Cost of living and expenses in Malaysia

What are the costs of living, how much do you have to spend on fees and expenses in Malaysia? What is the cost of a mortgage, what are the average earnings in Malaysia, and how much do you have to spend on clothes or a flat in the centre or on the outskirts of the city?
Below you will read about the expenses, fees, rental prices, how much you have to pay for clothes or shoes and the cost of living in Malaysia (The last update: 4 days ago)

Currency in Malaysia Malaysian ringgit (MYR). For 10 US dollars you can get 44.3 Malaysian ringgits. For 100 US dollars you can get 443 Malaysian ringgits. And the other way around: For 10 Malaysian ringgits you can get 2.26 US dollars.


See also how prices have changed in previous years: Price changes in previous years in Malaysia


What are the different prices in the cities in Malaysia? Look here: Prices in cities in Malaysia

Prices: George Town   Ipoh   Johor Bahru   Klang   Kuala Lumpur   Kuantan   Kuching   Seremban   Shah Alam   Subang Jaya  


Price fees $48 ($27 - $79)

fees

$48 ($27 - $79)
77% is less expensive than in United States

Price internet $27 ($20 - $35)

internet

$27 ($20 - $35)
63% is less expensive than in United States

Price jeans $54 ($23 - $83)

jeans

$54 ($23 - $83)
2.8% more than in United States

Price average earnings $919

average earnings

$919
80% is less expensive than in United States

Price renting a small apartment in the center $353 ($226 - $677)

renting a small apartment in the center

$353 ($226 - $677)
80% is less expensive than in United States

Price renting a large apartment outside the center $426 ($248 - $711)

renting a large apartment outside the center

$426 ($248 - $711)
82% is less expensive than in United States

The cost of living in Malaysia:

  1. One-way Ticket (Local Transport) $0.68 (MYR 3)
  2. Monthly Pass (Regular Price) $11.3 (MYR 50)
  3. Gasoline (1 liter) $0.46 (MYR 2.1)
  4. Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW (or equivalent new car) $36.1K (MYR 160K)
  5. Apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre $353 (MYR 1.57K)
  6. Apartment (1 bedroom) outside of centre $255 (MYR 1.13K)
  7. Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre $645 (MYR 2.86K)
  8. Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside of centre $426 (MYR 1.89K)
  9. Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment $48 (MYR 212)
  10. Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) $27 (MYR 118)
  11. numb_34 $9.5 (MYR 42)
  12. 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) $54 (MYR 239)
  13. 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M,...) $29 (MYR 129)
  14. 1 pair of Nike running shoes or similar $69 (MYR 304)
  15. 1 pair of men's leather shoes $61 (MYR 269)
  16. Toyota Corolla 1.6l, 97kW Comfort (or equivalent new car) $29.2K (MYR 129K)
  17. Preschool (or Kindergarten), Private, Monthly for 1 Child $163 (MYR 722)
  18. Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center $1.95K (MYR 8.65K)
  19. International Primary School, Annually for 1 Child $6.24K (MYR 27.6K)
  20. Price per square meter for an apartment outside of city centre $1.09K (MYR 4.84K)
  21. Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) $919 (MYR 4.07K)
  22. Mortgage annual interest rate in percentages (%) 4%
  23. Taxi starting fare (normal tariff) $0.9 (MYR 4)
  24. Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) $0.68 (MYR 3)
  25. Taxi 1 hour waiting (normal tariff) $4.5 (MYR 20)
source: hikersbay.com & numbeo.com

Price changes in previous years in Malaysia

Price changes in One Square Meter Of An Apartment In The Center over the years: 2011: $684(MYR 3.03K), 2012: $1.18K(MYR 5.21K), 2013: $1.73K(MYR 7.64K), 2014: $1.51K(MYR 6.7K), 2015: $2.14K(MYR 9.46K), 2016: $2.15K(MYR 9.51K), 2017: $2.06K(MYR 9.14K), and 2018: $2.13K(MYR 9.44K)

Malaysia price changes: Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center 2011-2018
Malaysia price changes Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center hikersbay.com

Have earnings increased in Malaysia?
See the average salary in previous years in 2010: $812(MYR 3.6K), 2011: $670(MYR 2.97K), 2012: $679(MYR 3.01K), 2013: $757(MYR 3.36K), 2014: $744(MYR 3.29K), 2015: $853(MYR 3.78K), 2016: $825(MYR 3.65K), 2017: $863(MYR 3.83K), and 2018: $836(MYR 3.7K)

Malaysia price changes: Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2010-2018
Malaysia price changes Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) hikersbay.com

Price changes in Fees over the years: 2010: $33(MYR 148), 2011: $33(MYR 145), 2012: $39(MYR 173), 2013: $36(MYR 161), 2014: $39(MYR 171), 2015: $44(MYR 194), 2016: $42(MYR 186), 2017: $45(MYR 199), and 2018: $43(MYR 189)

Malaysia price changes: Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment 2010-2018
Malaysia price changes Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment hikersbay.com

Price changes in Internet over the years: 2010: $27(MYR 118), 2011: $30(MYR 134), 2012: $33(MYR 144), 2013: $32(MYR 141), 2014: $33(MYR 145), 2015: $37(MYR 164), 2016: $36(MYR 160), 2017: $38(MYR 167), and 2018: $34(MYR 150)

Malaysia price changes: Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) 2010-2018
Malaysia price changes Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) hikersbay.com

Have prices changed in clothing stores in Malaysia in recent years?
For example, this is how the prices of jeans have changed in 2010: $53(MYR 236), 2011: $56(MYR 246), 2012: $56(MYR 248), 2013: $52(MYR 232), 2014: $53(MYR 233), 2015: $54(MYR 239), 2016: $53(MYR 234), 2017: $50(MYR 223), and 2018: $54(MYR 237)

Malaysia price changes: 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) 2010-2018
Malaysia price changes 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) hikersbay.com

Do you want to learn more about different prices? See the following comparison:

renting a small apartment in the center

$353 ($226 - $677)
80% is less expensive than in United States

Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Mirinda

$0.73 ($0.56 - $1.1)
70% is less expensive than in United States

cheese

$13.1 ($4.5 - $32)
1.6% more than in United States

renting a large apartment outside the center

$426 ($248 - $711)
82% is less expensive than in United States

local beer

$3.4 ($2 - $5.6)
by half less than in United States

cheap restaurant

$2.9 ($1.8 - $5.6)
85% is less expensive than in United States