To Kota Kinabalu

Cheap Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

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Kuala Lumpur

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Prices updated 24 days ago

486,190 searches this week

171 airlines compared

80%+ AI score for best value

Fares are subject to change and may not be available for all dates. (Data last updated May 29, 2026.)

Today’s best flight deals from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Explore current cheapest deals departing from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Round trip

Sort by: Cheapest

November 17 - November 23

Cheapest

Best

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$71

$106

Round trip

November 17 - November 27

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$69

$109

Round trip

November 17 - November 30

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$68

$109

Round trip

November 17 - November 24

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$71

$109

Round trip

November 17 - November 21

Best

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$73

$109

Round trip

November 17 - November 22

Best

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$73

$109

Round trip

November 17 - November 28

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$68

$109

Round trip

November 12 - November 13

Earliest

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$73

$112

Round trip

November 17 - November 20

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$73

$112

Round trip

November 18 - November 25

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

$71

$114

Round trip

Unlock all 500+ flight deals to Kota Kinabalu and get alerts when great deals appear

Route Intelligence — 486,190 Searches this Week

Insights for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

The route from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu covers a distance of 1629 km, classifying it as a medium-haul flight. This distance means you can expect a journey that balances efficiency with a comfortable duration. Right now, new deals appear almost daily for this route, indicating a consistent flow of available fares.

For travelers seeking cheap flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, fares typically range from $63–$132, with a median price of $88. Currently, prices are above the typical level for this route. However, it is worth noting that 0% of recent fares were classified as a good price, suggesting that current offerings may be higher than usual.

When considering the cheapest time to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, January stands out as the most affordable month, with a median fare of $59. Following closely, August offers a median fare of $64, and July presents a median of $65. These months provide the best opportunities for securing lower prices.

The typical journey from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu takes approximately 4h 55m, including connections. This duration accounts for the overall travel time from origin to destination. For this route, almost all itineraries are non-stop, with 97.8% of recent fares being direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu. For the few itineraries that do connect, the typical number of stopovers is one.

How much is a round trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Regular price: $59 - $136

Prices for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are currently within the regular range.

The regular price range for this route is between 59 USD and 136 USD. The current lowest deal is 106 USD with Northwest Regional Airlines, for travel from Nov 17 to Nov 23.

now $106

Low $59

High $136

The cheapest time to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

The cheapest month to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu is January, with a median price of $59. The most expensive month is December, with a median price of $210. Prices are generally lower from January to November.

January

Cheapest

Flights from $59

December

Most Expensive

Flights from $210

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Malaysia Airlines

Last-minute flights going from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Tue, Aug 18

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

AirAsia

$145

$149

One-way

Sun, Nov 1

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

Northwest Regional Airlines

$74

$115

One-way

Sun, Nov 1

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

Northwest Regional Airlines

$74

$115

One-way

Sun, Nov 1

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

Northwest Regional Airlines

$74

$115

One-way

Sun, Nov 1

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

Northwest Regional Airlines

$73

$116

One-way

Sun, Nov 1

⌛ Last-Minute

KUL - Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur (KUL) - Kota Kinabalu (BKI)

Northwest Regional Airlines

$68

$116

One-way

Biggest price drops on these dates for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

5 nights

Aug 18 - Aug 23

$145 → $149

1 night

Dec 1 - Dec 2

$119 → $130

10%

4 nights

Dec 1 - Dec 5

$119 → $141

19%

1 night

Dec 2 - Dec 3

$120 → $142

18%

Popular Airports to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu

Kuala Lumpur - Kota Kinabalu route insights

💸 Price insights

Recent fares are above the typical level

Recent fares for Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are above the typical level at $106.

📅 Best time to fly

January is historically cheapest at $59

Historically, January is the cheapest month to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, at $59.

⏱️ Flight duration

Direct flights take 4h 55m

Flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu typically take 4h 55m.

✈️ Airlines & availability

97.8% of deals are direct

Historically, 97.8% of deals for this route are direct, with frequent deals available.

🏆 Airline highlight

Malaysia Airlines offers direct flights

Malaysia Airlines is a key carrier for direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

🎯 Booking tip

Consider booking in January for the best prices

To find the best prices, consider booking your Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu trip in January.

Kuala Lumpur main airports to depart from

Kuala Lumpur International (KUL)

Cheapest

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a primary option for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.

📍 ~45 km from city center (reachable by car or train)

💸 Flights from ~$106

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (SZB)

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport offers an alternative departure point for your trip to Kota Kinabalu.

📍 ~15 km from city center (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$182

Kota Kinabalu main airports to arrive at

Kota Kinabalu International (BKI)

Cheapest

Arrive at Kota Kinabalu International Airport for convenient access to Kota Kinabalu.

📍 ~8 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$106

Airports nearby Kota Kinabalu used as alternative

Brunei International (BWN)

Consider Brunei International for full-service international flights, but be aware of border crossing requirements.

📍 ~170 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car, involves multiple border checkpoints)

💸 Flights from ~$169

Sandakan (SDK)

Sandakan is a major domestic airport in Sabah with reliable flight schedules to Malaysian hubs.

📍 ~195 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$132

Labuan (LBU)

Cheapest

Labuan offers regular regional connections and can be a cheaper alternative for your arrival.

📍 ~100 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by ferry or short flight from mainland)

💸 Flights from ~$123

Limbang (LMN)

Limbang provides regional connectivity within Sarawak, though it has limited flight frequencies.

📍 ~190 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$179

Lawas (LWY)

Lawas is an alternative regional access point, but it's a very small facility with limited options.

📍 ~170 km from Kota Kinabalu (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$166

Business & First Class Flight Deals to Kota Kinabalu

48% AI deal score

$426

From SZB

Elite

Sep 15

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

48% AI deal score

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

47% AI deal score

$446

$428

Save $18

From KUL

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$428

From SZB

Elite

Aug 09

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$430

$428

Save $2

From SZB

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$429

From SZB

Elite

Jul 27

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$429

From SZB

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

$430

From SZB

Elite

Jul 04

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

46% AI deal score

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

45% AI deal score

$429

From SZB

Elite

Aug 10

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

45% AI deal score

$429

Frequently Asked Questions About Flights to Kota Kinabalu

Historically, the cheapest fares for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu are found when booking 28-59 days in advance. During this period, the average price was $79. Booking 7-13 days out also offered a relatively low average of $93. In contrast, waiting until 0-6 days before departure typically resulted in a significantly higher average price of $364.

Across the trailing quarter, a good price for a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu was considered to be $63 or less. The median price for this route during the same period was $88. Prices typically increased, with 75% of fares being $132 or less.

Historically, January has been the cheapest month to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, with a median price of $59. August and July also offered competitive prices, with median fares of $64 and $65 respectively. The annual median price for this route was $88, indicating that these months offered notable savings.

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