Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Butterworth vs $972 in Kuching, rent included.

Butterworth $913
Kuching $972

A couple spends around $1,408 per month in Butterworth vs $1,521 in Kuching, rent included.

Butterworth $1,408
Kuching $1,521

A family of three spends $1,902 per month in Butterworth vs $2,070 in Kuching, rent included.

Butterworth $1,902
Kuching $2,070

Butterworth is about 6% cheaper than Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Butterworth and Kuching are more affordable than the global median – Butterworth 33% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$3.37 MYR 13.68

10.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.36 MYR 78.5

$24.51 MYR 99.4

-21.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.36

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-2.65%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.71

$3.19 MYR 12.94

-9.40%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.95

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-6.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.38 MYR 1.55

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 MYR 16.71

$4.61 MYR 18.69

-10.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.75

$5.96 MYR 24.18

-26.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 MYR 8.58

$2.39 MYR 9.69

-11.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.47

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.85

$1.19 MYR 4.82

42.02%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.09

$2.38 MYR 9.63

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 MYR 55.5

$10.99 MYR 44.55

24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.19

$4.34 MYR 17.58

3.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 MYR 35.03

$10.00 MYR 40.53

-13.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 MYR 12.42

$3.17 MYR 12.86

-3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.92

$1.32 MYR 5.36

29.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.04

$2.52 MYR 10.23

-11.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.96

$1.78 MYR 7.22

-17.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.40

$1.19 MYR 4.82

-8.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$1.61 MYR 6.53

-32.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.37

$0.55 MYR 2.21

5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MYR 17.69

$4.76 MYR 19.28

-8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.00 MYR 77.0

$22.25 MYR 90.2

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.86

$4.13 MYR 16.73

-29.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MYR 20.18

$5.06 MYR 20.50

-1.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$0.36 MYR 1.46

94.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.85 MYR 44.00

$7.48 MYR 30.32

45.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$0.97 MYR 3.93

22.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.52

$1.23 MYR 4.99

-69.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MYR 19.64

$8.82 MYR 35.74

-45.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.59

$0.94 MYR 3.81

-5.32%

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

$43.5K MYR 176.3K

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

-5.34%

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

$35.5K MYR 143.8K

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

-1.65%

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

$36.81 MYR 149

$35.63 MYR 144

3.31%

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

$8.61 MYR 34.89

$10.19 MYR 41.31

-15.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.45 MYR 107

$25.50 MYR 103

3.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.93 MYR 133

$33.85 MYR 137

-2.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 MYR 23.90

$12.26 MYR 49.69

-51.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.44

$4.87 MYR 19.75

-1.64%

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

$240 MYR 973

$135 MYR 548

77.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.1K

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

52.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 242

$64.1 MYR 260

-6.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 MYR 142

$37.52 MYR 152

-6.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MYR 334

$90.0 MYR 365

-8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MYR 282

$64.6 MYR 262

7.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 MYR 1,671

$469 MYR 1,902

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MYR 1,218

$334 MYR 1,354

-10.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 MYR 3,296

$834 MYR 3,382

-2.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,283

$654 MYR 2,653

-13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 MYR 7,969

$2,053 MYR 8,322

-4.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 MYR 4,886

$1,534 MYR 6,217

-21.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

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 Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butterworth

$300 32.9%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 11.2% $34

Groceries & Markets

Butterworth

$258 28.3%

Kuching

$272 28% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Butterworth

$113 12.3%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 6.4% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Butterworth

$111 12.2%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 3.8% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butterworth

$72 7.9%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 0.8% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Butterworth

$43 4.7%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 2.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Butterworth

$17 1.8%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 4% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $412 in Butterworth 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Butterworth versus $25 in Kuching. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $272 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

Same time as Butterworth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,132

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

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Between locations

Butterworth Kuching 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Butterworth
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

Butterworth vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $913 in Butterworth, $972 in Kuching – Butterworth comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,370 per month in Butterworth 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 Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $469 in Kuching.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in Butterworth and $972 in Kuching. That makes Butterworth about 6% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Kuching. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $913 in Butterworth and $972 in Kuching, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kuching has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in Butterworth 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.