Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $972 in Kuching.

Bukit Mertajam $621
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $976 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Bukit Mertajam $976
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Bukit Mertajam $1,331
Kuching $2,070

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 36% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bukit Mertajam 54% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 MYR 7.76

$3.37 MYR 13.68

-43.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.97 MYR 85.0

$24.51 MYR 99.4

-14.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.98 MYR 16.15

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-18.78%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.72

$3.19 MYR 12.94

-1.57%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.81

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.84

$0.38 MYR 1.55

18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.28

$4.61 MYR 18.69

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 MYR 25.38

$5.96 MYR 24.18

5.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.73

$2.39 MYR 9.69

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 7.91

$1.19 MYR 4.82

63.87%

Eggs

$2.55 MYR 10.33

$2.38 MYR 9.63

7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 MYR 56.1

$10.99 MYR 44.55

25.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 MYR 17.89

$4.34 MYR 17.58

1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 MYR 40.48

$10.00 MYR 40.53

-0.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 MYR 13.74

$3.17 MYR 12.86

6.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.13

$1.32 MYR 5.36

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.17

$2.52 MYR 10.23

-10.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.29

$1.78 MYR 7.22

-12.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.13

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-7.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.58

$1.19 MYR 4.82

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.61 MYR 6.53

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.70

$0.55 MYR 2.21

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.04

$4.76 MYR 19.28

-6.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.54 MYR 79.2

$22.25 MYR 90.2

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 MYR 13.85

$4.13 MYR 16.73

-17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 MYR 20.61

$5.06 MYR 20.50

0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.01

$0.97 MYR 3.93

27.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.23 MYR 4.99

-3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 MYR 20.07

$8.82 MYR 35.74

-43.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.94 MYR 3.81

-13.83%

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

$43.9K MYR 177.8K

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

-4.52%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.0K

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

-1.53%

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

$63.1 MYR 256

$35.63 MYR 144

77.04%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.62

$10.19 MYR 41.31

-16.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 MYR 108

$25.50 MYR 103

4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$4.87 MYR 19.75

2.67%

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

$249 MYR 1,009

$135 MYR 548

84.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.2K

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

83.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 MYR 286

$64.1 MYR 260

9.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MYR 168

$37.52 MYR 152

10.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 352

$90.0 MYR 365

-3.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 MYR 385

$64.6 MYR 262

47.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

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)

$572 MYR 2,321

$535 MYR 2,170

6.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.37

-4.58%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3%

Kuching

$272 28% 1.2% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 12.7% $17

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 14.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 27.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 336% $34

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 123% $8.8

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Kuching

$334 34.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Bukit Mertajam pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $21 in Bukit Mertajam vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $272 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

Same time as Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

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

Bukit Mertajam Kuching 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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

Bukit Mertajam vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $621 in Bukit Mertajam and $972 in Kuching, so Bukit Mertajam is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Bukit Mertajam, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $249 in Bukit Mertajam versus $135 in Kuching. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $621 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $972 in Kuching – Bukit Mertajam is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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, Bukit Mertajam and Kuching are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.