Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam.

Kuching $972
Bukit Mertajam $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $976 in Bukit Mertajam.

Kuching $1,521
Bukit Mertajam $976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam.

Kuching $2,070
Bukit Mertajam $1,331

Living in Kuching is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.74

$1.91 MYR 7.79

76.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.8

$20.97 MYR 85.4

16.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.96

$3.98 MYR 16.21

23.12%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.99

$3.14 MYR 12.77

1.59%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.69 MYR 2.82

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.45 MYR 1.85

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.77

$4.51 MYR 18.35

2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.28

$6.26 MYR 25.48

-4.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.73

$1.66 MYR 6.76

43.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.12 MYR 4.56

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-38.97%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.67

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.73

$13.83 MYR 56.3

-20.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.65

$4.41 MYR 17.96

-1.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.69

$9.98 MYR 40.64

0.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.91

$3.39 MYR 13.79

-6.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.27

$2.26 MYR 9.21

11.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.55 MYR 6.31

14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.27 MYR 5.15

8.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.83

$1.38 MYR 5.60

-13.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$1.12 MYR 4.55

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.36

$4.45 MYR 18.11

6.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.6

$19.54 MYR 79.5

13.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.80

$3.42 MYR 13.91

20.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.58

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-0.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.44

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.24 MYR 5.03

-21.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.19 MYR 4.86

3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.88

$4.95 MYR 20.16

78.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.81 MYR 3.31

16.05%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.0K

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

4.73%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.8K

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

1.55%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$63.1 MYR 257

-43.52%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.48

$8.54 MYR 34.76

19.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$26.67 MYR 109

-4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.89

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$5.00 MYR 20.36

-2.60%

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

$135 MYR 550

$249 MYR 1,013

-45.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

-45.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$70.5 MYR 287

-9.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$41.35 MYR 168

-9.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 366

$86.7 MYR 353

3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$95.0 MYR 387

-32.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,910

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,360

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,396

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,664

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,356

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,242

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,179

$572 MYR 2,330

-6.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.17

4.80%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 1.2% $3.3

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 12.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 14.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 37.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 77% $34

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 55% $8.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Bukit Mertajam pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $21 in Bukit Mertajam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $269 per month, with Bukit Mertajam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

212,329

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kuching Bukit Mertajam 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $972 in Kuching and $621 in Bukit Mertajam, so Bukit Mertajam is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Kuching. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $135 in Kuching versus $249 in Bukit Mertajam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $972 per month in Kuching versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – Bukit Mertajam is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bukit Mertajam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Bukit Mertajam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.