Australia and Malaysia will split the cost of the next phase of the search for the missing Malaysia Airways plane, a senior Malaysian official says.

"Costs will be shared 50-50 between Malaysia and Australia," deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri said, adding there were no figures yet for how much the countries would have to spend.

Australia has spent more than $43 million since the search began. Credit:AFP

So far, Malaysia has spent a total of 27.6 million ringgit ($9.3 million) on the search for the missing flight MH370, authorities said on Monday, giving a specific cost figure for the first time.

Australia, in contrast, has spent more than $43 million since the search began.