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

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 32% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 8.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 7.2% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 10.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 13.92

$2.78 MYR 10.97

26.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.5

$19.69 MYR 77.8

-3.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.93

$4.78 MYR 18.87

0.21%

Cappuccino

$2.67 MYR 10.53

$2.54 MYR 10.03

5.12%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.69

$0.75 MYR 2.95

-9.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.32 MYR 1.27

21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.22

$2.85 MYR 11.26

-18.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 13.72

$3.55 MYR 14.02

-2.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.63

$1.91 MYR 7.56

-12.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 MYR 4.94

$1.10 MYR 4.33

13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.62

$1.05 MYR 4.15

60.00%

Eggs

$2.91 MYR 11.50

$2.26 MYR 8.92

28.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.95 MYR 102

$9.75 MYR 38.50

166.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 MYR 14.36

$3.88 MYR 15.34

-6.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.09 MYR 28.01

$7.90 MYR 31.20

-10.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.52

$3.12 MYR 12.34

-14.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.47

$1.11 MYR 4.38

1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 MYR 12.82

$2.49 MYR 9.85

30.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MYR 7.78

$1.84 MYR 7.27

7.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 5.99

$1.14 MYR 4.52

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.74

$1.25 MYR 4.92

36.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.45

$1.70 MYR 6.73

-33.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.85

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-6.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 MYR 15.88

$4.32 MYR 17.08

-6.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.13 MYR 107

$20.99 MYR 82.9

29.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.55

$3.81 MYR 15.05

-49.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.44

$3.44 MYR 13.59

-52.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 MYR 5.97

$0.23 MYR 0.90

556.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.65 MYR 161

$11.63 MYR 45.94

249.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 MYR 7.37

$0.95 MYR 3.77

96.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.72

$1.15 MYR 4.53

-61.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 MYR 23.69

$1.86 MYR 7.36

222.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.83

$0.49 MYR 1.95

-6.12%

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

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

$46.0K MYR 181.6K

-35.56%

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

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

$36.8K MYR 145.5K

-23.82%

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

$51.2 MYR 202

$40.85 MYR 161

25.26%

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

$9.14 MYR 36.11

$9.20 MYR 36.35

-0.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.66 MYR 129

$25.66 MYR 101

27.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.05 MYR 170

$29.97 MYR 118

43.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 MYR 11.33

$9.91 MYR 39.15

-71.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 18.80

$4.76 MYR 18.79

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

$133 MYR 524

$145 MYR 573

-8.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

$6,013 MYR 23.8K

-26.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 MYR 233

$64.7 MYR 256

-8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 MYR 90.0

$32.18 MYR 127

-29.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 281

$86.0 MYR 340

-17.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 MYR 374

$72.2 MYR 285

30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 MYR 1,492

$274 MYR 1,084

37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MYR 641

$200 MYR 792

-19.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 MYR 2,548

$571 MYR 2,254

13.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 MYR 1,456

$392 MYR 1,550

-6.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,893 MYR 7,478

$2,134 MYR 8,429

-11.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 MYR 4,463

$1,555 MYR 6,143

-27.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 MYR 2,417

$547 MYR 2,160

11.89%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Kuching: April 13, 2026

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

Kota Kinabalu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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