Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kangar, Perlis and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kangar, Perlis: $910 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kangar, Perlis
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Kangar, Perlis Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$910

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $910 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $972 in Kuching, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $910
Kuching $972

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $1,521 in Kuching, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $1,427
Kuching $1,521

A family of three spends $1,944 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $2,070 in Kuching, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $1,944
Kuching $2,070

Kangar, Perlis is about 6% cheaper than Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 MYR 14.62

$3.37 MYR 13.75

6.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.29 MYR 82.7

$24.51 MYR 99.9

-17.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 MYR 20.47

$4.90 MYR 19.98

2.45%

Cappuccino

$2.59 MYR 10.56

$3.19 MYR 13.01

-18.81%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.78 MYR 3.19

-10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.91

$0.38 MYR 1.55

23.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MYR 18.83

$5.96 MYR 24.30

-22.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 MYR 7.51

$2.39 MYR 9.74

-23.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.69

$1.19 MYR 4.85

17.65%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.07

$2.38 MYR 9.68

-6.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.65 MYR 63.8

$10.99 MYR 44.77

42.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 MYR 20.41

$4.34 MYR 17.67

15.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 MYR 38.22

$10.00 MYR 40.73

-6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.55

$3.17 MYR 12.92

-10.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.42

$1.32 MYR 5.38

37.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.82

$2.52 MYR 10.28

5.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$1.78 MYR 7.26

-24.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.19 MYR 4.84

21.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.61 MYR 6.57

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 2.02

$0.55 MYR 2.22

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 MYR 20.11

$4.76 MYR 19.37

3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.61 MYR 88.1

$22.25 MYR 90.7

-2.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 MYR 11.44

$4.13 MYR 16.81

-31.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MYR 18.22

$5.06 MYR 20.60

-11.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.36 MYR 1.47

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 47.84

$7.48 MYR 30.47

56.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$0.97 MYR 3.95

27.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 MYR 2.45

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-51.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 MYR 30.99

$8.82 MYR 35.92

-13.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.27

$0.94 MYR 3.83

-14.89%

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

$50.2K MYR 204.7K

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

9.38%

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

$37.5K MYR 152.7K

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

3.91%

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

$49.46 MYR 202

$35.63 MYR 145

38.82%

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

$9.52 MYR 38.79

$10.19 MYR 41.52

-6.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.47 MYR 124

$25.50 MYR 104

19.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.44 MYR 132

$33.85 MYR 138

-4.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.31 MYR 29.77

$12.26 MYR 49.94

-40.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 MYR 18.07

$4.87 MYR 19.85

-8.83%

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

$208 MYR 846

$135 MYR 551

53.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,103 MYR 28.9K

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

-0.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 MYR 243

$64.1 MYR 261

-6.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 MYR 158

$37.52 MYR 153

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 MYR 309

$90.0 MYR 367

-15.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 MYR 346

$64.6 MYR 263

31.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 MYR 1,801

$469 MYR 1,912

-5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 MYR 1,077

$334 MYR 1,361

-20.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 MYR 3,114

$834 MYR 3,399

-8.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 MYR 2,230

$654 MYR 2,667

-16.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,900 MYR 7,742

$2,053 MYR 8,364

-7.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MYR 4,609

$1,534 MYR 6,248

-26.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.37

-7.09%

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

Last update for Kangar, Perlis: 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

Kangar, Perlis

$269 29.5%

Kuching

$272 28% 1.3% $3.5

Accommodation & Living

Kangar, Perlis

$264 29%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 26.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Kangar, Perlis

$117 12.8%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 1.2% $1.4

Eating Out

Kangar, Perlis

$111 12.2%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 8.1% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kangar, Perlis

$89 9.8%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 20.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kangar, Perlis

$41 4.5%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 5.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Kangar, Perlis

$19 2.1%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 16% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $442 in Kangar, Perlis 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 $20 in Kangar, Perlis versus $25 in Kuching. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $272 – making Kangar, Perlis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

Same time as Kangar, Perlis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

284,853

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kangar, Perlis Kuching 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kangar, Perlis
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

Kangar, Perlis vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $910 in Kangar, Perlis, $972 in Kuching – Kangar, Perlis comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,365 per month in Kangar, Perlis and $1,458 in Kuching. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $442 in Kangar, Perlis and $469 in Kuching. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Kangar, Perlis and $25 in Kuching. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 36% 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 $910 in Kangar, Perlis 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 $910 in Kangar, Perlis 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.