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

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 8.3% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 9.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 23.8% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 11.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 MYR 14.42

$2.89 MYR 11.72

22.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.72 MYR 76.0

$20.39 MYR 82.8

-8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.62 MYR 18.78

$4.82 MYR 19.55

-4.15%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MYR 10.55

$2.45 MYR 9.96

6.12%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.58

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.30 MYR 1.22

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MYR 9.72

$2.77 MYR 11.26

-13.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 MYR 13.95

$3.69 MYR 14.99

-6.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.85

$1.91 MYR 7.75

-11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.12 MYR 4.55

7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.83

$1.06 MYR 4.30

58.49%

Eggs

$2.92 MYR 11.84

$2.24 MYR 9.10

30.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.22 MYR 106

$9.49 MYR 38.52

176.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 MYR 14.51

$3.75 MYR 15.21

-4.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MYR 29.29

$8.15 MYR 33.10

-11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.26

$2.97 MYR 12.07

-14.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.72

$1.14 MYR 4.65

1.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 12.81

$2.58 MYR 10.49

22.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.82 MYR 7.38

10.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.12

$1.15 MYR 4.66

31.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.97

$1.23 MYR 5.01

39.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MYR 4.35

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-39.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$0.49 MYR 2.00

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MYR 16.66

$4.14 MYR 16.80

-0.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.44 MYR 78.9

$19.30 MYR 78.4

0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$3.69 MYR 14.97

-49.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 MYR 6.59

$3.43 MYR 13.92

-52.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 MYR 6.39

$0.25 MYR 1.02

528.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.90 MYR 166

$11.82 MYR 47.98

246.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.54

$0.97 MYR 3.93

91.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.78

$1.09 MYR 4.41

-59.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 MYR 23.48

$1.87 MYR 7.58

209.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.89

$0.50 MYR 2.04

-6.00%

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

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

$46.1K MYR 187.0K

-35.68%

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

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

$36.2K MYR 146.8K

-24.53%

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

$52.5 MYR 213

$40.95 MYR 166

28.21%

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

$9.04 MYR 36.70

$9.21 MYR 37.40

-1.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.02 MYR 134

$25.22 MYR 102

30.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.82 MYR 174

$29.30 MYR 119

46.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$9.80 MYR 39.80

-69.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.42

$4.58 MYR 18.61

4.37%

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

$129 MYR 522

$141 MYR 572

-8.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

$6,166 MYR 25.0K

-27.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 MYR 242

$64.8 MYR 263

-7.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.57 MYR 91.6

$31.43 MYR 128

-28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 MYR 291

$86.7 MYR 352

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 MYR 385

$72.5 MYR 294

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,526

$281 MYR 1,142

33.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 MYR 669

$204 MYR 827

-19.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,653

$561 MYR 2,276

16.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 MYR 1,509

$380 MYR 1,543

-2.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,502

$2,054 MYR 8,340

-10.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 MYR 4,434

$1,526 MYR 6,195

-28.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$580 MYR 2,356

$588 MYR 2,387

-1.33%

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: January 11, 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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