Kuala Lumpur
- Population
- 1.5 million
- Coordinates
- 3.14° N, 101.69° E
- Time zone
- Asia/Kuala Lumpur
- Status
- Capital city
- Prices for
- Sep 2026
One person needs about $1,101 a month in Kuala Lumpur, rent included: 81% less than in New York. The average net salary is $1,505 a month.
Livability
Seven domain scores, weighted by how much each matters to daily life; each is a percentile among the cities with that data. Ranks count only high-confidence cities: six or more domains and twenty or more contributors.
57out of 100
- Purchasing power25%73
- Safety20%41
- Health care15%70
- Climate10%57
- Air quality10%30
- Connectivity10%47
- Cost10%67
How each domain is scored
- Purchasing power, 25%
- What a local net salary buys against local prices, as a percentile.
- Safety, 20%
- Numbeo safety index for the city, or for its country when the city has no survey.
- Health care, 15%
- Numbeo health care index, city first, then country.
- Climate, 10%
- Numbeo climate index where surveyed, otherwise a comfort score from NASA climate normals.
- Air quality, 10%
- 30-day mean US AQI on a 0-100 scale: 100 at AQI 25 or cleaner, 0 at 150 or worse.
- Connectivity, 10%
- Percentile of median fixed broadband download speed, city first, then country.
- Cost, 10%
- Cheaper places score higher: the percentile of the cost-of-living plus rent index, inverted.
- Worldwide, among high-confidence cities
- #787
- Livability rank in Malaysia
- #23
- Cheapest-city rank, worldwide
- #1,090
What it costs
US dollars a month. Indices compare with New York, which is 100; changes are against the same month a year earlier.
Cost of living index
32.9
New York = 100, rent excluded
+5.1%in 12 months
Rent index
12.7
New York = 100
+6.6%in 12 months
Purchasing power
156.2
Net salary against costs, New York = 100
Net salary
$1,505
Average, after tax
One person
$1,101
$494 without rent
Family of four
$2,795
$1,586 without rent
Rent, one bedroom in the centre
$607
40% of a net salary
Price to income
9.3
Years of income to buy a 90 m² flat
Prices
55 everyday prices in US dollars, the median of this month's contributions, each against a base you choose.
Compare with
Differences are against New York; teal marks a price that is lower (or a salary that is higher).
| Item | Kuala Lumpur | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $4.92 | $25.00 | −80% |
| Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | $29.50 | $140 | −79% |
| McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent combo meal) | $4.92 | $14.00 | −65% |
| Domestic beer (0.5 l, draught) | $4.43 | $8.00 | −45% |
| Imported beer (0.33 l bottle, restaurant) | $6.15 | $10.00 | −39% |
| Cappuccino (regular) | $3.11 | $6.37 | −51% |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 l bottle) | $0.83 | $3.80 | −78% |
| Water (0.33 l bottle) | $0.47 | $2.89 | −84% |
| Markets | |||
| Milk (1 l) | $2.14 | $1.36 | +57% |
| Loaf of fresh white bread (500g) | $1.10 | $4.68 | −77% |
| Rice, white (1 kg) | $2.05 | $6.97 | −71% |
| Eggs (12) | $2.52 | $5.73 | −56% |
| Local cheese (1 kg) | $15.68 | $17.38 | −10% |
| Chicken fillets (1 kg) | $4.81 | $15.11 | −68% |
| Beef round (1 kg, or equivalent red meat) | $9.75 | $17.77 | −45% |
| Apples (1 kg) | $3.43 | $6.11 | −44% |
| Bananas (1 kg) | $1.88 | $2.20 | −15% |
| Oranges (1 kg) | $2.38 | $5.77 | −59% |
| Tomato (1 kg) | $1.63 | $6.25 | −74% |
| Potato (1 kg) | $1.34 | $3.47 | −61% |
| Onion (1 kg) | $1.41 | $4.17 | −66% |
| Lettuce (1 head) | $1.18 | $2.72 | −57% |
| Water (1.5 l bottle) | $0.72 | $2.50 | −71% |
| Bottle of wine, mid-range | $19.05 | $20.00 | −5% |
| Domestic beer (0.5 l bottle) | $3.48 | $3.21 | +8% |
| Imported beer (0.33 l bottle) | $4.89 | $3.96 | +23% |
| Cigarettes (20 pack, Marlboro) | $4.43 | $19.00 | −77% |
| Transport | |||
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.74 | $3.00 | −75% |
| Monthly pass, regular price | $12.29 | $140 | −91% |
| Taxi start, normal tariff | $1.23 | $3.00 | −59% |
| Taxi, 1 km, normal tariff | $1.23 | $2.18 | −44% |
| Taxi, 1 hour waiting, normal tariff | $4.92 | $42.00 | −88% |
| Gasoline (1 l) | $0.80 | $1.10 | −28% |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (or equivalent new car) | $41,921 | $35,458 | +18% |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW (or equivalent new car) | $34,868 | $25,309 | +38% |
| Utilities, per month | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) | — | — | — |
| Mobile plan (calls + 10GB data) | $9.29 | $73.50 | −87% |
| Internet (60 Mbps+, unlimited, cable/ADSL) | $26.22 | $71.93 | −64% |
| Sports and leisure | |||
| Fitness club, monthly fee (1 adult) | $49.11 | $126 | −61% |
| Tennis court rent (1 hour, weekend) | $7.56 | $62.38 | −88% |
| Cinema, 1 seat, international release | $5.41 | $23.00 | −76% |
| Childcare | |||
| Preschool, full day, private (monthly, 1 child) | $300 | $3,366 | −91% |
| International primary school (yearly, 1 child) | $12,680 | $60,589 | −79% |
| Clothing and shoes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levi's 501 or similar) | $71.78 | $72.80 | −1% |
| 1 summer dress, chain store (Zara, H&M) | $42.11 | $53.22 | −21% |
| 1 pair of Nike running shoes, mid-range | $88.84 | $118 | −25% |
| 1 pair of men's leather business shoes | $98.40 | $125 | −21% |
| Rent, per month | |||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre | $607 | $4,417 | −86% |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) outside centre | $369 | $3,033 | −88% |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre | $1,209 | $9,242 | −87% |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside centre | $627 | $5,461 | −89% |
| Buying an apartment | |||
| Price per square meter, apartment in city centre | $4,077 | $18,759 | −78% |
| Price per square meter, apartment outside centre | $1,514 | $6,523 | −77% |
| Salary and financing | |||
| Average monthly net salary, after tax | $1,505 | $5,178 | −71% |
| Mortgage interest rate, 20-year fixed rate (%) | 4.20% | 6.49% | −2.3 pts |
Three years of prices
Each line starts at 100 in its first month, so a rise in rent can be read against a rise in salary on the same scale. The core basket is twelve everyday prices. Hover for the actual values.
Show the monthly values
| Month | Core basket index | Rent, 1 bedroom | Net salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | — | $607 | $1,505 |
| Aug 2026 | — | $632 | $1,527 |
| Jul 2026 | — | — | — |
| Jun 2026 | — | — | — |
| May 2026 | 24.9 | $667 | $1,651 |
| Apr 2026 | 24.6 | $688 | $1,585 |
| Mar 2026 | 24.8 | $663 | $1,568 |
| Feb 2026 | 24.4 | $646 | $1,509 |
| Jan 2026 | 23.6 | $648 | $1,452 |
| Dec 2025 | 23.4 | $631 | $1,364 |
| Nov 2025 | 23.2 | $581 | $1,357 |
| Oct 2025 | 22.8 | $581 | $1,342 |
| Sep 2025 | 22.8 | $569 | $1,281 |
| Aug 2025 | 22.7 | $567 | $1,295 |
| Jul 2025 | 22.8 | $581 | $1,363 |
| May 2025 | 22.9 | $541 | $1,306 |
| Apr 2025 | 22.1 | $516 | $1,283 |
| Mar 2025 | 22.0 | $520 | $1,286 |
| Feb 2025 | 22.7 | $492 | $1,408 |
| Jan 2025 | 22.0 | $476 | $1,397 |
| Dec 2024 | 22.1 | $476 | $1,396 |
| Nov 2024 | 22.9 | $528 | $1,385 |
| Oct 2024 | 23.9 | $547 | $1,383 |
| Sep 2024 | 23.9 | $542 | $1,427 |
| Aug 2024 | 23.0 | $523 | $1,421 |
| Jul 2024 | 22.3 | $504 | $1,309 |
| Jun 2024 | 21.7 | $497 | $1,300 |
| May 2024 | 21.4 | $509 | $1,280 |
| Apr 2024 | 21.0 | $510 | $1,242 |
| Mar 2024 | 20.5 | $497 | $1,243 |
| Feb 2024 | 20.6 | $480 | — |
| Jan 2024 | 20.7 | $519 | $1,231 |
| Dec 2023 | 20.5 | $513 | $1,188 |
| Nov 2023 | 20.5 | $494 | $1,173 |
| Oct 2023 | 19.5 | $468 | $1,107 |
Safety
Numbeo crime survey, 2026-mid. Both indices run 0 to 100; they are two sides of the same answers.
Safety index40.9Higher is safer
Crime index59.1Lower is better
- Feeling safe overall40.9
- Safety in the quality-of-life survey40.9
Quality of life
Numbeo's published indices for Kuala Lumpur, 2026-mid. Listed as Numbeo computes them, next to this index's own figures above.
- Quality of lifeHigher is better
- 135.3
- Health careHigher is better
- 69.5
- Purchasing powerHigher is better
- 111.8
- ClimateHigher is better
- 56.6
- PollutionLower is better
- 64.8
- Traffic commute timeLower is better
- 41.6
- One-way commuteMinutes, average
- 42
- Property price to incomeYears; lower is better
- 8.6
- Cost of living (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 38.8
- Rent (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 13.4
- Groceries (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 47.8
- Restaurants (Numbeo)New York = 100
- 28.1
Climate
Monthly means from NASA POWER climate normals. Temperature bands use the same scale on every city page.
°C252526262626252525252525Rain, mm206157194250172155169184195263314263JFMAMJJASOND
- Annual mean
- 25.5 °C
- Warmest monthMay
- 26.3 °C
- Coldest monthJanuary
- 24.7 °C
- Rain a year
- 2,521 mm
- HumidityRelative, annual mean
- 87%
- SunshineSolar energy per day
- 4.8 kWh/m²
- Clear-sky daysA year
- 0
- Comfort score0-100, 100 at 14-22 °C
- 64
Air, internet and housing
The last 30 days of air, the latest month of broadband tests, and the property survey.
Air
Unhealthy for sensitive groups
US AQI, the latest day
- Unhealthy days
- 1AQI above 100
- Worst day
- 112
- PM2.5
- 34.2µg/m³, mean
- Air score
- 300-100
Internet
Measured in Kuala Lumpur181Mbps download, fixed broadband, median+16% since Aug 2025
- Upload
- 81Mbps, fixed
- Latency
- 7ms, fixed
- Mobile download
- 174Mbps
- Mobile latency
- 16ms
Speedtest Global Index, Aug 2026.
Housing
$4,077Per m² to buy in the centre, $1,514 outside
- Price to income
- 9.3Years of income, 90 m² flat
- Price to rent
- 29.7Years of rent, centre
- Rental yield
- 3.4%Gross, centre
- Mortgage rate
- 4.18%20-year fixed
- 80 m² in the centre
- 18.1Years of net salary
Numbeo property survey, 20 Sept 2026.
Cities like Kuala Lumpur
In other countries, with the closest livability score and cost of living index.
About these numbers
What the figures on this page rest on.
- Confidence
- High confidence
- Contributors
- 160Numbeo price survey
- Latest prices
- Sep 20266 readings that month
- Months with prices
- 11 of 12Last 12 months
- Items priced
- 98%1 basket items from the country median
- Location
- Matched to a GeoNames reference city
- Index rebuilt
- 24 Sept 2026