Cost of Living
#16
of 124 cities
27/100
Current value (lower is better)
#110 of 124
Asia
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Salary & Cost of Living
How do salaries and expenses in Kuala Lumpur compare to San Francisco?
Purchasing Power Comparison
An engineer in Kuala Lumpur is 71% worse off vs in San Francisco
This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Kuala Lumpur compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.
Net Salary
$15,169
-$157K (-91%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 30%
Community Insights
NewKuala Lumpur offers a stark trade-off: you sacrifice high absolute earning potential for an incredibly comfortable, low-stress lifestyle. While the median software engineer salary (~$22k USD) is low by global standards, the purchasing power locally is massive, allowing mid-level devs to live like upper-class expats in other cities. It is increasingly becoming a hotspot for digital nomads earning foreign currency rather than career climbers seeking local employment.
Resident Sentiment
The sentiment among expats is generally positive regarding lifestyle but mixed regarding career. Residents often express that they "live like kings" on modest salaries but admit that professional growth can feel stagnant compared to Singapore.
There is a strong consensus that the best way to enjoy KL is to "earn in USD, spend in MYR", with many advising against taking local employment unless it's an expat package with an MNC.
The Good
Rankings
Top 13%
Community Events
#31
of 124 cities
11 events on luma
Current value
Tax Rate
#48
of 124 cities
30%
Current value (lower is better)
Housing Affordability
How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Kuala Lumpur compared to San Francisco?
Salary Converter
Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Kuala Lumpur to maintain the same standard of living.
$
