Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $888 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

Jump to prices

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,000 in Brasilia versus $888 in Kuching.

Brasilia $1,000
Kuching $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brasilia versus $1,402 in Kuching.

Brasilia $1,614
Kuching $1,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,228 in Brasilia versus $1,917 in Kuching.

Brasilia $2,228
Kuching $1,917

Living in Brasilia is roughly 13% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 26% lower, Kuching 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.80 R$44.59

$3.49 MYR 14.25

152.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.84 R$202

$24.84 MYR 101

60.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.26 R$41.87

$4.97 MYR 20.27

66.20%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R$13.81

$3.32 MYR 13.56

-18.07%

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

$1.57 R$7.96

$0.80 MYR 3.27

96.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.07

$0.38 MYR 1.57

163.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R$11.81

$4.68 MYR 19.08

-50.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$6.04 MYR 24.66

-35.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.53

$2.31 MYR 9.42

-52.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.22 MYR 4.98

69.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.87

$1.21 MYR 4.94

12.40%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.33

$2.49 MYR 10.15

-2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 R$59.0

$10.77 MYR 43.94

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 R$20.62

$4.42 MYR 18.04

-7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R$44.60

$9.97 MYR 40.65

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 R$12.64

$3.33 MYR 13.57

-25.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.48

$1.39 MYR 5.68

6.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.79

$2.52 MYR 10.29

-46.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.86 MYR 7.58

-12.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$1.35 MYR 5.52

-8.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.14 MYR 4.64

-8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.34

$1.55 MYR 6.33

-44.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.58 MYR 2.38

63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.52 R$12.77

$4.74 MYR 19.36

-46.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 R$42.54

$21.91 MYR 89.4

-61.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R$6.65

$4.10 MYR 16.72

-68.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 R$12.23

$5.16 MYR 21.07

-53.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.59 MYR 2.42

71.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 R$179

$12.41 MYR 50.6

184.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.58

$0.95 MYR 3.87

15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R$4.73

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-21.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 R$31.25

$8.50 MYR 34.66

-27.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.54

$0.94 MYR 3.82

37.23%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$45.8K MYR 186.8K

-48.83%

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

$33.7K R$170.9K

$34.8K MYR 142.0K

-3.20%

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

$96.3 R$488

$35.01 MYR 143

175.12%

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

$12.59 R$63.8

$10.27 MYR 41.88

22.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 R$114

$25.54 MYR 104

-11.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 R$171

$29.56 MYR 121

13.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$12.21 MYR 49.83

128.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 R$39.43

$4.83 MYR 19.71

61.08%

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

$815 R$4,133

$132 MYR 536

520.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K R$87.3K

$6,903 MYR 28.2K

149.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$281

$64.3 MYR 262

-13.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.23 R$224

$36.74 MYR 150

20.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 R$431

$90.7 MYR 370

-6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 R$445

$65.9 MYR 269

33.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 R$2,506

$366 MYR 1,494

34.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,427

$244 MYR 996

15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R$5,711

$646 MYR 2,636

74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,004

$486 MYR 1,983

21.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,522 R$12.8K

$2,028 MYR 8,271

24.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 R$8,885

$1,492 MYR 6,086

17.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 R$4,310

$533 MYR 2,173

59.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

4.37

177.35%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$282 28.2%

Kuching

$244 27.5% 13.3% $37

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$212 21.2%

Kuching

$273 30.8% 28.7% $61

Eating Out

Brasilia

$158 15.8%

Kuching

$123 13.9% 22% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$131 13.2%

Kuching

$71 8% 46.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$123 12.3%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 5.5% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$49 4.9%

Kuching

$39 4.4% 20.3% $10

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Kuching

$22 2.4% 51.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Brasilia and $366 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 60% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $25.00 in Kuching. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $273, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

15:25 3:25 PM

11 h ahead of Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

349,147

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Kuching 17,150 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

Brasilia vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Kuching differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,000 vs $888 including rent). Kuching is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 60% higher in Brasilia, 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: $494 in Brasilia versus $366 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,000 per month in Brasilia versus $888 in Kuching – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $888 in Kuching versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Kuching the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Brasilia and Kuching are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.