Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Brasilia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $888 a month against $1,000 in Brasilia, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$888

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Brasilia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $888 in Kuching versus $1,000 in Brasilia.

Kuching $888
Brasilia $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,402 in Kuching versus $1,614 in Brasilia.

Kuching $1,402
Brasilia $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,917 in Kuching versus $2,228 in Brasilia.

Kuching $1,917
Brasilia $2,228

Living in Kuching costs roughly 11% less than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 34% lower, Brasilia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.49 MYR 14.25

$8.80 R$44.59

-60.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.84 MYR 101

$39.84 R$202

-37.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.27

$8.26 R$41.87

-39.83%

Cappuccino

$3.32 MYR 13.56

$2.72 R$13.81

22.06%

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

$0.80 MYR 3.27

$1.57 R$7.96

-49.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$1.00 R$5.07

-62.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.68 MYR 19.08

$2.33 R$11.81

100.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 MYR 24.66

$3.92 R$19.85

54.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.42

$1.09 R$5.53

111.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$2.07 R$10.52

-41.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.94

$1.36 R$6.87

-11.03%

Eggs

$2.49 MYR 10.15

$2.43 R$12.33

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 MYR 43.94

$11.64 R$59.0

-7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.04

$4.07 R$20.62

8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 MYR 40.65

$8.80 R$44.60

13.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 MYR 13.57

$2.49 R$12.64

33.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$1.48 R$7.48

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.29

$1.34 R$6.79

88.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.58

$1.63 R$8.29

14.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.52

$1.23 R$6.25

9.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.64

$1.04 R$5.27

9.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 MYR 6.33

$0.86 R$4.34

80.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.38

$0.95 R$4.80

-38.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.74 MYR 19.36

$2.52 R$12.77

88.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.91 MYR 89.4

$8.39 R$42.54

161.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 MYR 16.72

$1.31 R$6.65

212.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 MYR 21.07

$2.41 R$12.23

114.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$1.01 R$5.13

-41.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.41 MYR 50.6

$35.30 R$179

-64.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.87

$1.10 R$5.58

-13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$0.93 R$4.73

27.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 MYR 34.66

$6.17 R$31.25

37.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$1.29 R$6.54

-27.13%

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

$45.8K MYR 186.8K

$23.4K R$118.8K

95.43%

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

$34.8K MYR 142.0K

$33.7K R$170.9K

3.31%

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

$35.01 MYR 143

$96.3 R$488

-63.65%

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

$10.27 MYR 41.88

$12.59 R$63.8

-18.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.54 MYR 104

$22.58 R$114

13.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.56 MYR 121

$33.65 R$171

-12.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.21 MYR 49.83

$27.87 R$141

-56.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.71

$7.78 R$39.43

-37.92%

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

$132 MYR 536

$815 R$4,133

-83.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,903 MYR 28.2K

$17.2K R$87.3K

-59.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 MYR 262

$55.4 R$281

16.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.74 MYR 150

$44.23 R$224

-16.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 MYR 370

$85.0 R$431

6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 MYR 269

$87.8 R$445

-25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,494

$494 R$2,506

-25.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 MYR 996

$282 R$1,427

-13.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,636

$1,127 R$5,711

-42.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$486 MYR 1,983

$593 R$3,004

-17.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,028 MYR 8,271

$2,522 R$12.8K

-19.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 MYR 6,086

$1,753 R$8,885

-14.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 MYR 2,173

$850 R$4,310

-37.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

12.12

-63.94%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$273 30.8%

Brasilia

$212 21.2% 22.3% $61

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$244 27.5%

Brasilia

$282 28.2% 15.3% $37

Eating Out

Kuching

$123 13.9%

Brasilia

$158 15.8% 28.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$116 13.1%

Brasilia

$123 12.3% 5.8% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 8%

Brasilia

$131 13.2% 85.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$39 4.4%

Brasilia

$49 4.9% 25.5% $10

Getting Around

Kuching

$22 2.4%

Brasilia

$45 4.5% 108% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $366 in Kuching and $494 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 60% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Kuching vs $40.00 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $212, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

03:12 3:12 AM

11 h behind Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

2,817,381 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kuching Brasilia 17,150 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching and Brasilia differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($888 vs $1,000 including rent). Kuching is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Brasilia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $366 in Kuching versus $494 in Brasilia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $40.00 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $888 per month in Kuching versus $1,000 in Brasilia – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $888 in Kuching versus $1,000 in Brasilia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Brasilia. The gap between the two cities makes Kuching the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kuching and Brasilia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Brasilia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.