Bangkok vs Kuala Lumpur: Which City is Better? 2024 Comparison Guide 

Kuala Lumpur is most suitable for family vacations.

I hope KL will stay as it is as KL is a family oriented city. People could have good clean fun in KL.

Metro KL is big but most suburbs is local attractions only. Lack of promotion. If you see from google maps, you can see urban area in KL almost big as BKK

Will, this is a brilliant assessment on both cities which I'm totally with you on this. Being from England as well (and Muslim), I have to say that KL and Bangkok are my 2 favourite cities that I have been to and I've been to many of them around the world. KL is my No.1 for sure and it does suit me better on many levels. However, the vibe in Bangkok is something else. I loved the temples there but what people don't know is that there are some good mosques too and wonderful Halal markets there. The Chao Praya river cruise at night is amazing. Food-wise, I do prefer Thai food but I agree that KL has amazing Indian food - we have great Indian food in the UK too and since my heritage is Pakistani but born and bred in England, I do tend to eat curries a lot with the occasional fish and chips (with mushy peas, of course). I have been to KL 6 times relative to Bangkok 2 times though and I am planning to visit KL again in the summer on my way to my 4th visit to Indonesia going to Jakarta again as well.. If you want to do SE Asia cities comparisons, then do KL vs Jakarta, KL vs Singapore, Bangkok vs Jakarta, Jakarta vs Manila, Bangkok vs Manila, Ho Chi Minh City vs Bangkok or Manila or KL or Jakarta. I can definitely give some comparisons as I have been to these cities. Never been to Switzerland though but Europe-wise, I tend to go to the Mediterranean countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Malta - some of these countries that I have been numerous times.

I am Thai living in Thailand and I also hate the scamming part about Bangkok. These bad taxis or scammers also take advantage of the local Thais too. I hope the government take this issues seriously and fix the problems asap. Only if you know a trusted Thai friend who can give you traveling advises, you can avoid scam people really easily, and can get a much more pleasant traveling experiences (Basically avoid using taxis and tuktuks, but use grab, Bolt, MRT or BTS instead.). Thanks for traveling to Asia and I hope you have better experiences next time.

Many foreign tourist are not aware of other attractions available 1 to 1.5 hrs if driving from KL. The Genting Highlands is one but other attractions at the mountains are the waterfalls and rivers. Sg Kendondong in Batang Kali and Chamang in Bentong, both only known to locals yet so accessible by car and one does not have to hike to get there. The Hot Springs in Bentong Pahang is another attraction not far from the Chamang waterfalls. The drive to these places will cut through the Titiwangsa Mountain range. It's breathtaking and do drive leisurely when crossing it as the highway makes cutting through it too convenient and one will miss the natural beauty by driving fast on it. Once in Bentong, The National Park is not far away and there you can enjoy the Malaysian Rainforest Reserve.

KL and Bangkok, both are beautiful cities with their own attractions, vibes, charm, beauty, people, art, food and culture. Since you are in Switzerland, I would like to see Morcote and Iseltwald. My pick,100% KL.

I just came back from Southeast Asia, and to be honest I didn't like Bangkok at all, filthy, unsafe, rude unfriendly people, GROSS food, very crowded, very hot and very polluted, and not cheap at all!! My favorite city is Kuala Lupur by all means.

Your honest comments really appreciated. We still have a lots of room for improvements

Thank you Will, fantastic comments from your viewers, as per usual your advice is so helpful, great video, 👍👍👍👍

Malaysian here. It seems you are very tactful in making comparison between both cities. It's fair and generous of you praising both cities with their own unique characteristics. I've been to all of the big cities in SEA except Myanmar (due to my own political stand of not supporting the Military Junta of Myanmar) and I love all of the big cities of SEA. Each has their own beauty and their own special features. I've been travelling to Thailand quite extensively from the deep south (the Malay-Muslim majority territory of Thailand) to the Central Thailand (Bangkok and Ayutthaya) and North of Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Lampang) and have never been scammed. My own personal experiences in Thailand have been awesome. The food is amazing, the landscape is breathtaking (particularly in the north), steep in their history and a more apparent "Thainess" symbolism and the people are kind, helpful and respectful. Both cities are great. It really depends on your needs, preferences and what you are looking for during your travelling adventures. Generally speaking videos comparing Bangkok and KL is not as controversial as comparing Jakarta and KL due to what I call "siblings rivalry" between these two countries (mostly online) where both countries shared many things and are relatively similar in terms of language spoken, culture, religion and food. We welcome you to Malaysia with a big open heart and if you visiting Malaysia again I would like to suggest Sabah and Sarawak as your destination (the least talk about territory of Malaysia in Borneo) which are culturally and linguistically more diverse than Peninsula Malaysia. Cheers!

Great informative video, lovely backdrop of Geneva too

Actually Kuala Lumpur not a small city. Miss conception because of map boundaries of KL.. if you see the fact, we know this city is metropolitan city which combine all near city side by side.. We called Klang Valley which size about 2826 square kilometres with 13 million of population. Need to study more detail. Like Singapore, there counting all entire island so you see ? They only count on boundaries without looking how the cities already bigger and bigger.. Why airport KLIA1 & KLIA2 far from the city ? No its already in the boundaries..

Fair assessment for both the great cities in SEA.Great video and keep it up.❤

Good explanation for the both of the country... watching from Malaysia 🇲🇾🇲🇾

local always said , work in singapore , live in KL , Holiday in bangkok

👍 It’s useful if you have to choose a destination between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Personally, I prefer the places where there are less tourists… thanks for that video 🙂

Kuala Lumpur is a melting pot, Bangkok is nice but KL is awesome!

Your trip next to Malaysia, highly recommended you explore Borneo as well (Sarawak & Sabah). You will experience different vibes & foods. Sabah got many beautiful islands (it’s like heaven there). Please put these 2 Malaysia’s states in your travel list. 😊

When my daughter was studying in France, visited Basel and Zurich but stayed in Mulhouse a border town in France.

You can make a video that compares Bangkok, KL, Singapore and Jakarta. Why not!

You should visit 1. East java 2. Borobudur Temple Very beautiful

Are there beaches nearby KL for scuba-diving? Bangkok has an option with 30 mins trip, does the same apply for KL? I am not sea person but I was curious to hear it I am muslim person(generally don't drink or eat pork) but KL seems too shallow for me (not so authentic) even though it is more comfortable for me to work remotely from KL

If want to make comparison it should Bangkok vs Ho chi minh because both country go all out in term of tourism because its their main income,as for Malaysia not so much instead of tourism we more focus into liveable city but i've been to all sea country and i love them all equally just be open minded and embrace all the unknown

Would love to hear your thoughts on KL vs Singapore.

Beautiful Switzerland. Interlaken, grindelwald, lucern, jungfraujoch

If you want a safe, clean and chilled fun holiday, where it's more family friendly. Then, hands down, Malaysia will be your default choice. But if you want no holds barred and everything goes type of holiday, then it'll be Thailand of course, no doubt about that!😂😂😂

Both cities are great in their own way, it depends on what lifestyle is right for you.. 😊

Some malay people drink but discreetly lol

Frankly singapore and thailand are good neighbours. So we visit each other a lot

You have a nice kitchen 🤣😉

The native Malays and immigrants brought in by the British used to cohabit in the past. But because of the integration policies the British imposed, every ethnic group in the country is free to practise their culture and speak to one another in their own dialect. It is not like its neighbours, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, where assimilation policies have been implemented and immigrants are expected to integrate into the native population. Since they are not compelled to embrace their native languages and customs, you may distinguish between each ethnic group in Malaysia simply by observing differences in language, way of life, and cuisine. The majority of racial groups generally speak English and Malay as an official language.

When western tourists ask me which city you prefer Bangkok or KL? I said, if you're into sex n 🍺🍻 n clubs, then Bangkok it is. If you're into laidback and walking and sightseeing and seeing many ethnicities of people, then go to KL.

Your comparison is between Goliath (Bangkok) and David (KL). Just imagine the population is 6 times as compared to KL

Malaysia does not charge atm transac buddy. Tell me which atm

I recommend all the expats/foreigners stay in KL so there's less traffic in Bkk for me. 🤣

Tak perlu nak compare ,Suka datang Malaysia datang saja😂😂

Im from kl, but i love zurich..been there last year. But Zurich so expensive because I earn salary in ringgit 😂

What's your religion? Just curious.

Bangkok 3rd world.. kl 1st world..no point comparing it to bangkok jakarta manila or other se asia cities...u can rate it lower than singapore in terms of cleanliness thats all..anyway singapore is a small city state easier to manage

Light train is more expensive in bkk.

Chiang mai is better than bangkok, people said that. Yes bigger cities suffer from pollution.

Its not a draw if you didn't even got scam

Jakarta vs Bangkok

First time I have ever heard of someone saying there are more things to do in KL than Bangkok. Wow 🤣.

Yes bangkok being large has more things to do, but are those things suitable for everyone? Eg you visit ladyboy? You visit redlight areas? You visit ganja(marijuana) joints?

Definitely Bangkok but the 5 star hotels and luxury restaurant are pricier than KL similar offerings

Malaysia is bigger than thailand , malaysia split into two part ( Sabah n Sarawak )

Learn some lesson sir, no need to compare, just enjoy each experience

KL and Bangkok are vying for the second spot because the first one is already filled up. Manila aka BGC 😊

Try take taxi in malaysia & see if u would get scammed or not.😂😂Its no secret that their meter been modified & able to jump faster than the standard one.😂😂 Have u tried driving on malaysia highway??It will be an eye opener to u..esp if u driving in with singapore car plate, be prepared to have enough cash standby with u cos vy common to have corrupt cops stopping u for "speed" driving (even when u driving normal or slow speed). They'll suggest that u pay them in CASH NOW or have to face double penalty if they're billed by police dept!!🤣🤣

KL is an provincial village compared to Bangkok 😉

Bangkok for me, much more freedom and no crazy weird strict laws like Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur is boring!

Of course Bangkok win, you can do anything under the sun

Bangkok is far more better than KL in term of attraction, nightlife, foods. KL is quite dull and boring place.

better to compare asia & europe..example KL & Switzerland...etc..in terms of food..weather...people..cost..etc

Hi Willie....Jakarta is not even a competitor to other SEA cities....the level of Jakarta is Djibouti in Africa 😅😅😅