Is the cost of living in Malaysia not low?
Price Report by Category 2024
When searching about prices in Malaysia on the Internet, you will often find information such as “Prices are so cheap in Malaysia! “ but is this true?
In conclusion, it depends on what you buy and the level of living you expect.
There are also circumstances unique to a country where people of various backgrounds gather.
The author is a Japanese who has lived in Malaysia for four years, so this article is from a foreigner’s perspective.
Preliminary Information on Prices in Malaysia
This information is to help you get to know Malaysia, where there are various options.
Prices of goods vary widely
In Malaysia, the prices in one word are “It depends.”
For example, if you are looking for a cheap meal, you can find a restaurant where you can have three dishes for about 5 or 6 ringgit, or you can go to a fancy restaurant and pay several hundred ringgit per person.
The currency in Malaysia is the ringgit (RM), and the exchange rate at the time of writing in 2024 is 1RM = 0.21 USD.
This article focuses on food, daily necessities, telecommunication, and transportation expenses in everyday life or shopping.
What is the “local” price?
In Malaysia, we often hear the word “local”.
Since Malaysia is a country of immigrants, this word is often used to distinguish between people who originally live in the local area and foreigners who have immigrated.
Many private stores run by locals are located on the street or in a corner of a hawker center, a collection of stores, and many have no dividing walls or air conditioning. The same applies to morning markets in street stores.
There are many large shopping malls in Malaysia, and the stores in them, including fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, have air-conditioned environments and are more expensive than local stores.
Food and eating out prices in Malaysia
Food is a part that can easily vary, especially in terms of personal taste and level of expectation.
The following is a list of categories and what you can do according to your budget.
Relatively inexpensive categories
Eating out at local restaurants, Chicken, Tropical fruits such as mangoes
Relatively expensive categories
Dairy products, Pork, Alcohol, Imported foods
Pork and alcohol are relatively expensive in this predominantly Muslim country
Food items priced at RM1–5 around 1 USD
Bottled water 1.5 ml
Drink at a local diner
Roti Canai (Indian breakfast)
1 tubular package of potato chips
500ml sports or carbonated drink from a convenience store
Fruit (per gram, depending on quantity)
1 pack of leafy greens and 1 share of broccoli at an outdoor market
Food items priced at RM6–10 around 2.1 USD
Lunch from local mixed rice restaurant (small portion)
1 liter of milk
Black coffee at a non-chain cafe
5 packs of instant noodles (depending on the brand)
1 pack of chicken (depends on quantity, smaller package)
1 pack (10 pieces) of eggs
470 grams of yogurt
1 pack of leafy greens from supermarkets in malls
1 share of organic broccoli from supermarkets in malls
Food items priced at RM11–15 around 3.2 USD
Cafe latte/cappuccino at a non-chain cafe
Black coffee at a chain store in the mall
Set meal with drink at local food court
A set of fast food with low unit price
1 can of beer (depending on the brand)
Food items priced at RM16–20 around 4.2 USD
Cafe latte/cappuccino at a chain store in a shopping mall
20 bags of instant powdered coffee with sugar and milk
A set of fast food with a high unit price
A pack of salmon at a supermarket in a shopping mall
Food items priced at RM21–30 around 6.3 USD
Coffee & cake at chain cafes in malls
Pizza/Pasta in an Western restaurant
A pack of bacon (depending on quantity and stuff)
High-end yogurt
Food items priced at RM31–40 around 8.4 USD
Set meal at a Japanese/Korean restaurant
Pack of Haagen-Dazs 473ml
5kg of rice (depending on the brand)
Set of 4 cans of beer （depending on the brand)
Prices in Malaysia Daily necessities
The following is a list of that you can buy at supermarkets, drugstores, and stores selling general merchandise (Mr. DIY).
Detergents
While there are high-end options such as environmentally friendly ones, unless you choose them, you can get many of them at low prices.
Footwear such as flip-flops and slippers
They are as little as 10 ringgit or more. However, you cannot expect them to be very durable.
Containers for drinking water
Since it is a hot country, many people carry large water bottles when they go out. Cheap ones are available for about 10 ringgit, and there are many variations in design.
Toilet paper
RM15-RM20 for 10 rolls
Tissue paper
RM12–18 for a box of 5
Prices in Malaysia Telecommunication
Internet rates depend, and cell phone rates seem very inexpensive.
Internet Contract
When you contract internet by yourself, you will be penalized if you terminate the contract within 2 years.
I had used Unify, and the monthly usage fee was RM136. Since I terminated the contract after 2 years, I was not penalized.
It is smooth to plan according to your house contract and work situation.
Cell phone SIM card
Prepaid cards are very inexpensive.
In the case of Maxis, which I use, you buy a card for RM10 and top up the card according to the plan you want to use.
My monthly cell phone bill is usually in the range of RM25–40.
The plans change from time to time.
Prices in Malaysia Transportation
Although trains are currently being developed in Malaysia, many people still use cars to commute to work and get around.
Train and Grab (cab) fares are very inexpensive compared to other developed countries.
As a Japanese, the cost of traveling the same distance by train in Japan is about the same as traveling by Grab in Malaysia.
Trains (LRT, MRT)
Purchase of a token that replaces a ticket or use a special card (Touch and Go) is necessary to get on the train.
There is a system like a commuter pass for locals, but not for foreigners, and there are no discounts.
The fare is a little over RM1 per section, so even if you take a very long ride, such as 30 minutes or more, the fare is rarely over RM10.
You can find detailed train fares here.
For reference, when I used to take the LRT to work every day for a ride of about 20 minutes, my monthly transportation cost was about RM130.
Grab
Grab, a shared ride service, is well-developed in Malaysia and is convenient for those who do not have a car.
Instead of a metered fare, the Grab app calculates the fare in advance when you make a reservation, and the fare is higher when it is raining, when there is heavy traffic, or when there are few drivers, and lower when there are many drivers available.
Depending on the situation, a 10–15 minute ride will cost about RM15–20, and in March 2024, a 1 hour and 15 minutes ride from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Kuala Lumpur City costed RM74.
Summary
Food in Malaysia varies and can be economical or expensive depending on personal tastes.
Daily necessities in Malaysia can be expensive or inexpensive, depending on the item.
Internet subscriptions in Malaysia are tied to the period, and cell phone rates are inexpensive.
Transportation in Malaysia is relatively inexpensive.
I hope this article is helpful to people considering moving to Malaysia.
I also wrote about housing cost in Malaysia.
