This spring, I flew to Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. In six days, I managed to visit the observation deck of the country’s most famous building, stroll through the massive Bird Park, and take a trip out of the city to see the caves with Hindu temples. Today, I’d like to share the budget for such a trip. I hope this information will be useful for anyone planning a visit to Malaysia.
Accommodation and Getting Around the City
Kuala Lumpur offers a wide range of hotels, hostels, and rental apartments. I stayed at Wyndham Suites KLCC, located about a seven-minute walk from the city’s Central Park. A two-room suite with a view of the Petronas Towers cost $853 for six nights.
I got from the airport to the city center by express train; the fare is 55 Malaysian ringgit per person. Within the city, I mostly used the metro. A metro travel card costs 40 ringgit, with 10 ringgit available for fares. As far as I could tell, the minimum fare for a metro ride in Kuala Lumpur is 1.2 ringgit.
I paid for metro rides with a bank card. In fact, Malaysia was the first country where I didn’t withdraw cash at all, paying for everything by card.
The city has several taxi services, and I used the Bolt app. For example, the ride from my hotel to the airport cost 84 ringgit. You can pay by international card or in cash.
Food
As I mentioned above, my hotel was near Central Park and the Petronas Towers. At the foot of the skyscrapers is the large Suria KLCC shopping mall, where I often ate at local restaurants. On the first day of my trip, I bought a chicken-and-rice omelet with sauce there for 22 ringgit. On another day, I went to a sushi restaurant, where a small set cost 31 ringgit. The city also has well-known fast-food chains. For example, a McFlurry at McDonald’s cost 6.89 ringgit.
The shopping mall also has several grocery stores. I went to one called Isetan Foodmarket. Cut fruit there cost 11.90 ringgit, and bottled water was 1 ringgit.
If you want something for a quick snack, Kuala Lumpur has many 7-Eleven convenience stores.
Attractions
Over six days, I visited many interesting places in the city, but I hardly spent anything on attractions. Ticket prices were as follows: Petronas Towers observation deck — 98 ringgit, Bird Park — 85 ringgit, Batu Caves gallery — 5 ringgit.
Everything else I saw was free. During my six days, I walked through the botanical garden, visited several unique Hindu temples, explored a colorful Chinese temple complex, saw a historic mosque, and visited several city parks.
My next article about Kuala Lumpur will focus on the popular tourist street Jalan Alor.
Have a nice trip!
Kuala Lumpur — Six-Day Trip Budget for Two (February 2025, excluding flights):
- Hotel stay (room for up to three people) — $853;
- Express train from the airport — about $24;
- Metro and taxi — about $84;
- Food — about $240;
- Attractions — about $86.
- Total: about $1,287.
