Living in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Kota Kinabalu is a mid-sized coastal city in Sabah, Malaysia (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 27°C over the year with about 2,466 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,341 a month to live centrally, and Malaysia sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Malaysia is comparatively open.
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- Est. cost
- €2,341
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 27°C
- 2,466 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 60/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~110 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Kota Kinabalu
- Warmer than 85% of the cities we track
- Wet: about 2,466 mm of rain a year
- On or near the sea
Climate
Kota Kinabalu averages 27°C across the year with about 2,466 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 85% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,341 a month to live centrally in Kota Kinabalu, 14% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 76% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open. Long-term residency is realistic mainly through the capital-based Malaysia My Second Home program (federal Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers, the cheaper Forest City Special Economic Zone variant, and Sarawak's own S-MM2H) or the Premium Visa Programme, all of which grant long renewable passes to applicants who can place a substantial fixed deposit, while skilled professionals otherwise need an employer-sponsored Employment Pass.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Malaysia:
- Investment: about $126k (Sarawak MM2H (S-MM2H) mandatory fixed deposit, RM500,000, the lowest total-capital investor route since it requires no property purchase, unlike the federal MM2H tiers and the Forest City SEZ route; converted at 1 USD = 3.965 MYR; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 165 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 30 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 3 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Healthcare
Malaysia scores 70 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 71% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Malaysia.
Language and culture
Main languages: Malay, English. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 50 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Malaysia sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Kota Kinabalu in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Malaysia runs at about 110 Mbps, faster than 44% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Safety and stability
Malaysia scores 60 out of 100 on safety, safer than 50% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.3 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Malaysia. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Questions couples ask about Kota Kinabalu
Is Kota Kinabalu a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Kota Kinabalu scores well on affordability and healthcare. It is weaker on social openness. Expect a warm, very wet climate (27°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Kota Kinabalu and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Kota Kinabalu?
We estimate about €2,341 a month for a couple living centrally, 14% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Kota Kinabalu?
Malaysia is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Kota Kinabalu in their results.
Can foreigners live in Malaysia long term?
Our assessment: comparatively open. Long-term residency is realistic mainly through the capital-based Malaysia My Second Home program (federal Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers, the cheaper Forest City Special Economic Zone variant, and Sarawak's own S-MM2H) or the Premium Visa Programme, all of which grant long renewable passes to applicants who can place a substantial fixed deposit, while skilled professionals otherwise need an employer-sponsored Employment Pass. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $126k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Kota Kinabalu?
Kota Kinabalu averages 27°C across the year with about 2,466 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 85% of the cities we track.
Cities like Kota Kinabalu
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Kota Kinabalu
Moving to Malaysia as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.