Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kajang, Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $925 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $560 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Kajang, Selangor

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

A single person spends $972 per month in Kuching vs $925 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Kuching $972
Kajang, Selangor $925

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Kuching vs $1,410 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Kuching $1,521
Kajang, Selangor $1,410

A family of three spends $2,070 per month in Kuching vs $1,895 in Kajang, Selangor, rent included.

Kuching $2,070
Kajang, Selangor $1,895

Kuching costs about 5% more than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuching and Kajang, Selangor are more affordable than the global median – Kuching 29% lower, Kajang, Selangor 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.68

$3.77 MYR 15.28

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.4

$18.15 MYR 73.6

35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.83 MYR 19.59

1.45%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.94

$2.86 MYR 11.58

11.54%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.79 MYR 3.18

-1.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.46 MYR 1.84

-17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.69

$4.48 MYR 18.16

2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$6.17 MYR 25.00

-3.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$1.69 MYR 6.85

41.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.07 MYR 4.33

11.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.50 MYR 6.09

-20.67%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.63

$1.65 MYR 6.70

44.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

$18.37 MYR 74.5

-40.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.58

$4.45 MYR 18.04

-2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.53

$10.06 MYR 40.77

-0.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$3.43 MYR 13.90

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.36

$1.69 MYR 6.83

-21.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$2.31 MYR 9.37

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.22

$1.51 MYR 6.13

17.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$1.23 MYR 4.98

12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.68 MYR 6.81

-29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.53

$1.17 MYR 4.75

37.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.55 MYR 2.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.28

$4.29 MYR 17.41

10.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.2

$14.03 MYR 56.9

58.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

$2.99 MYR 12.13

38.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

$3.01 MYR 12.22

68.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.75 MYR 3.04

-52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

$12.39 MYR 50.2

-39.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.25 MYR 5.07

-22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$0.75 MYR 3.05

64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

$5.01 MYR 20.33

76.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.81 MYR 3.29

16.05%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

$43.4K MYR 176.1K

5.75%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$35.4K MYR 143.7K

1.76%

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

$35.63 MYR 144

$53.0 MYR 215

-32.72%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.31

$9.61 MYR 38.96

6.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 103

$25.69 MYR 104

-0.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

$42.05 MYR 170

-19.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

$7.38 MYR 29.90

66.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.75

$4.91 MYR 19.90

-0.81%

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

$135 MYR 548

$234 MYR 950

-42.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

$4,442 MYR 18.0K

60.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 260

$53.7 MYR 218

19.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 152

$16.39 MYR 66.4

128.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 365

$81.4 MYR 330

10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 262

$98.0 MYR 397

-34.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

$358 MYR 1,453

30.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

$274 MYR 1,111

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

$727 MYR 2,949

14.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

$491 MYR 1,991

33.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

$2,045 MYR 8,291

0.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

$1,056 MYR 4,282

45.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.06

7.64%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kajang, Selangor: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Kajang, Selangor

$274 29.6% 18% $60

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Kajang, Selangor

$259 28% 4.8% $13

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.8% 0.9% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Kajang, Selangor

$112 12.1% 2.6% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Kajang, Selangor

$88 9.6% 23.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Kajang, Selangor

$52 5.6% 19% $8.3

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.2% 27.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Kuching versus $358 in Kajang, Selangor. 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 $18 in Kajang, Selangor. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $259 – making Kajang, Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

1,047,356

💱 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

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Between locations

Kuching Kajang, Selangor 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Kajang, Selangor

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 Kajang, Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $972 in Kuching, $925 in Kajang, Selangor – Kajang, Selangor comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,458 per month in Kuching and $1,387 in Kajang, Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $469 in Kuching.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kuching and $18 in Kajang, Selangor. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $972 in Kuching and $925 in Kajang, Selangor. That makes Kajang, Selangor about 5% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $972 in Kuching and $925 in Kajang, Selangor, 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 $925 in Kajang, Selangor 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.