Cost of Living · IT vs MY
🇮🇹 Rome vs 🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,489 in Italy vs $594 in Malaysia — 60.09% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Malaysia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -65.43%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -65.43%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -65.43%
Closest to Italy prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -25.93%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -26.16%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -26.17%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Italy | Malaysia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,014 | $350 (1,501 MYR) | -65.43% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $811 | $280 (1,201 MYR) | -65.43% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,853 | $641 (2,745 MYR) | -65.43% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.72 | $5.09 (22 MYR) | -56.57% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $48.83 | $21.19 (91 MYR) | -56.6% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.45 | $3.49 (15 MYR) | -53.15% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.81 | $0.44 (2 MYR) | -45.68% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.34 | $1.28 (5 MYR) | -45.3% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.49 | $1.36 (6 MYR) | -45.38% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.32 | $3.99 (17 MYR) | -45.49% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.93 | $1.60 (7 MYR) | -45.39% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.51 | $1.91 (8 MYR) | -45.58% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.78 | $4.79 (21 MYR) | -45.44% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.46 | $0.80 (3 MYR) | -45.21% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.91 | $1.70 (7 MYR) | -56.52% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.84 | $5.05 (22 MYR) | -26.17% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.26 | $1.41 (6 MYR) | -56.75% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.68 | $0.92 (4 MYR) | -45.24% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $44.01 | $20.61 (88 MYR) | -53.17% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.86 | $0.87 (4 MYR) | -53.23% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.60 | $1.13 (5 MYR) | -56.54% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.17 | $0.51 (2 MYR) | -56.41% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.81 | $0.60 (3 MYR) | -25.93% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $135 | $63.40 (272 MYR) | -53.18% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $47.39 | $22.19 (95 MYR) | -53.18% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $30.47 | $14.27 (61 MYR) | -53.17% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $32.55 | $14.13 (61 MYR) | -56.59% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $9.12 | $3.96 (17 MYR) | -56.58% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $19.53 | $8.48 (36 MYR) | -56.58% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $47.05 | $34.74 (149 MYR) | -26.16% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $77.00 | $56.84 (244 MYR) | -26.18% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $163 | $70.65 (303 MYR) | -56.6% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Malaysia than Italy?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $594 in Malaysia versus $1,489 in Italy — 60.09% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Malaysia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.70 in Malaysia (≈ 7.28 MYR), versus about $3.91 in Italy.
- How much is rent in Malaysia compared to Italy?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $350/month in Malaysia versus $1,014/month in Italy (-65.43%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.