Should you visit Kuala Lumpur or Edinburgh?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the prices of travel for Kuala Lumpur and Edinburgh. We’ll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget. So, let's dig into it.
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, often referred to as KL, is the cosmopolitan capital of Malaysia. It is also the largest city in the country, having grown out of a small Chinese mining village. Today Kuala Lumpur is a microcosm of the country of Malaysia. The population is split between the Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures which you can see reflected in the city's neighborhoods, cuisine, and entertainment. It's also an incredibly affordable city, even if you're looking for the comforts of a five star hotel or a luxury restaurant. Prices are almost always a fraction of what you would pay in Europe or the United States.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the moderately sized capital of Scotland. It is a medieval city that has managed to perfect the combination of Georgian architecture and medieval relics with a cosmopolitan population and avant-garde atmosphere. The city's population is quite young, in large part because of the University of Edinburgh. This youthful vibe gives this city a lot of vitality. There's a thriving nightlife, many restaurants, theatres, galleries and museums.
Which city is cheaper, Edinburgh or Kuala Lumpur?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Kuala Lumpur is $53, while the average daily cost in Edinburgh is $159. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Kuala Lumpur and Edinburgh in more detail.
Accommodation
For a normal double-occupancy room in Kuala Lumpur, $64 is the average cost for a hotel room. Also in Kuala Lumpur, the typical price for a place to stay for one person is $32, such as in a hostel.
Travelers usually pay around $166 for a double occupancy room in Edinburgh If you want to be in a premiere location or have high end amenities, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
The average traveler spends about $11 per day in Kuala Lumpur for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
Food in Edinburgh costs travelers about $43 per day on average. Restaurants can vary significantly in price, so choose wisely if you're trying to save money. Fast food and street stalls are typically your cheapest options, which sit down restaurants can be significantly more expensive.
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Food
Meals for one day
Kuala Lumpur $11
Edinburgh $43
Typical Food prices in Kuala Lumpur
For Kuala Lumpur, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Kuala Lumpur
For Kuala Lumpur, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Bachelor's Pizza Co. at EPiC Food Hall:
$1.75
-
US PIZZA in Malaysia:
$3.70
-
US PIZZA in Malaysia:
$3.70
-
US PIZZA in Malaysia:
$3.70
-
Pizza Mansion in Klang Valley:
$19
-
Amazing Local Food Tour in Kuala Lumpur:
$29
-
Cooking Class With Garden Tours in Penang:
$38
-
Discover the Best Local Food Tour by Night in Kuala Lumpur:
$39
-
Local Evening Food Tour in Kuala Lumpur:
$40
-
Malaysian Ramadhan Buffet Dinner Cultural Show - nearby KLCC:
$40
-
Bayu Balau Beach Resort 2D1N Stay at Standard Room with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner:
$41
-
Kota Kinabalu City Night Tour with Seafood Dinner:
$43
Typical Food prices in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
-
Scottish Classic Desserts private cooking class with professional chef:
$66
-
Discover Royal Mile-Old Town & ENJOY Indian Dinner ~ Walking Tour!:
$79
-
3-Hour Guided Secret Food Tour:
$82
-
Vegetarian/Vegan Curry Cooking Class – pure comfort food for the soul!:
$97
-
Curry Around The World Cooking Class:
$97
-
Scottish Storytelling 3 Course Dinner and Whisky:
$104
-
Private Tour: Secret Food Tours Edinburgh:
$106
-
Relaxing Handmade Pasta with meal and wine - Safe Cooking Class:
$110
-
Vegetarian/Vegan Curry Private Cooking Class with professional chef:
$116
-
"Curry Around The World" Private Cooking Class with professional chef:
$116
-
Private Food Tour with a Local Expert including 10 Tastings in Edinburgh:
$136
-
Handmade Pasta Cooking Class & Dinner with professional chef for private groups:
$137
Local Transportation
To get around in Kuala Lumpur, the average visitor spends $5.50 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Edinburgh than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $19 on transportation in Edinburgh on average per day.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Kuala Lumpur
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Kuala Lumpur are as follows:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Kuala Lumpur
Also for Kuala Lumpur, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
-
i-City Shah Alam Theme Park Adventure with Return Transfer:
$60
-
[Exclusive Sale] Private Langkawi International Airport Transfers (LGK) for Langkawi:
$12
-
[6% Flash Sales] Private City Transfers for Ipoh and Surrounding Cities:
$134
-
[23% Flash Sales] Private Transfers between Desaru and Kuala Lumpur :
$194
-
VIP Departure Transfer : Kuala Lumpur Airport:
$196
-
Upside Down House Gallery and Busquarium Tickets with Transfers in Langkawi:
$11
-
Tanjung Rhu Mangrove Tour with Lunch and Transfers in Langkawi:
$24
-
Sunway Lagoon Theme Park Ticket With Return Transfer:
$144
-
Sunway Lagoon One-Day Admission Tickets Including Transfer:
$91
-
Sunway Lagoon Admission Ticket with Return Transfer from Kuala Lumpur:
$68
-
Sunset Mangrove Cruise Experience with Transfers and Meal in Langkawi:
$35
-
Sungai Lebam River Cruise Tour with Transfer within Desaru:
$36
Typical Local Transportation prices in Edinburgh
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Edinburgh:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Edinburgh
Also for Edinburgh, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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VIP Airport Transfer:
$103
-
Royal Highland Braemar Gathering, transfer from Edinburgh:
$50
-
Round Trip Edinburgh Airport (EDI) Transfer to Edinburgh City Center:
$58
-
Private luxury transfer from Edinburgh to Edinburgh Airport:
$28
-
Private luxury transfer from Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh:
$28
-
Private Transfer: Edinburgh to Edinburgh Airport (EDI):
$75
-
Private Transfer: Edinburgh Airport (EDI) to Edinburgh:
$75
-
Private Transfer Edinburgh City to Edinburgh Airport:
$76
-
Private One-Way Transfer From Edinburgh Airport to City Center:
$116
-
Private Minibus Transfer - Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh City:
$241
-
Private Edinburgh city to Edinburgh Airport transfer - Or airport to city:
$45
-
Private Edinburgh Departure Transfer - Hotel / Accommodation to Airport:
$29
Is it cheaper to fly into Kuala Lumpur or Edinburgh?
Prices for flights to both Edinburgh and Kuala Lumpur change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
In Kuala Lumpur, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average $12 per person, per day.
Sightseeing expenses in Edinburgh, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $22 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Kuala Lumpur
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Kuala Lumpur's activities, tours, and tickets:
Tours and Activities in Kuala Lumpur
For Kuala Lumpur, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast Ticket in Johor:
$12
-
Binsuluk River Cruise Tour:
$40
-
Dinawan Island Experience from Kota Kinabalu:
$46
-
Heritage Staycation at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion with Breakfast & Guided House Tour:
$100
-
Historical Klang & Orchard City of Selangor Walking Tour:
$64
-
Ice Skating Experience with Blue Ice Skating Rink in Johor:
$4.85
-
Langkawi Private Guided Mangrove River Cruise Tour:
$116
-
Little India & Mah Meri Cultural Village Tour:
$126
-
Private Island Adventure at Paradise 101 in Langkawi:
$49
-
Putrajaya Islamic Walking Tour from Kuala Lumpur:
$64
-
Sepanggar Island Diving Experience:
$67
-
The Sheep Sanctuary Admission Ticket at Cameron Highland:
$1.95
Typical Entertainment prices in Edinburgh
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Edinburgh's activities, tours, and tickets:
Tours and Activities in Edinburgh
For Edinburgh, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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1 Day Malt Whisky, Craft Gin, & Craft Beer Tour:
$116
-
1 day Outlander tour:
$723
-
2 Day Loch Ness, Glencoe, Glenfinnan Viaduct & St Andrews Tour:
$123
-
2 Days Private Custom Tour of Scotland from Edinburgh:
$1,104
-
2 Hours Ghost Tour - English Tour Guide:
$18
-
2-Day Highlands and Loch Ness Tour from Edinburgh:
$228
-
2-Day Inverness and the Highlands Small Group Tour from Edinburgh:
$112
-
2-Day Lake District Tour from Edinburgh:
$344
-
2-Day Loch Ness and Inverness Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh:
$237
-
2-Day Outlander Experience Small Group Tour from Edinburgh:
$248
-
2-Hour Harry Potter Walking Tour with Games & Quizzes:
$21
-
2-hour Whisky Tasting Tour of Edinburgh:
$54
Alcohol
Typically, people visiting Kuala Lumpur spend on average $5.73 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Typically, people visiting Edinburgh spend on average $17 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Typical Alcohol prices in Kuala Lumpur
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Kuala Lumpur are as follows:
Typical Alcohol prices in Edinburgh
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Edinburgh from other travelers:
Sample the Local Flavors in Edinburgh
Also in Edinburgh, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
-
4-Hour Pub Crawl with Free Shots & Discounts:
$9.68
-
3-Hour Alternative Pub Crawl:
$11
-
4-Hour Pub Crawl with Free Drinks & Specials:
$17
-
The Orange Pub Crawl - Edinburgh:
$18
-
Edinburgh Brewery Tour:
$22
-
Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour:
$24
-
Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery:
$51
-
Loch Lomond, Stirling, and Glengoyne Distillery Tour from Edinburgh:
$52
-
Rosslyn Chapel, Scottish Borders & Glenkinchie Distillery from Edinburgh:
$54
-
Stirling, Distillery, St.Andrews & Italian Tour Guide:
$62
-
Loch Ness, Highlands & Whisky Distillery Tour from Edinburgh:
$63
-
Loch Ness, Highlands and Whisky Distillery Day Tour from Edinburgh:
$66
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Kuala Lumpur and Edinburgh, we can see that Edinburgh is more expensive. And not only is Kuala Lumpur much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Kuala Lumpur is in Asia and Edinburgh is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Kuala Lumpur would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Kuala Lumpur and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Edinburgh would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Edinburgh than you might in Kuala Lumpur.
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