Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kepong and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kepong: $896 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kepong
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Kepong Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$896

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $896 per month in Kepong vs $972 in Kuching, rent included.

Kepong $896
Kuching $972

A couple spends around $1,392 per month in Kepong vs $1,521 in Kuching, rent included.

Kepong $1,392
Kuching $1,521

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in Kepong vs $2,070 in Kuching, rent included.

Kepong $1,888
Kuching $2,070

Kepong is about 8% cheaper than Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kepong and Kuching are more affordable than the global median – Kepong 34% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 MYR 15.28

$3.37 MYR 13.79

10.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.13 MYR 98.6

$24.51 MYR 100

-1.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 MYR 20.38

$4.90 MYR 20.04

1.84%

Cappuccino

$2.98 MYR 12.17

$3.19 MYR 13.05

-6.58%

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

$0.86 MYR 3.50

$0.78 MYR 3.20

10.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.69

$0.38 MYR 1.56

7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.39

$4.61 MYR 18.84

-28.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 MYR 22.85

$5.96 MYR 24.38

-6.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$2.39 MYR 9.77

-27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.19 MYR 4.88

-13.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.79

$1.19 MYR 4.86

19.33%

Eggs

$1.82 MYR 7.45

$2.38 MYR 9.71

-23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 MYR 40.15

$10.99 MYR 44.91

-10.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.56

$4.34 MYR 17.73

-23.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 MYR 37.96

$10.00 MYR 40.86

-7.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 MYR 13.89

$3.17 MYR 12.96

7.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.32 MYR 5.40

31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.73

$2.52 MYR 10.31

3.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MYR 6.79

$1.78 MYR 7.28

-6.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.95

$1.38 MYR 5.65

5.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.04

$1.19 MYR 4.85

44.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 MYR 5.40

$1.61 MYR 6.59

-18.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MYR 17.87

$4.76 MYR 19.43

-8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 MYR 56.5

$22.25 MYR 90.9

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.80

$4.13 MYR 16.86

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.34

$5.06 MYR 20.66

-40.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.36 MYR 1.47

127.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.44 MYR 50.8

$7.48 MYR 30.57

66.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.87

$0.97 MYR 3.96

-2.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-71.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 MYR 36.21

$8.82 MYR 36.03

0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.60

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-6.38%

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

$43.6K MYR 178.2K

$45.9K MYR 187.7K

-5.11%

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

$34.8K MYR 142.4K

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-3.41%

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

$49.67 MYR 203

$35.63 MYR 146

39.40%

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

$8.29 MYR 33.88

$10.19 MYR 41.65

-18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.18 MYR 111

$25.50 MYR 104

6.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.69 MYR 166

$33.85 MYR 138

20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.25 MYR 25.55

$12.26 MYR 50.1

-49.02%

Cinema Ticket

$4.85 MYR 19.81

$4.87 MYR 19.91

-0.41%

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

$238 MYR 971

$135 MYR 552

75.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,440 MYR 18.1K

$7,150 MYR 29.2K

-37.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MYR 218

$64.1 MYR 262

-16.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.40 MYR 99.7

$37.52 MYR 153

-34.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 MYR 339

$90.0 MYR 368

-7.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 MYR 356

$64.6 MYR 264

34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MYR 1,659

$469 MYR 1,917

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 MYR 1,188

$334 MYR 1,365

-12.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MYR 2,915

$834 MYR 3,410

-14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 MYR 2,249

$654 MYR 2,675

-15.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,993 MYR 8,147

$2,053 MYR 8,390

-2.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,166 MYR 4,766

$1,534 MYR 6,267

-23.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$650 MYR 2,655

$535 MYR 2,188

21.34%

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 Kepong: 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

Kepong

$291 32.4%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 14.9% $43

Groceries & Markets

Kepong

$227 25.3%

Kuching

$272 28% 20% $45

Eating Out

Kepong

$113 12.6%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 5.7% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Kepong

$111 12.4%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 3.5% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kepong

$85 9.5%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 16.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kepong

$50 5.6%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 13.5% $6.8

Getting Around

Kepong

$18 2.1%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 13% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Kepong 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.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Kepong, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Kepong versus $25 in Kuching. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $272 – making Kepong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kepong

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

Same time as Kepong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,960

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

Kepong Kuching 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kepong
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

Kepong vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $896 in Kepong, $972 in Kuching – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,344 per month in Kepong 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 Kepong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $469 in Kuching.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Kuching. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $238 per month in Kepong and $135 in Kuching. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $896 in Kepong 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 $896 in Kepong to $972 in Kuching. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.