Drinks seller Zaki Che Zuber says he has raised prices for coffee and tea again this year, while food trader Murni Adlis has increased the cost of her beef rendang – signs that Malaysians are paying more for everyday meals than official inflation data would suggest.
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Malaysia’s headline inflation rate stood at 1.8 per cent in 2024, according to the Department of Statistics. But new data from the same agency show that the price of many essential foods has risen far more sharply.
The department’s latest analysis of annual consumer prices, released on Tuesday, found that the cost of a basic nasi lemak breakfast rose 5 per cent on average last year to 3.68 ringgit (US$0.85).
Over the past decade, the cost of the dish – made with coconut rice, spicy sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts and a boiled egg – has nearly doubled.
Some ingredients have seen even steeper increases. The price of cockles, for example, has jumped by 400 per cent, underscoring the widening gap between official inflation figures and the lived reality of many Malaysians.
Zaki, 40, who runs a drinks stall in a suburb on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur, said costs have climbed for his suppliers, forcing him to pass on the difference to customers.