Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Kuching

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 11.4% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 11% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 4.9% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 11.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 MYR 13.85

$2.89 MYR 11.39

21.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.61 MYR 73.3

$19.78 MYR 78.0

-5.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 18.52

$4.76 MYR 18.76

-1.26%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.30

$2.45 MYR 9.66

6.53%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.53

$0.70 MYR 2.77

-8.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.43

$0.30 MYR 1.16

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.16

$2.90 MYR 11.41

-19.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.01

$3.60 MYR 14.18

-1.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.61

$1.87 MYR 7.38

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 MYR 4.90

$1.12 MYR 4.42

10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.56

$1.02 MYR 4.04

63.73%

Eggs

$2.93 MYR 11.54

$2.19 MYR 8.62

33.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.42 MYR 104

$9.74 MYR 38.37

171.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 13.59

$3.85 MYR 15.19

-10.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.14 MYR 28.15

$8.02 MYR 31.61

-10.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.47

$2.99 MYR 11.77

-11.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.44

$1.10 MYR 4.35

2.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.60

$2.53 MYR 9.97

26.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 7.82

$1.82 MYR 7.16

8.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.78

$1.12 MYR 4.41

31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 6.89

$1.24 MYR 4.90

41.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.41

$1.68 MYR 6.60

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.88

$0.49 MYR 1.93

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.36

$4.19 MYR 16.52

-0.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.15 MYR 107

$21.67 MYR 85.4

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.51

$3.88 MYR 15.31

-50.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.40

$3.49 MYR 13.73

-53.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 MYR 6.08

$0.25 MYR 0.99

516.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.82 MYR 161

$11.85 MYR 46.70

244.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.32

$0.93 MYR 3.66

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 MYR 1.82

$1.10 MYR 4.33

-58.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 MYR 22.83

$1.95 MYR 7.67

196.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

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

$29.8K MYR 117.4K

$45.7K MYR 180.2K

-34.83%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

$37.0K MYR 145.6K

-24.52%

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

$51.8 MYR 204

$41.74 MYR 164

24.05%

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

$9.14 MYR 35.99

$8.98 MYR 35.37

1.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.16 MYR 131

$25.04 MYR 98.7

32.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 MYR 169

$29.52 MYR 116

44.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 MYR 11.66

$9.91 MYR 39.04

-70.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$4.60 MYR 18.12

-0.65%

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

$132 MYR 519

$140 MYR 554

-6.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,466 MYR 17.6K

$5,993 MYR 23.6K

-25.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$66.8 MYR 263

-10.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.69 MYR 89.4

$31.50 MYR 124

-27.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 MYR 278

$84.4 MYR 332

-16.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 364

$71.2 MYR 281

29.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MYR 1,506

$283 MYR 1,115

35.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 MYR 652

$207 MYR 817

-20.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 MYR 2,585

$559 MYR 2,202

17.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MYR 1,446

$390 MYR 1,538

-6.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MYR 7,524

$2,168 MYR 8,543

-11.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 MYR 4,426

$1,569 MYR 6,180

-28.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$609 MYR 2,401

$546 MYR 2,153

11.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.27

-11.01%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 2026

Last update for Kuching: March 2, 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

Similar cities

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan