Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $997 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kuching outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
Learn more

Bintulu Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
Learn more

Kuching Living Index

Jump to prices

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Bintulu versus $997 in Kuching.

Bintulu $852
Kuching $997

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Bintulu versus $1,550 in Kuching.

Bintulu $1,331
Kuching $1,550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Bintulu versus $2,103 in Kuching.

Bintulu $1,810
Kuching $2,103

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 14% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Kuching 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 MYR 16.39

$3.52 MYR 14.33

14.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.75 MYR 76.4

$24.35 MYR 99.2

-23.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 MYR 23.38

$5.01 MYR 20.41

14.57%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$3.34 MYR 13.59

-13.47%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.78

$0.76 MYR 3.09

-10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$0.39 MYR 1.58

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 MYR 12.17

$4.56 MYR 18.59

-34.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.16

$6.17 MYR 25.12

-15.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 MYR 8.57

$2.31 MYR 9.43

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.22 MYR 4.97

17.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$1.16 MYR 4.72

13.79%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 8.99

$2.37 MYR 9.66

-6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 MYR 70.9

$11.83 MYR 48.21

47.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.63

$4.39 MYR 17.89

-18.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.95 MYR 24.24

$9.42 MYR 38.39

-36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$3.59 MYR 14.61

-50.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.43 MYR 5.82

-30.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.96

$2.43 MYR 9.90

-29.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-47.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$1.57 MYR 6.41

-64.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.20 MYR 4.90

-0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$2.08 MYR 8.47

-63.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 MYR 16.75

$4.35 MYR 17.72

-5.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$22.38 MYR 91.2

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$4.23 MYR 17.22

-28.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.15

$5.24 MYR 21.36

-61.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.14

$0.51 MYR 2.08

147.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.05 MYR 65.4

$7.16 MYR 29.18

124.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.89

$2.49 MYR 10.16

-61.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-33.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 MYR 10.21

$8.57 MYR 34.94

-70.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 MYR 2.71

$0.91 MYR 3.72

-27.47%

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

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

$46.4K MYR 189.3K

-3.55%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

$35.5K MYR 144.7K

12.24%

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

$59.5 MYR 242

$40.74 MYR 166

46.02%

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

$31.54 MYR 129

$10.25 MYR 41.76

207.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.82 MYR 126

$25.63 MYR 104

20.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 MYR 279

$35.26 MYR 144

94.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.11 MYR 49.34

$12.43 MYR 50.6

-2.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$5.07 MYR 20.66

-11.05%

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

$125 MYR 509

$158 MYR 644

-21.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

$6,761 MYR 27.5K

10.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MYR 267

$63.4 MYR 259

3.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 MYR 144

$38.07 MYR 155

-6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 MYR 319

$90.9 MYR 370

-13.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MYR 375

$71.7 MYR 292

28.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 MYR 912

$471 MYR 1,918

-52.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 MYR 636

$335 MYR 1,364

-53.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 MYR 1,933

$892 MYR 3,635

-46.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,366

$643 MYR 2,619

-47.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 MYR 7,235

$2,066 MYR 8,421

-14.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 MYR 4,776

$1,548 MYR 6,309

-24.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MYR 2,498

$542 MYR 2,209

13.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.37

2.97%

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

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Kuching: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$235 27.6%

Kuching

$280 28.1% 19.3% $45

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$156 18.3%

Kuching

$335 33.6% 115% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Kuching

$119 11.9% 2.6% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Kuching

$77 7.7% 37.1% $45

Eating Out

Bintulu

$114 13.3%

Kuching

$123 12.3% 8.1% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$78 9.1%

Kuching

$45 4.6% 41.4% $32

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Kuching

$18 1.8% 31.5% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Bintulu and $471 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bintulu pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Bintulu vs $24 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $280 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

Same time as Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Kuching 350 km

From you

Bintulu
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

Bintulu vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Kuching. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Bintulu, 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: $224 in Bintulu versus $471 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $852 per month in Bintulu versus $997 in Kuching – Bintulu is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 55% less than in Bintulu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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