Cost of Living in Johor Bahru, 🇲🇾 Malaysia - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $711 $432 $813 $279 $56

Utilities $89 $102 $165 $38 —

Internet & Mobile $38 $46 $63 $20 $3

Groceries $114 $305 $609 $152 $6

Transportation $102 $178 $305 $38 $11

Dining Out $457 $279 $457 $102 $33

Leisure Activities $152 $127 $305 $38 $15

Health Insurance $71 $63 $216 — $4

Visa & Legal Fees $25 $38 $102 — $1

Total $1,759 $1,570 $3,035 $667 $129

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $444.35 per month

Coworking Space $114.26 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $812.53 per month

Coliving Space $355.48 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $3.30 per cup

Beer $4.57 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $3.05 per meal

Fast Food Combo $5.59 per meal

Apples $2.92 per kg

Bread $1.07 per loaf

Milk $1.98 per liter

Rice $1.40 per kg

Chicken Fillets $5.33 per kg

Beef $10.66 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $16.50 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $21.58 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.63 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $1.02 per trip

Taxi per km $0.38 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $12.70 per month

Gasoline $0.52 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $2.54 per trip

Scooter Rental $10.16 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $11.43 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $27.93 per month

Gym Membership $40.63 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $6.35 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $8.89 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $5.59 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $60.94 per pair

Summer Dress $33.01 per dress

Running Shoes $81.25 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $8.89 per visit

Laundry $3.81 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $16.50 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $5.08 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 3.9383 MYR

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Johor Bahru cost of living