Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alor Setar and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alor Setar and in Kuching

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alor Setar and in Kuching actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $868 per month in Alor Setar vs $972 in Kuching, rent included.

Alor Setar $868
Kuching $972

A couple spends around $1,310 per month in Alor Setar vs $1,521 in Kuching, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,310
Kuching $1,521

A family of three spends $1,752 per month in Alor Setar vs $2,070 in Kuching, rent included.

Alor Setar $1,752
Kuching $2,070

Alor Setar is about 11% cheaper than Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alor Setar and Kuching are more affordable than the global median – Alor Setar 36% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$3.37 MYR 13.75

-38.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.28 MYR 50.0

$24.51 MYR 99.9

-49.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.65

$4.90 MYR 19.98

-16.53%

Cappuccino

$1.92 MYR 7.84

$3.19 MYR 13.01

-39.81%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.18

$0.78 MYR 3.19

-30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.23

$0.38 MYR 1.55

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 MYR 16.71

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 MYR 18.42

$5.96 MYR 24.30

-24.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$2.39 MYR 9.74

-32.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 MYR 3.47

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 7.11

$1.19 MYR 4.85

47.06%

Eggs

$1.53 MYR 6.22

$2.38 MYR 9.68

-35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 MYR 55.5

$10.99 MYR 44.77

24.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 MYR 17.62

$4.34 MYR 17.67

-0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.47 MYR 34.51

$10.00 MYR 40.73

-15.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 MYR 12.50

$3.17 MYR 12.92

-3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.32 MYR 5.38

-9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 MYR 10.61

$2.52 MYR 10.28

3.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.98

$1.78 MYR 7.26

-17.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-9.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.61 MYR 6.57

-32.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.55 MYR 2.22

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.13

$4.76 MYR 19.37

-6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.90 MYR 77.0

$22.25 MYR 90.7

-15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$4.13 MYR 16.81

-27.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 MYR 21.11

$5.06 MYR 20.60

2.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.36 MYR 1.47

94.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.69 MYR 51.7

$7.48 MYR 30.47

69.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 MYR 7.03

$0.97 MYR 3.95

78.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 30.09

$8.82 MYR 35.92

-16.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.99

$0.94 MYR 3.83

-47.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

-1.42%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

-0.60%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$37.81 MYR 154

$35.63 MYR 145

6.12%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.47 MYR 30.44

$10.19 MYR 41.52

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 MYR 89.3

$25.50 MYR 104

-14.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.64 MYR 153

$33.85 MYR 138

11.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.37 MYR 25.95

$12.26 MYR 49.94

-48.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.68

$4.87 MYR 19.85

-0.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$396 MYR 1,615

$135 MYR 551

193.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

49.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 MYR 243

$64.1 MYR 261

-7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.76 MYR 146

$37.52 MYR 153

-4.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 MYR 333

$90.0 MYR 367

-9.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 MYR 281

$64.6 MYR 263

6.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 MYR 1,713

$469 MYR 1,912

-10.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 MYR 1,197

$334 MYR 1,361

-12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,660

$834 MYR 3,399

-21.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 MYR 2,167

$654 MYR 2,667

-18.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,256 MYR 9,193

$2,053 MYR 8,364

9.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,157 MYR 4,712

$1,534 MYR 6,248

-24.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 MYR 6,519

$535 MYR 2,181

198.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.37

-7.55%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alor Setar

$294 33.8%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 13.7% $40

Groceries & Markets

Alor Setar

$245 28.3%

Kuching

$272 28% 10.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Alor Setar

$111 12.8%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 4.1% $4.6

Eating Out

Alor Setar

$85 9.8%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 41.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alor Setar

$67 7.7%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 6.1% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Alor Setar

$47 5.5%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 7.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Alor Setar

$19 2.2%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 16.7% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Alor Setar versus $469 in Kuching. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alor Setar are about 3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Alor Setar versus $25 in Kuching. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $272 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

Same time as Alor Setar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,868

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alor Setar Kuching 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Alor Setar
Kuching

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alor Setar vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching costs about 12% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,303 per month in Alor Setar and $1,458 in Kuching. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $469 in Kuching.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Alor Setar and $135 in Kuching. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Kuching, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $868 in Alor Setar and $972 in Kuching. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Kuching has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Alor Setar to $972 in Kuching. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.