Cost of Living · MY vs EG
🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur vs 🇪🇬 Cairo: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $633 in Malaysia vs $259 in Egypt — 59% cheaper.
- Essentials, Malaysia
- $633/mo
- Essentials, Egypt
- $259/mo
- Difference
- -59%
- 1-bed city rent, Egypt
- $131/mo
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Egypt
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -65%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -65%
- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -65%
Closest to Malaysia prices
- Jeans (mid-range brand): -26%
- Running shoes (brand): -26%
- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -26%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Malaysia | Egypt | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $377 | $131 (6,449 EGP) | -65% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $302 | $105 (5,160 EGP) | -65% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $689 | $240 (11,793 EGP) | -65% |
| Food out | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.39 | $2.35 (116 EGP) | -56% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $22.45 | $9.78 (481 EGP) | -56% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $3.67 | $1.73 (85 EGP) | -53% |
| Groceries | |||
| Milk, 1L | $0.46 | $0.25 (12 EGP) | -46% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.33 | $0.73 (36 EGP) | -45% |
| Eggs, dozen | $1.41 | $0.77 (38 EGP) | -45% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.16 | $2.27 (112 EGP) | -45% |
| White rice, 1kg | $1.66 | $0.91 (45 EGP) | -45% |
| Apples, 1kg | $2.00 | $1.09 (54 EGP) | -45% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $4.99 | $2.73 (134 EGP) | -45% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.83 | $0.45 (22 EGP) | -46% |
| Drinks | |||
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.80 | $0.78 (38 EGP) | -57% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.16 | $3.81 (188 EGP) | -26% |
| Cappuccino | $1.50 | $0.65 (32 EGP) | -57% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.96 | $0.52 (26 EGP) | -46% |
| Transport | |||
| Public transport, monthly pass | $21.71 | $10.21 (503 EGP) | -53% |
| Public transport, one-way | $0.92 | $0.43 (21 EGP) | -53% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.20 | $0.52 (26 EGP) | -57% |
| Taxi, per km | $0.54 | $0.23 (11 EGP) | -57% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.61 | $0.45 (22 EGP) | -26% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $66.80 | $31.40 (1,546 EGP) | -53% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $23.38 | $10.99 (541 EGP) | -53% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $15.03 | $7.07 (348 EGP) | -53% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Gym membership, month | $14.97 | $6.52 (321 EGP) | -56% |
| Cinema seat | $4.19 | $1.83 (90 EGP) | -56% |
| Men's haircut | $8.98 | $3.91 (192 EGP) | -56% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $35.47 | $26.23 (1,291 EGP) | -26% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $58.04 | $42.91 (2,112 EGP) | -26% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $74.83 | $32.62 (1,606 EGP) | -56% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Beyond prices
What each place pays, charges and offers — wages, rent, healthcare, climate, risk and time off. Figures come from the same engines behind the individual tools, so they match what those pages say. They sit about 9,164 km apart as the crow flies.
| Measure | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 🇪🇬 Egypt |
|---|---|---|
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $671 | $291 |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $167 | $81.00 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Kuala Lumpur and Cairo. | 0 | 117 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | middling | weak |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 3.2 (low) | 5.1 (high) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | — | 15 |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 18.2 | 53.6 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 76.8 | 71.8 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 98% | 74.6% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 172.1 | 27 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Egypt than Malaysia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $259 in Egypt versus $633 in Malaysia — 59% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Egypt?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $0.78 in Egypt (≈ 38.4 EGP), versus about $1.80 in Malaysia.
- How much is rent in Egypt compared to Malaysia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $131/month in Egypt versus $377/month in Malaysia (-65%). 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.