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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 16.8% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 33.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 17% more expensive than Kuching without rent, and 30.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 17.96

$2.89 MYR 11.36

58.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$19.78 MYR 77.8

45.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.12

$4.76 MYR 18.71

-3.15%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.23

$2.45 MYR 9.64

26.94%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.60

$0.70 MYR 2.76

31.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.06

$0.30 MYR 1.16

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.31

$2.90 MYR 11.38

43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.73

$3.60 MYR 14.14

60.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.82

$1.87 MYR 7.36

6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.93

$1.12 MYR 4.41

-10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.80

$1.02 MYR 4.03

69.61%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.53

$2.19 MYR 8.60

-0.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.3

$9.74 MYR 38.28

52.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.93

$3.85 MYR 15.15

18.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.10

$8.02 MYR 31.53

24.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.58

$2.99 MYR 11.74

-1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.41

$1.10 MYR 4.34

48.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.20

$2.53 MYR 9.95

2.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.02

$1.82 MYR 7.14

-15.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.86

$1.12 MYR 4.39

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.48

$1.24 MYR 4.89

12.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.54

$1.68 MYR 6.58

-31.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.49 MYR 1.92

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.24

$4.19 MYR 16.48

-1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.7

$21.67 MYR 85.2

-13.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.81

$3.88 MYR 15.27

-15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.21

$3.49 MYR 13.70

25.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.92

$0.25 MYR 0.99

196.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.07

$11.85 MYR 46.58

1.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.69

$0.93 MYR 3.65

27.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.35

$1.10 MYR 4.32

0.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.46

$1.95 MYR 7.65

141.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.86

$0.49 MYR 1.94

-4.08%

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

$40.2K MYR 157.8K

$45.7K MYR 179.8K

-12.20%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.1K

$37.0K MYR 145.2K

-13.19%

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

$63.4 MYR 249

$41.74 MYR 164

51.82%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.44

$8.98 MYR 35.28

25.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.4

$25.04 MYR 98.4

1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$29.52 MYR 116

58.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.58

$9.91 MYR 38.94

-21.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 20.99

$4.60 MYR 18.08

16.09%

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

$264 MYR 1,036

$140 MYR 552

87.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.4K

$5,993 MYR 23.6K

54.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$66.8 MYR 263

-10.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$31.50 MYR 124

17.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 344

$84.4 MYR 332

3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 318

$71.2 MYR 280

13.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,215

$283 MYR 1,112

99.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,445

$207 MYR 815

77.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,284

$559 MYR 2,196

95.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,513

$390 MYR 1,534

63.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$2,168 MYR 8,522

86.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,042

$1,569 MYR 6,164

-1.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,277

$546 MYR 2,148

192.29%

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: 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

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

Casablanca

🇲🇦 Morocco

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China