Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Kuala Lumpur is 18.1% lower than in Istanbul (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Kuala Lumpur is 24.5% lower than in Istanbul
Rent Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 40.7% lower than in Istanbul
Restaurant Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 38.7% lower than in Istanbul
Groceries Prices in Kuala Lumpur are 1.1% higher than in Istanbul
Local Purchasing Power in Kuala Lumpur is 83.7% higher than in Istanbul
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 450.00 TL
(48.97 RM)
165.41 TL
(18.00 RM)
     -63.2 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 2,000.00 TL
(217.64 RM)
1,102.76 TL
(120.00 RM)
     -44.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 300.00 TL
(32.65 RM)
183.79 TL
(20.00 RM)
     -38.7 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 150.00 TL
(16.32 RM)
174.60 TL
(19.00 RM)
     +16.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 200.00 TL
(21.76 RM)
229.74 TL
(25.00 RM)
     +14.9 %
Cappuccino (regular) 138.51 TL
(15.07 RM)
117.71 TL
(12.81 RM)
     -15.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 51.46 TL
(5.60 RM)
34.79 TL
(3.79 RM)
     -32.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 18.88 TL
(2.05 RM)
20.93 TL
(2.28 RM)
     +10.8 %
Markets
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 161.26 TL
(17.55 RM)
298.80 TL
(32.51 RM)
     +85.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 28.38 TL
(3.09 RM)
35.95 TL
(3.91 RM)
     +26.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 40.10 TL
(4.36 RM)
28.99 TL
(3.15 RM)
     -27.7 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 103.24 TL
(11.23 RM)
86.58 TL
(9.42 RM)
     -16.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 184.97 TL
(20.13 RM)
258.25 TL
(28.10 RM)
     +39.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 118.20 TL
(12.86 RM)
81.30 TL
(8.85 RM)
     -31.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 363.24 TL
(39.53 RM)
163.64 TL
(17.81 RM)
     -54.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 26.43 TL
(2.88 RM)
52.05 TL
(5.66 RM)
     +97.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 39.52 TL
(4.30 RM)
28.11 TL
(3.06 RM)
     -28.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 22.85 TL
(2.49 RM)
47.04 TL
(5.12 RM)
     +105.9 %
Tomato (1 lb) 29.04 TL
(3.16 RM)
25.67 TL
(2.79 RM)
     -11.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 13.43 TL
(1.46 RM)
20.61 TL
(2.24 RM)
     +53.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 12.64 TL
(1.38 RM)
23.64 TL
(2.57 RM)
     +87.0 %
Lettuce (1 head) 46.26 TL
(5.03 RM)
46.47 TL
(5.06 RM)
     +0.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 23.85 TL
(2.59 RM)
25.45 TL
(2.77 RM)
     +6.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 475.00 TL
(51.69 RM)
689.22 TL
(75.00 RM)
     +45.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 85.51 TL
(9.31 RM)
128.99 TL
(14.04 RM)
     +50.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 121.24 TL
(13.19 RM)
169.15 TL
(18.41 RM)
     +39.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 85.00 TL
(9.25 RM)
165.41 TL
(18.00 RM)
     +94.6 %
Transportation
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 27.00 TL
(2.94 RM)
27.57 TL
(3.00 RM)
     +2.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 2,119.50 TL
(230.64 RM)
459.48 TL
(50.00 RM)
     -78.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 42.00 TL
(4.57 RM)
45.95 TL
(5.00 RM)
     +9.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 45.06 TL
(4.90 RM)
73.95 TL
(8.05 RM)
     +64.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 349.80 TL
(38.06 RM)
183.79 TL
(20.00 RM)
     -47.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 175.82 TL
(19.13 RM)
72.90 TL
(7.93 RM)
     -58.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 1,800,000.00 TL
(195,872.58 RM)
1,562,240.09 TL
(170,000.00 RM)
     -13.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 1,643,934.58 TL
(178,889.84 RM)
1,265,451.23 TL
(137,704.00 RM)
     -23.0 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,931.06 TL
(318.95 RM)
2,480.83 TL
(269.96 RM)
     -15.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 485.43 TL
(52.82 RM)
529.55 TL
(57.62 RM)
     +9.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 574.62 TL
(62.53 RM)
1,006.78 TL
(109.56 RM)
     +75.2 %
Sports And Leisure
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 2,374.40 TL
(258.38 RM)
1,800.07 TL
(195.88 RM)
     -24.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 775.38 TL
(84.37 RM)
298.66 TL
(32.50 RM)
     -61.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 300.00 TL
(32.65 RM)
202.17 TL
(22.00 RM)
     -32.6 %
Childcare
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 37,024.90 TL
(4,028.98 RM)
10,628.03 TL
(1,156.52 RM)
     -71.3 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 730,402.07 TL
(79,480.97 RM)
362,072.12 TL
(39,400.00 RM)
     -50.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 2,172.45 TL
(236.40 RM)
2,336.01 TL
(254.20 RM)
     +7.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 1,799.41 TL
(195.81 RM)
1,455.85 TL
(158.42 RM)
     -19.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 4,492.00 TL
(488.81 RM)
3,362.14 TL
(365.86 RM)
     -25.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 4,085.29 TL
(444.55 RM)
3,137.67 TL
(341.43 RM)
     -23.2 %
Rent Per Month
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 37,538.09 TL
(4,084.82 RM)
21,435.66 TL
(2,332.59 RM)
     -42.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 24,343.75 TL
(2,649.04 RM)
13,920.61 TL
(1,514.81 RM)
     -42.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 69,271.78 TL
(7,538.02 RM)
41,812.90 TL
(4,550.00 RM)
     -39.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 41,032.63 TL
(4,465.09 RM)
24,861.72 TL
(2,705.41 RM)
     -39.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 11,151.41 TL
(1,213.48 RM)
10,800.61 TL
(1,175.30 RM)
     -3.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 5,356.06 TL
(582.84 RM)
5,388.45 TL
(586.36 RM)
     +0.6 %
Salaries And Financing
Istanbul Edit Kuala Lumpur Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 37,053.57 TL
(4,032.10 RM)
51,380.51 TL
(5,591.13 RM)
     +38.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 48.46 4.47      -90.8 %
Last update: 23 May 202523 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:845263