Malaysia vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Malaysia United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$687
$2454
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1664
$5738
🏠 One person rent
$313
$1565
🏘️ Family rent
$549
$2755
🍽️ Food expenses
$261
$624
🚐 Transport expenses
$42.6
$102
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$948
$4635
💸 GDP per capita
$11649
$81695
😃 Human freedom index
6.66
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
76.3
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
50
69
🌐 English speaking %
57.3%
95.5%
🎓 Higher education
79
100
😀 Quality of life
60
87
🏙️ Population
32.4M
332M

The average cost of living in Malaysia ($687) is 72% less expensive than in the United States ($2454). Malaysia ranked 142nd vs 10th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.4 months in Malaysia compared to 1.9 months in the United States. Ranked 58th and 20th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Malaysia vs United States infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Malaysia vs the United States

We calculate prices for Malaysia and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 34 and 2202 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 States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.05
$18.7
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$20.7
$75
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.27
$10.8
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.19
$6.19
 Cappuccino
$2.77
$5.13
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.72
$2.57
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$332
$1641
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$230
$1330
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$658
$2946
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$421
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$33.8
$123
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$52.1
$189
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$28.7
$66.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
6.53%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1805
$4710
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1030
$3231
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.7
$2.37
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$17.4
$70
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$7.23
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$0.5
$0.98
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.8
$1.08
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.95
$3.5
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$4.35
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.09
$3.81
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.8
$13
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.28
$11.6
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.3
$15.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$5.03
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.4
$1.76
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.8
$4.51
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.53
$4.74
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.08
$2.81
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$2.88
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.38
$1.42
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.09
$2.6
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$18
$14.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.74
$2.17
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.33
$10.3
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.87
$9.41
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.63
$6.07
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.43
$4.4
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.66
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.5
$51.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$4.1
$14.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$21.6
$122
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.06
$20.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$59.9
$52.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$68.2
$89.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$174
$1400
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$6583
$20224

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Malaysia vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

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

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4051
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3187
3.9M
Chicago
$2667
2.75M
Houston
$2248
2.3M
San Diego
$3346
1.39M
Phoenix
$2369
1.61M
San Jose
$3674
1.01M
Dallas
$2550
1.3M
San Francisco
$3781
874K
Philadelphia
$2541
1.6M
San Antonio
$2194
1.43M
Austin
$2473
962K
Seattle
$2908
737K
Indianapolis
$2187
888K
Hempstead
$2702
793K
Charlotte
$2615
875K
Washington
$3139
690K
Boston
$3467
676K
Fort Worth
$2195
919K
Jacksonville
$2386
950K
Columbus
$2252
906K
Denver
$2699
716K
Nashville
$2649
689K
Portland
$2572
653K
Atlanta
$2540
499K
Las Vegas
$2246
642K
Detroit
$2006
639K
Oakland
$3146
441K
El Paso
$1775
679K
Baltimore
$2223
586K