Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s vibrant capital city, ranks fifth in Southeast Asia’s Cost of Living Index (CLI) with a score of 32.95%, offering an attractive mix of affordability and modern urban conveniences.
The ranking, published by Numbeo, highlights Kuala Lumpur as an appealing choice for locals, expatriates, and digital nomads seeking a quality lifestyle without exorbitant expenses.
While Kuala Lumpur is budget-friendly, Singapore leads the ranking by a massive margin with a CLI of 78.64%, more than double that of its nearest competitor, Phnom Penh (36.76%).
The living cost for a single person is estimated at RM2,540
Living costs in Kuala Lumpur are notably economical.
According to Numbeo, a family of four is estimated to need RM9,032.80 monthly (excluding rent), while a single person can comfortably live on RM2,540.60 per month.
This affordability is further underscored by comparisons to global cities: Kuala Lumpur is 67.1% less expensive than New York City, with rent averaging 88.4% lower than the Big Apple.

Statistics from Numbeo
The ranking is published by Numbeo, the world’s largest cost-of-living database.
Numbeo is a crowd-sourced global platform that collects quality-of-life data, including housing indicators, perceived crime rates, healthcare standards, transport quality, and various other statistics.
The Cost of Living Index (CLI) serves as a theoretical price index that evaluates the relative cost of living across different geographic areas or over time, providing insights into how expensive it is to live in one location compared to another and tracking changes in prices.
