Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Gombak

For one person, living is cheaper in Gombak: $904 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $820 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 Gombak
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Gombak Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Gombak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $904 in Gombak.

Kuching $972
Gombak $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,437 in Gombak.

Kuching $1,521
Gombak $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,970 in Gombak.

Kuching $2,070
Gombak $1,970

Living in Kuching is roughly 8% more expensive than in Gombak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Gombak 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$3.60 MYR 14.67

-6.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$24.44 MYR 99.6

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$5.02 MYR 20.47

-2.39%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$2.96 MYR 12.07

7.77%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.91 MYR 3.73

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.45 MYR 1.82

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$3.28 MYR 13.35

40.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.30

$5.76 MYR 23.47

3.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.92 MYR 7.84

24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.07 MYR 4.36

11.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-19.05%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$1.76 MYR 7.19

35.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$9.87 MYR 40.23

11.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$3.35 MYR 13.67

29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$9.68 MYR 39.46

3.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$3.40 MYR 13.84

-6.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-29.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-4.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.81 MYR 7.36

-1.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$2.08 MYR 8.49

-33.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.96 MYR 7.99

-39.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.44 MYR 5.85

11.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.52 MYR 2.11

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$4.48 MYR 18.26

6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$19.92 MYR 81.2

11.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$2.68 MYR 10.91

54.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$4.44 MYR 18.09

13.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.82 MYR 3.35

-56.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

$12.38 MYR 50.4

-39.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-19.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.36 MYR 1.45

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$9.10 MYR 37.06

-3.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.87 MYR 3.55

8.05%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$46.0K MYR 187.5K

-0.17%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$35.1K MYR 143.1K

2.70%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$50.0 MYR 204

-28.74%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$8.39 MYR 34.20

21.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$26.39 MYR 108

-3.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$37.05 MYR 151

-8.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

$5.93 MYR 24.17

106.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$3.11 MYR 12.69

56.59%

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

$135 MYR 551

$282 MYR 1,150

-52.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

-32.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$51.7 MYR 211

23.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$29.84 MYR 122

25.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$76.1 MYR 310

18.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$84.2 MYR 343

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$411 MYR 1,673

14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$285 MYR 1,163

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$732 MYR 2,984

13.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$608 MYR 2,475

7.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$1,943 MYR 7,917

5.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$1,168 MYR 4,760

31.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$542 MYR 2,209

-1.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.51

-3.10%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gombak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Gombak

$285 31.6% 14.6% $49

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Gombak

$250 27.7% 8% $22

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Gombak

$113 12.5% 5.8% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Gombak

$109 12% 5.6% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Gombak

$85 9.4% 18.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Gombak

$43 4.8% 0.7% $0.3

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Gombak

$19 2.1% 16.3% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $411 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $24 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $250 per month, with Gombak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

41,699

💱 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 Gombak 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gombak wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Kuching. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gombak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,458 in Kuching and $1,356 in Gombak to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $469 in Kuching versus $411 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gombak – a meal for two runs $24 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gombak is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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