Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Kuching

🙂 Solo nomad: Johor Bahru is 3% cheaper than Kuching without rent, and 22.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Johor Bahru is 6.2% cheaper than Kuching without rent, and 12.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 MYR 14.43

$2.89 MYR 11.72

22.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.55 MYR 75.3

$20.39 MYR 82.8

-9.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 MYR 18.55

$4.82 MYR 19.55

-5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.82

$2.45 MYR 9.96

18.78%

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

$0.86 MYR 3.47

$0.75 MYR 3.05

14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.86

$0.30 MYR 1.22

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 MYR 14.10

$2.77 MYR 11.26

25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.62 MYR 26.86

$3.69 MYR 14.99

79.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.68

$1.91 MYR 7.75

-1.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.02

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-11.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.27

$1.06 MYR 4.30

22.64%

Eggs

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$2.24 MYR 9.10

-18.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 MYR 42.27

$9.49 MYR 38.52

9.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.24

$3.75 MYR 15.21

-6.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.21 MYR 33.33

$8.15 MYR 33.10

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.75

$2.97 MYR 12.07

-10.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.12

$1.14 MYR 4.65

32.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.37

$2.58 MYR 10.49

-1.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.95

$1.82 MYR 7.38

-32.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$1.15 MYR 4.66

3.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$1.23 MYR 5.01

12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-46.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.10

$0.49 MYR 2.00

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.56

$4.14 MYR 16.80

4.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 MYR 57.1

$19.30 MYR 78.4

-27.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 MYR 11.27

$3.69 MYR 14.97

-24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.26

$3.43 MYR 13.92

-11.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.77

$0.25 MYR 1.02

172.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.82 MYR 47.99

$11.82 MYR 47.98

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 MYR 4.02

$0.97 MYR 3.93

2.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.00

$1.09 MYR 4.41

-10.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 MYR 37.75

$1.87 MYR 7.58

397.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.87

$0.50 MYR 2.04

-8.00%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.1K

$46.1K MYR 187.0K

-22.94%

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

$27.4K MYR 111.1K

$36.2K MYR 146.8K

-24.33%

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

$40.90 MYR 166

$40.95 MYR 166

-0.12%

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

$9.01 MYR 36.58

$9.21 MYR 37.40

-2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.38 MYR 127

$25.22 MYR 102

24.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.37 MYR 144

$29.30 MYR 119

20.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.96 MYR 24.19

$9.80 MYR 39.80

-39.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.62

$4.58 MYR 18.61

10.92%

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

$190 MYR 772

$141 MYR 572

35.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 MYR 28.4K

$6,166 MYR 25.0K

13.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.82 MYR 202

$64.8 MYR 263

-23.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.54 MYR 75.3

$31.43 MYR 128

-41.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.1 MYR 224

$86.7 MYR 352

-36.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.45 MYR 160

$72.5 MYR 294

-45.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 MYR 1,848

$281 MYR 1,142

61.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 MYR 1,629

$204 MYR 827

97.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 MYR 3,381

$561 MYR 2,276

48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 MYR 2,453

$380 MYR 1,543

58.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 MYR 8,215

$2,054 MYR 8,340

-1.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,145 MYR 4,650

$1,526 MYR 6,195

-24.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,045 MYR 4,241

$588 MYR 2,387

77.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.27

-4.68%

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

Last update for Johor Bahru: January 13, 2026

Last update for Kuching: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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