Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Alor Setar

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 Alor Setar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $972 per month in Kuching vs $868 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Kuching $972
Alor Setar $868

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Kuching vs $1,310 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Kuching $1,521
Alor Setar $1,310

A family of three spends $2,070 per month in Kuching vs $1,752 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Kuching $2,070
Alor Setar $1,752

Kuching costs about 12% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kuching and Alor Setar are more affordable than the global median – Kuching 29% lower, Alor Setar 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$2.06 MYR 8.38

63.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$12.28 MYR 50.0

99.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$4.09 MYR 16.65

19.80%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$1.92 MYR 7.84

66.15%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.54 MYR 2.18

44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.30 MYR 1.23

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$4.10 MYR 16.71

12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.30

$4.52 MYR 18.42

31.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.61 MYR 6.56

48.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$0.85 MYR 3.47

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.75 MYR 7.11

-32.00%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$1.53 MYR 6.22

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$13.63 MYR 55.5

-19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$4.32 MYR 17.62

0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$8.47 MYR 34.51

18.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$3.07 MYR 12.50

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.19 MYR 4.84

10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.60 MYR 10.61

-3.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.47 MYR 5.98

21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.06 MYR 4.32

30.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.08 MYR 4.38

10.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.09 MYR 4.45

47.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$4.45 MYR 18.13

6.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$18.90 MYR 77.0

17.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$2.98 MYR 12.15

38.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$5.18 MYR 21.11

-2.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-48.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

$12.69 MYR 51.7

-41.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.73 MYR 7.03

-43.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.41 MYR 1.66

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$7.38 MYR 30.09

19.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.49 MYR 1.99

91.84%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

1.44%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

0.60%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$37.81 MYR 154

-5.77%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$7.47 MYR 30.44

36.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$21.90 MYR 89.3

16.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$37.64 MYR 153

-10.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

$6.37 MYR 25.95

92.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$4.83 MYR 19.68

0.83%

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

$135 MYR 551

$396 MYR 1,615

-65.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

-33.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$59.6 MYR 243

7.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$35.76 MYR 146

4.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$81.7 MYR 333

10.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$68.9 MYR 281

-6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$421 MYR 1,713

11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$294 MYR 1,197

13.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$653 MYR 2,660

27.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$532 MYR 2,167

23.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$2,256 MYR 9,193

-9.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$1,157 MYR 4,712

32.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$1,600 MYR 6,519

-66.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.04

8.17%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 12.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 9.8% $27

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 29.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 4% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 5.8% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 8.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 20% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Kuching versus $421 in Alor Setar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alor Setar are about 3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kuching versus $12 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $245 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

423,868

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Alor Setar 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Alor Setar

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 Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching costs about 12% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,458 per month in Kuching and $1,303 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $469 in Kuching.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Kuching and $396 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Kuching, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $972 in Kuching and $868 in Alor Setar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Kuching has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Alor Setar to $972 in Kuching. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.