We spent an incredible week exploring Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and it quickly became one of our favorite cities on our world trip. From stunning temples and impressive buildings to plenty of green spaces, Kuala Lumpur truly has it all. Despite the almost constant rain, we made the most of our time here and can’t wait to return. This is definitely a city where we could see ourselves spending a few months! But how affordable is Kuala Lumpur? In this post, we’ll break down our budget for 1 week in Kuala Lumpur and share some useful tips for enjoying the capital of Malaysia on a budget.
Table of contents
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Transportation
- Food
- Drinks
- Sightseeing
- Other
- Total of our 1 week in Kuala Lumpur
- Tips and tricks for saving money in Kuala Lumpur
How much did our trip to Kuala Lumpur in July 2024 cost? Here’s our budget breakdown for 1 week in Kuala Lumpur:
Flights
We booked our flight tickets with AirAsia about a month in advance. Our direct flight from Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur took around 3 hours and cost us € 214,34 for both of us. This price included checked baggage, seat selection, and a meal.
Total for 2 people: € 214,34
Accommodation
After being on the road for nearly 6 months, we decided to treat ourselves to a bit more luxury during our week in Kuala Lumpur. We booked a suite at Ceylonz Suite KLCC Travelet, which included a kitchen and a washing machine. For 6 nights, we paid € 270,62, or € 45,10 per night. While this was above our usual budget, it was totally worth it!
Having a kitchen allowed us to cook at home, reducing our dining out costs, and saved us from laundry expenses. Plus, it felt amazing to have a little home base for the week. We enjoyed a stunning view of the city and had access to a beautiful rooftop pool overlooking the KL Tower. The location was fantastic, close to everything we needed. Just a heads-up for people looking to stay here: there’s no housekeeping during your stay, but overall, we couldn’t recommend this place enough!
Total for 2 people for 6 nights: € 270,62
Transportation
During our 7 days in Kuala Lumpur, we spent € 46,99 on transportation, averaging just € 6,71 per day for both of us! While we mostly explored on foot, we did use Grab for the occasional cab ride. Our biggest expense was getting to the airport, which cost us € 14. Funny enough, when we arrived from the airport to our accommodation, our driver forgot to charge us, which meant: a free ride! No complaints there. 😉 The trip to SplashMania WaterPark was the second most expensive at € 12 for an hour-long ride, but since we shared it with friends, we only paid for one way. The other rides ranged from € 3 to € 6, so transportation in Kuala Lumpur was quite affordable.
Total for 2 people: € 46,99
Food
Since we had our own kitchen, we cooked many of our meals. This helped us save quite a bit of money! However, we still ended up spending € 163,80 on food during our week in Kuala Lumpur. Our biggest splurge was a dinner at Ciccio, a fantastic Italian restaurant where we met up with two lovely Dutch girls. We had a great evening with delicious food and cocktails, and the bill came to € 62. Another significant expense was brunch at Broom in Bukit Bintang, where we both enjoyed a savory dish and a pastry, totaling € 25. We also ordered takeaway a few times, and spent € 15 on food at SplashMania WaterPark. If only we hadn’t ordered so much takeaway…
Total for 2 people: € 163,80
Drinks
Our only splurge on drinks in Kuala Lumpur was at Ciccio, where we each had two cocktails. Since the cost of those cocktails is already included in the restaurant bill we mentioned earlier, there’s nothing else to add in this category. We’re actually quite proud that we kept our drink expenses so low!
Total for 2 people: € 0
Sightseeing
We were pleasantly surprised by how many free activities there are in Kuala Lumpur. Almost everything we did was free! We only had two sightseeing expenses. The first was our € 15,77 tickets to the Eco Park, which felt a bit pricey given the abundance of free attractions around town. The second was our visit to SplashMania, a water park we had no plans of visiting originally. When the Dutch girls invited us, we knew we just had to go! We enjoyed a great deal with a 50% discount for their first anniversary, paying just € 24,58 for both of us. Overall, we spent just € 40,35 on sightseeing for the whole week, making it incredibly affordable!
Total for 2 people: € 40,35
Other
We had a few miscellaneous expenses that added up to € 80,86. We bought an e-sim for € 9,44, which gave us 15 GB of data. Our supermarket trips cost € 55,67 for the week, including some basics like seasoning and olive oil. Lastly, we treated ourselves to some smoothies, which came to € 15,75.
Total for 2 people: € 80,86
Total of our 1 week in Kuala Lumpur
Here is our budget breakdown for 1 week in Kuala Lumpur in July 2024:
Total per category for the two of us
✈️ Flights: € 214,34
🛏️ Accommodation: € 270,62 (€ 45,10 per night)
🚕 Transportation: € 46,99 (€ 6,71 per day)
🍕 Food: € 163,80 (€ 23,40 per day)
🍸 Drinks: € 0
🌳 Sightseeing: € 40,35 (€ 5,76 per day)
🛒 Other: € 80,86 (€ 11,55 per day)
💰 Total excluding flights: € 602,62 | € 86,09 per day for 2 | € 43,04 per day per person
💰 Total including flights: € 816,96
Excluding our flight costs, we spent an average of € 86,09 per day for both of us, which comes to € 43,04 each. Our accommodation was pricier than usual, but having our own kitchen and washing machine helped us save money in other categories. We kept our transportation costs low at € 3,36 per day per person and our sightseeing expenses at € 2,88 per day per person. The only area where we overspent was food, mainly due to a few takeout orders.
For budget travelers in Kuala Lumpur, a daily budget of € 20 to € 30 per person is reasonable. With this budget, you can stay in a hostel, enjoy tasty street food, or cook your own meals. Plus, there are plenty of free activities to keep you entertained!
We had an amazing time in KL, despite not having the best weather. What stood out to us was how affordable everything was. Most attractions don’t cost a thing, Grab rides are budget-friendly, and the street food is both affordable and delicious. Kuala Lumpur has a lot to offer without breaking the bank, and we loved every moment of it.
Tips and tricks for saving money in Kuala Lumpur
We ended up spending € 43 per person per day in Kuala Lumpur, which we found quite affordable. Below, we’re sharing some practical tips to help you enjoy Kuala Lumpur without overspending.
1. Accommodation and food
If you’re looking to save money in Kuala Lumpur, consider booking a place with a kitchen. We stayed in a suite for € 45 per night, but there are even more budget-friendly options. Next time, we plan to stay at Chinatown Hostel by Mingle, which has a shared kitchen. They offer a double bed in a dorm for around € 10 per night for two, and a private room with shared bathroom for under € 20 per night for two. It’s a great way to keep costs down, and having a kitchen lets you cook your own meals, which can save a lot on food expenses!
2. Transportation
We find Grab the most convenient way at a pretty affordable price. That being said, if you’re looking for the absolute cheapest way to get around, especially from/to the airport, then buses are your best bet. Grab cost us 65 MYR (€ 13) to get to the airport, whilst a bus ticket can be as low as 10 MYR (€ 2)! You could save € 20 on airport transfers alone when taking the bus to and from the airport. Same goes for in the city center, a bus ride from KL Sentral to KLCC for instance should cost you less than 4 MYR (€ 0,80).
More helpful budget breakdowns
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