Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $887 a month against $1,387 in Almaty, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$887

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Almaty

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kuching and in Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $887 per month in Kuching vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Kuching $887
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in Kuching vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Kuching $1,389
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $1,892 per month in Kuching vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Kuching $1,892
Almaty $2,883

Kuching is about 36% cheaper than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kuching sits 34% below the global median, while Almaty is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 MYR 13.60

$13.31 ₸6,034

-74.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.53 MYR 100

$43.37 ₸19.7K

-43.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 MYR 19.89

$8.80 ₸3,988

-44.66%

Cappuccino

$3.17 MYR 12.93

$3.30 ₸1,497

-3.94%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.04

$1.37 ₸620

-45.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.90 ₸409

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.43

$3.13 ₸1,419

44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 MYR 25.15

$4.10 ₸1,860

50.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$1.66 ₸754

39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 MYR 5.16

$0.90 ₸406

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$2.06 ₸933

-44.17%

Eggs

$2.46 MYR 10.03

$2.37 ₸1,074

3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 MYR 44.72

$12.64 ₸5,730

-13.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.17

$6.62 ₸3,000

-32.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.90 MYR 40.42

$10.87 ₸4,928

-8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.93

$1.86 ₸845

70.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$2.37 ₸1,075

-42.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 MYR 9.80

$2.99 ₸1,358

-19.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.42

$2.83 ₸1,282

-35.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.75

$0.77 ₸347

83.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$0.58 ₸264

105.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MYR 6.35

$1.59 ₸723

-1.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.22

$0.99 ₸449

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MYR 18.41

$2.54 ₸1,153

77.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.59 MYR 88.2

$11.04 ₸5,005

95.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.06 MYR 16.58

$1.21 ₸550

235.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.19

$2.41 ₸1,093

115.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MYR 2.37

$0.25 ₸113

132.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.5

$21.84 ₸9,901

-43.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$1.28 ₸581

-21.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$0.64 ₸291

93.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 MYR 33.99

$10.74 ₸4,870

-22.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 MYR 3.68

$0.69 ₸314

30.43%

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

$40.9K MYR 167.2K

$22.3K ₸10.1M

83.84%

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

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

$29.3K ₸13.3M

23.08%

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

$35.18 MYR 144

$87.8 ₸39.8K

-59.91%

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

$9.95 MYR 40.63

$10.83 ₸4,909

-8.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 MYR 103

$17.40 ₸7,887

45.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 MYR 123

$69.7 ₸31.6K

-56.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.38 MYR 50.6

$26.58 ₸12.1K

-53.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.72

$6.68 ₸3,031

-27.69%

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

$135 MYR 551

$446 ₸202.2K

-69.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,000 MYR 28.6K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

-41.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 MYR 258

$93.7 ₸42.5K

-32.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 MYR 154

$46.91 ₸21.3K

-19.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 MYR 368

$143 ₸64.7K

-36.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 MYR 269

$133 ₸60.5K

-50.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 MYR 1,471

$773 ₸350.6K

-53.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 MYR 1,001

$497 ₸225.5K

-50.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 MYR 2,642

$1,390 ₸630.4K

-53.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,953

$880 ₸398.9K

-45.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,073 MYR 8,464

$2,546 ₸1.2M

-18.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,508 MYR 6,157

$1,506 ₸683.0K

0.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$530 MYR 2,165

$834 ₸377.9K

-36.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

20.65

-78.84%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$271 30.7%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 7.2% $20

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$245 27.8%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 103% $252

Eating Out

Kuching

$119 13.4%

Almaty

$205 15% 73.2% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$116 13.1%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 62.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$70 8%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 64.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$40 4.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 108% $43

Getting Around

Kuching

$22 2.5%

Almaty

$27 2% 25% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $360 in Kuching versus $773 in Almaty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 57% higher in Almaty, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Kuching versus $43.00 in Almaty. Groceries tell a different story – $271 in Kuching vs $251 in Almaty – so Almaty wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

2 h behind Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Almaty 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Almaty

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Kuching vs Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Almaty is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,331 per month in Kuching and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuching, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Kuching and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $887 in Kuching and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kuching, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Almaty at $1,387. In Kuching it covers expenses comfortably, while in Almaty it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuching – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kuching. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Almaty makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.