Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Malaysia and Kuching

For one person, living costs are similar in George Town and in Kuching: $952 and $972 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in George Town versus $972 in Kuching.

George Town $952
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,558 in George Town versus $1,521 in Kuching.

George Town $1,558
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,164 in George Town versus $2,070 in Kuching.

George Town $2,164
Kuching $2,070

Monthly costs are close between George Town and Kuching; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: George Town 30% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 MYR 14.02

$3.37 MYR 13.69

2.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.45 MYR 62.7

$24.51 MYR 99.4

-36.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 MYR 18.98

$4.90 MYR 19.90

-4.49%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MYR 11.16

$3.19 MYR 12.95

-13.79%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.78 MYR 3.18

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$0.38 MYR 1.55

-7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 MYR 10.04

$4.61 MYR 18.71

-46.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 17.95

$5.96 MYR 24.20

-25.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.59

$2.39 MYR 9.70

-21.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.26

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.02

$1.19 MYR 4.83

45.38%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$2.38 MYR 9.64

-6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.4

$10.99 MYR 44.58

24.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.16

$4.34 MYR 17.60

3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.28

$10.00 MYR 40.56

-13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.48

$3.17 MYR 12.87

-26.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.32 MYR 5.36

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.01

$2.52 MYR 10.24

-11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.78 MYR 7.23

-32.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MYR 3.72

$1.38 MYR 5.61

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$1.19 MYR 4.82

-28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MYR 3.02

$1.61 MYR 6.54

-54.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.55 MYR 2.21

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 MYR 18.56

$4.76 MYR 19.29

-3.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 MYR 76.4

$22.25 MYR 90.3

-15.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.78

$4.13 MYR 16.74

-41.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.46

$5.06 MYR 20.51

-29.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.36 MYR 1.46

30.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.01 MYR 48.74

$7.48 MYR 30.34

60.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$0.97 MYR 3.93

26.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.05

$1.23 MYR 4.99

-58.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MYR 26.51

$8.82 MYR 35.77

-25.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$0.94 MYR 3.81

-12.77%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.8K

$45.9K MYR 186.4K

-0.85%

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

$34.6K MYR 140.5K

$36.1K MYR 146.3K

-3.97%

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

$36.85 MYR 149

$35.63 MYR 145

3.42%

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

$8.05 MYR 32.65

$10.19 MYR 41.34

-21.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.38 MYR 115

$25.50 MYR 103

11.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 MYR 164

$33.85 MYR 137

19.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.03 MYR 20.40

$12.26 MYR 49.73

-58.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MYR 18.32

$4.87 MYR 19.76

-7.19%

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

$168 MYR 684

$135 MYR 548

24.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

-30.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 216

$64.1 MYR 260

-17.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 MYR 141

$37.52 MYR 152

-7.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 MYR 298

$90.0 MYR 365

-18.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 287

$64.6 MYR 262

9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 MYR 2,876

$469 MYR 1,903

51.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,486

$334 MYR 1,355

9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 MYR 4,478

$834 MYR 3,385

32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 MYR 3,669

$654 MYR 2,655

38.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,328

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,221

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 MYR 4,288

$535 MYR 2,172

97.41%

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 George Town: 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

George Town

$366 38.5%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 8.8% $32

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$241 25.3%

Kuching

$272 28% 13% $31

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$105 11%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 10.3% $11

Eating Out

George Town

$100 10.5%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 19.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$73 7.7%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 2.7% $2

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$49 5.2%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 11.7% $5.8

Getting Around

George Town

$18 1.9%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 9.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $709 in George Town and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in George Town vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $272 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

George Town Kuching 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

George Town
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

George Town vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 97% higher in George Town, 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: $709 in George Town versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 38% less than in George Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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