Cost of living in Malaysia
A single person living in Malaysia spends around $620/month excluding rent. Per-city numbers below, every figure with its source; rent is shown separately in the Housing sections, by apartment type.
VerifiedUpdated
At a glance
What the tags meanofficial — live figure from a government or authorityopen data — open dataset (Eurostat, EEA, M-Lab, UdSC…)survey — survey or index estimatecurated — SettleMetric-assembled estimate — open the source for the method
Cost of living
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2022
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- DOSM HES 2022 mean household monthly expenditure = RM5,150; housing+utilities group = 23.2%. Per-capita non-housing spend ≈ RM1,014 (over mean household size ≈3.9); scaled to a solo adult (loss of household economies of scale, ×~2.4) and utilities added back ≈ RM2,530/mo excluding rent. Converted at USD/MYR 4.08 (ECB EUR/MYR 4.6508 ÷ EUR/USD 1.1399, 2026-07-02) → ≈ $620/mo. This is a derivation from the all-household survey, not a published one-person-household line (which could not be retrieved from DOSM this cycle).
- Notes
- Excludes rent. National basis (KL runs higher, smaller towns lower). The housing-group sub-split into rent vs utilities is approximate; flagged for refinement against the DOSM one-person-household table on next verification.
$620/mo
2022curated
Rent: 1-bedroom (city avg)
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Mar 31, 2025
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Kuala Lumpur average asking rent ≈ RM2,901/mo (Q1 2025 market data) and Penang (George Town) 1-bedroom ≈ RM1,800/mo; population-weighted over the two covered cities (KL ≈1.98M, George Town/Penang island ≈0.79M) → ≈ RM2,586/mo ≈ $635 at USD/MYR 4.08. City-wide averages (central districts run higher).
- Notes
- Curated from market/portal rental data, not an official statistic — NAPIC (jpph.gov.my) rental transaction data is the preferred official source but was not machine-accessible this cycle. Weighted over the two covered cities, not a full national figure.
$635/mo
2025curated
Private health
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 4, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Comprehensive plans that include inpatient/hospitalisation plus outpatient cover for a resident foreigner run ≈ RM400–1,200/month across major insurers (AIA, Great Eastern, Allianz, AXA/Prudential); a healthy 35-year-old midpoint ≈ RM650–700/month ≈ RM8,000/year ≈ $1,960 at USD/MYR 4.08 (range ≈ $1,180–$3,530). Premiums are individually underwritten and quoted on request, so this is a curated market midpoint, not a public engine quote.
- Notes
- Comprehensive (outpatient + inpatient) basis, chosen for cross-country comparability. Malaysian citizens/PRs access heavily subsidised public healthcare; foreigners typically buy private cover or use the (higher) foreigner tariff at public hospitals. International (IPMI) plans with global coverage cost substantially more. Insurers quote on request.
$1,960/yr
2026curated
DOSM Household Expenditure Survey 2022 (COICOP expenditure shares), single-person basket derived
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2022
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- DOSM HES 2022 main-group expenditure shares (Food & non-alcoholic 16.3%, Restaurants & accommodation 16.1%, Transport 11.3%, etc.), with the housing group reduced to its utilities portion (rent removed), renormalised over the ≈$620/mo single-person non-rent basket and converted at USD/MYR 4.08. Categories sum to the cost-of-living aggregate.
- Notes
- Derived from the all-household survey shares; the utilities-vs-rent split within the housing group is approximate. National average.
Food & non-alcoholic beverages128 USD
Restaurants & accommodation127 USD
Transport89 USD
Utilities (water, electricity, gas)55 USD
Personal care & misc goods/services51 USD
Recreation, sport & culture39 USD
Communications38 USD
Household furnishings & maintenance33 USD
Alcohol & tobacco19 USD
Clothing & footwear18 USD
Health (out-of-pocket)15 USD
Education9 USD
National household-budget-survey basket. Rent is shown separately below.
Details
CriterionValueScore
Cost of living (single, excl. rent)620USD/month, single person, excluding rent9.4
What this measures
Monthly cost of a defined single-person basket (food, transport, utilities, mobile+internet, modest leisure) excluding rent, curated from national statistics office price data and large local retailers' published prices, converted to USD at the ECB rate recorded in fx-rates. The method field of each value itemizes the basket inputs.
Lower is better· USD/month, single person, excluding rent· re-verified every 365 days
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Dec 31, 2022
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- DOSM HES 2022 mean household monthly expenditure = RM5,150; housing+utilities group = 23.2%. Per-capita non-housing spend ≈ RM1,014 (over mean household size ≈3.9); scaled to a solo adult (loss of household economies of scale, ×~2.4) and utilities added back ≈ RM2,530/mo excluding rent. Converted at USD/MYR 4.08 (ECB EUR/MYR 4.6508 ÷ EUR/USD 1.1399, 2026-07-02) → ≈ $620/mo. This is a derivation from the all-household survey, not a published one-person-household line (which could not be retrieved from DOSM this cycle).
- Notes
- Excludes rent. National basis (KL runs higher, smaller towns lower). The housing-group sub-split into rent vs utilities is approximate; flagged for refinement against the DOSM one-person-household table on next verification.
Private healthcare cost1,960USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old6.1
What this measures
Median of at least three publicly quoted annual premiums for comprehensive private medical insurance (outpatient + inpatient, ~$100k coverage, small deductible) for a healthy 35-year-old resident foreigner, from local and international insurers. Method field lists the insurers quoted.
Lower is better· USD/year, comprehensive private insurance premium, healthy 35-year-old· re-verified every 365 days
Curated by SettleMetric
- Data as of
- Jul 4, 2026
- Verified
- Jul 4, 2026
- Method
- Comprehensive plans that include inpatient/hospitalisation plus outpatient cover for a resident foreigner run ≈ RM400–1,200/month across major insurers (AIA, Great Eastern, Allianz, AXA/Prudential); a healthy 35-year-old midpoint ≈ RM650–700/month ≈ RM8,000/year ≈ $1,960 at USD/MYR 4.08 (range ≈ $1,180–$3,530). Premiums are individually underwritten and quoted on request, so this is a curated market midpoint, not a public engine quote.
- Notes
- Comprehensive (outpatient + inpatient) basis, chosen for cross-country comparability. Malaysian citizens/PRs access heavily subsidised public healthcare; foreigners typically buy private cover or use the (higher) foreigner tariff at public hospitals. International (IPMI) plans with global coverage cost substantially more. Insurers quote on request.
City detail pages: Kuala Lumpur · Penang