Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Butterworth

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

A single person spends $972 per month in Kuching vs $913 in Butterworth, rent included.

Kuching $972
Butterworth $913

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Kuching vs $1,408 in Butterworth, rent included.

Kuching $1,521
Butterworth $1,408

A family of three spends $2,070 per month in Kuching vs $1,902 in Butterworth, rent included.

Kuching $2,070
Butterworth $1,902

Kuching costs about 6% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuching and Butterworth are more affordable than the global median – Kuching 29% lower, Butterworth 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.74

$3.72 MYR 15.16

-9.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.8

$19.36 MYR 78.8

26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.96

$4.77 MYR 19.43

2.73%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.99

$2.89 MYR 11.76

10.38%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.73 MYR 2.96

6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.36 MYR 1.48

5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.77

$4.12 MYR 16.78

11.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.28

$4.38 MYR 17.82

36.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.73

$2.12 MYR 8.61

12.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.10 MYR 4.48

8.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-29.59%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.67

$2.24 MYR 9.13

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.73

$13.69 MYR 55.7

-19.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.65

$4.49 MYR 18.26

-3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.69

$8.64 MYR 35.18

15.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.91

$3.06 MYR 12.47

3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.71 MYR 6.95

-22.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.27

$2.23 MYR 9.07

13.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.47 MYR 5.98

21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.06 MYR 4.33

30.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.83

$1.09 MYR 4.42

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$1.09 MYR 4.43

47.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.58 MYR 2.38

-5.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.36

$4.36 MYR 17.76

9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.6

$19.00 MYR 77.3

17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.80

$2.93 MYR 11.91

40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.58

$4.98 MYR 20.27

1.61%

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 30.44

$10.85 MYR 44.18

-31.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-18.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.38 MYR 1.53

223.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.88

$4.85 MYR 19.72

81.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.89 MYR 3.61

5.62%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.0K

$43.5K MYR 177.0K

5.64%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.8K

$35.5K MYR 144.4K

1.68%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$36.81 MYR 150

-3.21%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.48

$8.61 MYR 35.03

18.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$26.45 MYR 108

-3.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$32.93 MYR 134

2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.89

$5.90 MYR 24.00

107.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$4.79 MYR 19.52

1.67%

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

$135 MYR 550

$240 MYR 977

-43.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$10.9K MYR 44.3K

-34.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$59.8 MYR 243

7.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$35.01 MYR 143

7.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 366

$82.5 MYR 336

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$69.5 MYR 283

-7.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,910

$412 MYR 1,678

13.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,360

$300 MYR 1,223

11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,396

$813 MYR 3,309

2.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,664

$563 MYR 2,292

16.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,356

$1,966 MYR 8,002

4.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,242

$1,205 MYR 4,905

27.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,179

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 Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 10.1% $34

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 6% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 3.6% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 0.8% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 2.5% $1.1

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 4.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Kuching versus $412 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kuching versus $19 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $258 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

339,132

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Butterworth 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $972 in Kuching, $913 in Butterworth – Butterworth comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,458 per month in Kuching and $1,370 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $469 in Kuching.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $972 in Kuching and $913 in Butterworth. That makes Butterworth about 6% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Kuching. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $972 in Kuching and $913 in Butterworth, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kuching has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in Butterworth 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.