Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayan Lepas and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $735 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bayan Lepas 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 Bayan Lepas and in Kuching actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $972 in Kuching.

Bayan Lepas $735
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,214 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Bayan Lepas $1,214
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Bayan Lepas versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Bayan Lepas $1,694
Kuching $2,070

Living in Bayan Lepas costs roughly 24% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bayan Lepas 46% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.05

$3.37 MYR 13.68

-11.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.85 MYR 68.3

$24.51 MYR 99.4

-31.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.57

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-16.53%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MYR 11.39

$3.19 MYR 12.94

-11.91%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.42

$0.78 MYR 3.18

7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.38 MYR 1.55

44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MYR 19.36

$4.61 MYR 18.69

3.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.04

$5.96 MYR 24.18

-17.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 MYR 10.39

$2.39 MYR 9.69

7.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 MYR 3.92

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 MYR 3.61

$1.19 MYR 4.82

-25.21%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.31

$2.38 MYR 9.63

-13.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.08

$4.34 MYR 17.58

-20.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.91 MYR 28.02

$10.00 MYR 40.53

-30.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 MYR 12.60

$3.17 MYR 12.86

-1.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.43

$1.32 MYR 5.36

20.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.50

$2.52 MYR 10.23

22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.77

$1.78 MYR 7.22

-33.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.29

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-5.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$1.19 MYR 4.82

0.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 MYR 3.11

$1.61 MYR 6.53

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.73

$0.55 MYR 2.21

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 MYR 20.62

$4.76 MYR 19.28

6.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.20 MYR 77.9

$22.25 MYR 90.2

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MYR 2.58

$0.36 MYR 1.46

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.76 MYR 59.8

$7.48 MYR 30.32

97.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 MYR 6.32

$0.97 MYR 3.93

60.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.11

$0.94 MYR 3.81

-18.09%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

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

$24.53 MYR 99.4

$35.63 MYR 144

-31.15%

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

$11.64 MYR 47.20

$10.19 MYR 41.31

14.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 MYR 126

$25.50 MYR 103

22.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.63 MYR 120

$33.85 MYR 137

-12.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 MYR 29.95

$12.26 MYR 49.69

-39.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.56

$4.87 MYR 19.75

-0.82%

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

$135 MYR 548

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 MYR 159

$64.1 MYR 260

-38.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.27 MYR 107

$37.52 MYR 152

-29.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 MYR 259

$90.0 MYR 365

-28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 MYR 327

$64.6 MYR 262

24.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 MYR 800

$469 MYR 1,902

-57.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MYR 898

$334 MYR 1,354

-33.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 MYR 2,012

$834 MYR 3,382

-40.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 MYR 2,304

$654 MYR 2,653

-13.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 MYR 3,911

$535 MYR 2,170

80.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

4.37

-19.91%

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

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bayan Lepas

$221 30.1%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 50.8% $113

Groceries & Markets

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25.1%

Kuching

$272 28% 47.8% $88

Eating Out

Bayan Lepas

$109 14.8%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 9.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bayan Lepas

$95 12.9%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 21.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.2%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 5.9% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 11% $4.3

Getting Around

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 15% $2.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Bayan Lepas and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17 in Bayan Lepas vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $272 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

Same time as Bayan Lepas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,600

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bayan Lepas Kuching 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bayan Lepas
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

Bayan Lepas vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $735 in Bayan Lepas and $972 in Kuching, so Bayan Lepas is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Bayan Lepas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $197 in Bayan Lepas versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 49% less than in Bayan Lepas. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bayan Lepas gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Safety-wise, Bayan Lepas and Kuching are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.