Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 18.2% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 35.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 18.3% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 32.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$2.89 MYR 11.72

67.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$20.39 MYR 82.8

41.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$4.82 MYR 19.55

-3.94%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.45 MYR 9.96

25.31%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.75 MYR 3.05

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.30 MYR 1.22

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$2.77 MYR 11.26

51.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$3.69 MYR 14.99

57.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.91 MYR 7.75

4.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.06 MYR 4.30

57.55%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.24 MYR 9.10

1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$9.49 MYR 38.52

56.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$3.75 MYR 15.21

20.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$8.15 MYR 33.10

20.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.97 MYR 12.07

-3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.14 MYR 4.65

39.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.82 MYR 7.38

-19.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.15 MYR 4.66

6.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.23 MYR 5.01

9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.49 MYR 2.00

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.14 MYR 16.80

0.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$19.30 MYR 78.4

-4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$3.69 MYR 14.97

-7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$3.43 MYR 13.92

24.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.25 MYR 1.02

188.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$11.82 MYR 47.98

1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$0.97 MYR 3.93

24.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$1.09 MYR 4.41

1.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$1.87 MYR 7.58

156.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.50 MYR 2.04

-4.00%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$46.1K MYR 187.0K

-11.59%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$36.2K MYR 146.8K

-11.62%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$40.95 MYR 166

57.53%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$9.21 MYR 37.40

25.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$25.22 MYR 102

1.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$29.30 MYR 119

57.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$9.80 MYR 39.80

-18.27%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$4.58 MYR 18.61

16.81%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$141 MYR 572

88.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$6,166 MYR 25.0K

53.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$64.8 MYR 263

-5.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$31.43 MYR 128

17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$86.7 MYR 352

0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$72.5 MYR 294

10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$281 MYR 1,142

105.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$204 MYR 827

79.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$561 MYR 2,276

88.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$380 MYR 1,543

69.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$2,054 MYR 8,340

76.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$1,526 MYR 6,195

1.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$588 MYR 2,387

155.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.27

4.68%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 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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