Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $972 in Kuching.

Kedah $877
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Kedah $1,399
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Kedah $1,920
Kuching $2,070

Living in Kedah costs roughly 10% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kedah 36% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$3.37 MYR 13.80

10.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.4

$24.51 MYR 100

-49.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.65

$4.90 MYR 20.05

-6.94%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.91

$3.19 MYR 13.05

-8.78%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$0.78 MYR 3.20

-1.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.60

$0.38 MYR 1.56

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.32

$4.61 MYR 18.85

-8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.81

$5.96 MYR 24.39

-26.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.69

$2.39 MYR 9.78

-21.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.33

$1.19 MYR 4.88

-10.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.01

$1.19 MYR 4.86

44.54%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.94

$2.38 MYR 9.71

-7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.4

$10.99 MYR 44.93

23.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.75

$4.34 MYR 17.73

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.15

$10.00 MYR 40.87

-11.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 12.03

$3.17 MYR 12.97

-7.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.68

$1.32 MYR 5.40

23.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.24

$2.52 MYR 10.32

9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.94

$1.78 MYR 7.28

-18.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.50

$1.38 MYR 5.65

-20.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-8.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.63

$1.61 MYR 6.59

-29.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$0.55 MYR 2.23

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.89

$4.76 MYR 19.44

-2.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.7

$22.25 MYR 91.0

-15.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.19

$4.13 MYR 16.87

-27.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.80

$5.06 MYR 20.67

5.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.12

$0.36 MYR 1.47

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.5

$7.48 MYR 30.58

71.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$0.97 MYR 3.97

71.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-69.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.80

$8.82 MYR 36.04

-17.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.47

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-36.17%

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

$45.6K MYR 186.6K

$45.9K MYR 187.8K

-0.65%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.6K

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-0.60%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$35.63 MYR 146

2.36%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.48

$10.19 MYR 41.66

-5.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 121

$25.50 MYR 104

15.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 142

$33.85 MYR 138

2.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 28.02

$12.26 MYR 50.1

-44.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.60

$4.87 MYR 19.91

-1.64%

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

$388 MYR 1,585

$135 MYR 553

186.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

$7,150 MYR 29.2K

49.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 241

$64.1 MYR 262

-8.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$37.52 MYR 153

-7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 334

$90.0 MYR 368

-9.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 289

$64.6 MYR 264

9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,463

$469 MYR 1,918

-23.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,055

$334 MYR 1,366

-22.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,912

$834 MYR 3,411

-14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,480

$654 MYR 2,676

-7.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,892

$2,053 MYR 8,393

-5.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,142

$1,534 MYR 6,270

-17.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,475

$535 MYR 2,189

150.14%

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 Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 29.5% $76

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Kuching

$272 28% 6.1% $16

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 6% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 4.2% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 5.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 1.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 17.5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Kedah and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $272 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

Same time as Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Kuching 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kedah and Kuching differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($877 vs $972 including rent). Kedah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Kedah is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $358 in Kedah versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $388 in Kedah versus $135 in Kuching. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kedah 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, Kedah and Kuching are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.