Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and George Town, Malaysia

For one person, living costs are similar in Kuching and in George Town: $972 and $952 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in George Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $952 in George Town.

Kuching $972
George Town $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,558 in George Town.

Kuching $1,521
George Town $1,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $2,164 in George Town.

Kuching $2,070
George Town $2,164

Monthly costs are close between Kuching and George Town; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, George Town 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.68

$3.46 MYR 14.01

-2.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.4

$15.45 MYR 62.6

58.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.68 MYR 18.97

4.70%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.94

$2.75 MYR 11.15

16.00%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.70 MYR 2.85

11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.35 MYR 1.42

8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.69

$2.47 MYR 10.03

86.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$4.42 MYR 17.93

34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$1.87 MYR 7.58

27.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.05 MYR 4.25

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.73 MYR 7.01

-31.21%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.63

$2.22 MYR 8.99

7.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

$13.65 MYR 55.4

-19.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.58

$4.48 MYR 18.14

-3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.53

$8.70 MYR 35.26

14.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$2.34 MYR 9.48

35.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.36

$1.46 MYR 5.91

-9.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$2.22 MYR 9.00

13.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.22

$1.20 MYR 4.87

48.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$0.92 MYR 3.71

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$0.85 MYR 3.45

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.53

$0.74 MYR 3.02

117.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.28

$4.58 MYR 18.55

3.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.2

$18.84 MYR 76.4

18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

$2.41 MYR 9.77

71.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

$3.56 MYR 14.45

42.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-23.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

$12.01 MYR 48.70

-37.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.23 MYR 4.99

-21.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$0.51 MYR 2.05

141.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

$6.53 MYR 26.49

35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.82 MYR 3.34

14.63%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

0.86%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$34.6K MYR 140.4K

4.14%

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

$35.63 MYR 144

$36.85 MYR 149

-3.31%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.31

$8.05 MYR 32.62

26.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 103

$28.38 MYR 115

-10.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

$40.35 MYR 164

-16.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

$5.03 MYR 20.38

143.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.75

$4.52 MYR 18.31

7.74%

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

$135 MYR 548

$168 MYR 683

-19.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

44.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 260

$53.2 MYR 216

20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 152

$34.86 MYR 141

7.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 365

$73.5 MYR 298

22.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 262

$70.8 MYR 287

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

$709 MYR 2,874

-33.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

$366 MYR 1,485

-8.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

$1,104 MYR 4,475

-24.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

$904 MYR 3,666

-27.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

$1,057 MYR 4,285

-49.34%

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 George Town: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

George Town

$366 38.5% 9.7% $32

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

George Town

$241 25.3% 11.5% $31

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

George Town

$100 10.5% 16.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

George Town

$105 11% 9.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

George Town

$73 7.7% 2.7% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

George Town

$49 5.2% 13.3% $5.8

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

George Town

$18 1.9% 10.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $709 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $15 in George Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $241 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

794,313

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching George Town 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
George Town

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 George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 49% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $469 in Kuching versus $709 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 38% less than in George Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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