2.39
☕ Cappuccino	$2.93	$2.24
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz	$0.82	$0.45
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$450	$174
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2	$297	$107
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$928	$469
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2	$548	$265
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$40.3	$40.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.	$61.8	$62.2
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited	$25.4	$26.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years	4.59%	9.24%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$2996	$1337
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2	$1427	$614
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket	$0.69	$0.31
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport	$11.5	$8.02
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi	$9.04	$2.8
⛽ Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal	$0.49	$0.79
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt	$1.9	$1.37
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb	$0.95	$1.14
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.37	$0.98
🥚 Eggs, x12	$2.32	$1.55
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$13.6	$8.21
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$4.64	$3.56
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$9	$6.98
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$2.81	$2.38
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.5	$1.01
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$2.58	$1.5
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.45	$0.84
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.1	$0.75
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb	$1.21	$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt	$0.43	$0.31
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz	$1.15	$1.13
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle	$16.8	$15.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz	$3.04	$1.68
🚬 Cigarette pack	$4.05	$2.26
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week	$3.45	$2.01
🧴 Hair Shampoo	$3.64	$2.41
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls	$1.57	$0.83
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube	$2.19	$0.77
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month	$41.5	$23
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person	$4.82	$3.48
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit	$20	$15.1
💇 Haircut, simple	$5.65	$2.73
👖 Brand Jeans	$56.9	$55.3
👟 Brand Sneakers	$77.6	$105
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month	$254	$124
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year	$8723	$10763

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

$349

$907

$6.64K

Cost of Living in the nearest cities

Cities near Kuala Lumpur

Distance	City	Cost of living
11 km or 6.7 mi	Petaling Jaya	$701
15 km or 9.1 mi	Subang Jaya	$714
19 km or 12 mi	Shah Alam	$645
24 km or 15 mi	Putrajaya	$532
25 km or 16 mi	Cyberjaya	$585
30 km or 19 mi	Klang	$670
54 km or 33 mi	Seremban	$604
123 km or 77 mi	Malacca	$669
124 km or 77 mi	Teluk Intan	$631
155 km or 97 mi	Muar	$682
167 km or 104 mi	Dumai	$543
176 km or 109 mi	Ipoh	$628
196 km or 122 mi	Kuantan	$529
199 km or 124 mi	Batu Pahat	$703
211 km or 131 mi	Tanjungbalai	$503
217 km or 135 mi	Taiping	$695
219 km or 136 mi	Kluang	$679
229 km or 142 mi	Chukai	$565
282 km or 175 mi	Tebing Tinggi	$474
291 km or 181 mi	Butterworth	$619
291 km or 181 mi	Kuala Terengganu	$501
292 km or 181 mi	Pekanbaru	$542
293 km or 182 mi	Pematangsiantar	$486
294 km or 183 mi	George Town	$620
297 km or 184 mi	Johor Bahru	$759
309 km or 192 mi	Sungai Petani	$605
311 km or 193 mi	Singapore City	$3059
315 km or 195 mi	Bukit Merah	$2788
335 km or 208 mi	Padangsidempuan	$582
338 km or 210 mi	Kota Bharu	$485
341 km or 212 mi	Medan	$481
346 km or 215 mi	Batam	$539
360 km or 224 mi	Binjai	$470
361 km or 225 mi	Alor Setar	$490
394 km or 245 mi	Tanjung Pinang	$506
402 km or 250 mi	Kangar	$536
413 km or 257 mi	Langkawi	$560
441 km or 274 mi	Langsa	$461
451 km or 280 mi	Hat Yai	$570
457 km or 284 mi	Ko Lipe	$719

Cities near Medan

Distance	City	Cost of living
21 km or 13 mi	Binjai	$470
67 km or 41 mi	Tebing Tinggi	$474
90 km or 56 mi	Pematangsiantar	$486
119 km or 74 mi	Langsa	$461
148 km or 92 mi	Tanjungbalai	$503
238 km or 148 mi	Lhokseumawe	$435
264 km or 164 mi	Teluk Intan	$631
264 km or 164 mi	Taiping	$695
264 km or 164 mi	Padangsidempuan	$582
268 km or 166 mi	George Town	$620
269 km or 167 mi	Butterworth	$619
286 km or 178 mi	Ipoh	$628
298 km or 185 mi	Sungai Petani	$605
307 km or 191 mi	Gunungsitoli	$571
317 km or 197 mi	Klang	$670
322 km or 200 mi	Ko Lipe	$719
324 km or 201 mi	Langkawi	$560
325 km or 202 mi	Shah Alam	$645
331 km or 206 mi	Alor Setar	$490
332 km or 206 mi	Subang Jaya	$714
332 km or 206 mi	Petaling Jaya	$701
341 km or 212 mi	Kuala Lumpur	$810
342 km or 212 mi	Cyberjaya	$585
345 km or 215 mi	Putrajaya	$532
352 km or 219 mi	Kangar	$536
378 km or 235 mi	Seremban	$604
381 km or 237 mi	Dumai	$543
422 km or 262 mi	Hat Yai	$570
426 km or 265 mi	Banda Aceh	$398
431 km or 268 mi	Malacca	$669
445 km or 277 mi	Ko Lanta	$772
466 km or 289 mi	Pekanbaru	$542
468 km or 291 mi	Muar	$682
470 km or 292 mi	Phuket	$940
483 km or 300 mi	Kota Bharu	$485
487 km or 303 mi	Ao Nang	$792
489 km or 304 mi	Krabi	$782
515 km or 320 mi	Batu Pahat	$703
518 km or 322 mi	Kuantan	$529
529 km or 329 mi	Kuala Terengganu	$501