Malaysia vs United Arab Emirates - Cost of Living Comparison

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Livingcost

Malaysia United Arab Emirates
🚶 Cost of living one person
$818
$2124
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1932
$4640
🏠 One person rent
$385
$1436
🏘️ Family rent
$618
$2485
🍽️ Food expenses
$288
$423
🚐 Transport expenses
$65.3
$129
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$919
$3341
💸 GDP per capita
$11874
$50274
😃 Human freedom index
7.11
5.81
❤️ Life expectancy
76.7
82.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
52
69
🌐 English speaking %
57.3%
65%
🎓 Higher education
78
68
😀 Quality of life
68
84
🏙️ Population
35.6M
11M

The average cost of living in Malaysia ($818) is 61% less expensive than in the United Arab Emirates ($2124). Malaysia ranked 127th vs 17th for the United Arab Emirates in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.1 months in Malaysia compared to 1.6 months in the United Arab Emirates. Ranked 55th and 30th best countries to live in the world.

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the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in Malaysia vs the United Arab Emirates

We calculate prices for Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates as a population-weighted mean of 34 and 9 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.

Malaysia United Arab Emirates
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.74
$9.71
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$23.3
$57.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.73
$9.16
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.35
$11.8
 Cappuccino
$3.06
$5.46
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.77
$1.22
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$474
$1662
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$288
$1115
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$830
$3230
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$483
$2498
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$33.5
$122
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$52
$188
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$27.1
$91.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.27%
4.59%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2250
$6089
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1191
$4089
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.81
$1.6
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$15.2
$59
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$8.29
$9
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$0.64
$0.82
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.03
$1.81
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.12
$1.41
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.51
$2.03
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.33
$3.19
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.7
$11.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.94
$8.45
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.24
$10.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.13
$2.4
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.78
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.65
$1.79
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.54
$1.4
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.34
$1.11
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.51
$1.03
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$0.4
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.14
$2.18
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$19.2
$14.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.98
$2.63
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.36
$6.13
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4
$7.53
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.8
$5.64
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.64
$3.35
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.94
$3.04
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$40.8
$74.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$4.8
$13.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$24.6
$67.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$7.71
$9.64
👖 Brand Jeans
$62.6
$67.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$80.7
$100
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$233
$666
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$8255
$13313

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Malaysia vs the United Arab Emirates

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Malaysia

City Cost of living Population
Kuala Lumpur
$992
9M
Shah Alam
$741
741K
Johor Bahru
$843
798K
George Town
$762
794K
Ipoh
$677
867K
Klang
$743
878K
Subang Jaya
$798
708K
Petaling Jaya
$783
639K
Kuantan
$576
608K
Sandakan
$583
396K
Kota Bharu
$531
491K
Seremban
$617
420K
Sungai Petani
$637
545K
Kota Kinabalu
$718
452K
Chukai
$621
256K
Muar
$759
357K
Teluk Intan
$678
233K
Malacca
$707
455K
Kuching
$698
325K
Miri
$688
235K
Kluang
$717
205K
Lahad Datu
$620
200K
Alor Setar
$545
217K
Taiping
$555
245K
Putrajaya
$610
109K
Kuala Terengganu
$550
255K
Sibu
$614
248K
Batu Pahat
$737
140K
Butterworth
$720
80.4K
Bintulu
$588
114K

In the United Arab Emirates

City Cost of living Population
Dubai
$2470
3.94M
Abu Dhabi
$2133
1.57M
Sharjah
$1543
1.25M
Al Ain
$1455
767K
Ajman
$2356
490K
Fujairah
$1173
119K
Ras al-Khaimah
$1355
116K
Umm al-Quwain
$1170
44.4K
Madinat Zayed
$1791
29.1K