Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kangar, Perlis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kangar, Perlis: $927 a month against $997 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kangar, Perlis
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Kangar, Perlis Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$997

/mo nomad

Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Kangar, Perlis

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

A single person spends $997 per month in Kuching vs $927 in Kangar, Perlis, rent included.

Kuching $997
Kangar, Perlis $927

A couple spends around $1,550 per month in Kuching vs $1,421 in Kangar, Perlis, rent included.

Kuching $1,550
Kangar, Perlis $1,421

A family of three spends $2,103 per month in Kuching vs $1,916 in Kangar, Perlis, rent included.

Kuching $2,103
Kangar, Perlis $1,916

Kuching costs about 8% more than Kangar, Perlis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kuching and Kangar, Perlis are more affordable than the global median – Kuching 26% lower, Kangar, Perlis 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 14.22

$3.70 MYR 14.96

-4.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.35 MYR 98.5

$19.24 MYR 77.8

26.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 MYR 20.25

$4.71 MYR 19.06

6.37%

Cappuccino

$3.34 MYR 13.49

$2.94 MYR 11.89

13.61%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.07

$0.74 MYR 2.99

2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.39 MYR 1.58

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 MYR 18.45

$3.88 MYR 15.70

17.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 MYR 24.93

$4.44 MYR 17.94

38.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.35

$1.85 MYR 7.49

24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.94

$1.08 MYR 4.38

12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.69

$1.42 MYR 5.73

-18.31%

Eggs

$2.37 MYR 9.59

$2.23 MYR 9.01

6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 MYR 47.84

$13.65 MYR 55.2

-13.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 MYR 17.76

$4.37 MYR 17.67

0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 MYR 38.10

$9.63 MYR 38.95

-2.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.50

$3.18 MYR 12.85

12.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.77

$1.65 MYR 6.69

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 MYR 9.83

$2.46 MYR 9.95

-1.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.61

$1.58 MYR 6.40

34.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.36

$1.28 MYR 5.18

22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.38 MYR 5.57

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MYR 8.41

$1.12 MYR 4.53

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.59

$4.29 MYR 17.36

1.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.38 MYR 90.5

$18.78 MYR 76.0

19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.23 MYR 17.09

$2.93 MYR 11.84

44.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 MYR 21.20

$4.63 MYR 18.72

13.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.74 MYR 3.00

-31.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.16 MYR 28.96

$12.05 MYR 48.75

-40.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MYR 10.08

$1.20 MYR 4.84

107.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.02

$0.54 MYR 2.17

129.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 MYR 34.67

$7.13 MYR 28.82

20.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 MYR 3.69

$0.78 MYR 3.17

16.67%

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

$46.4K MYR 187.8K

$44.1K MYR 178.2K

5.39%

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

$35.5K MYR 143.6K

$35.4K MYR 143.4K

0.16%

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

$40.74 MYR 165

$48.94 MYR 198

-16.76%

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

$10.25 MYR 41.44

$9.52 MYR 38.51

7.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.63 MYR 104

$28.21 MYR 114

-9.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 MYR 143

$37.14 MYR 150

-5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.43 MYR 50.3

$6.40 MYR 25.88

94.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MYR 20.51

$4.76 MYR 19.25

6.51%

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

$158 MYR 639

$239 MYR 966

-33.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,761 MYR 27.3K

$6,932 MYR 28.0K

-2.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 MYR 257

$55.6 MYR 225

14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 MYR 154

$34.80 MYR 141

9.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 MYR 367

$80.9 MYR 327

12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 MYR 290

$75.2 MYR 304

-4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,904

$417 MYR 1,685

13.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,353

$293 MYR 1,186

14.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 MYR 3,608

$712 MYR 2,879

25.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 MYR 2,599

$547 MYR 2,213

17.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,066 MYR 8,357

$1,995 MYR 8,068

3.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 MYR 6,261

$1,178 MYR 4,765

31.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 MYR 2,192

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kangar, Perlis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$335 33.6%

Kangar, Perlis

$293 31.7% 12.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$280 28.1%

Kangar, Perlis

$258 27.9% 7.8% $22

Eating Out

Kuching

$123 12.3%

Kangar, Perlis

$112 12.1% 9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$119 11.9%

Kangar, Perlis

$111 12% 6.7% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$77 7.7%

Kangar, Perlis

$87 9.4% 13.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$45 4.6%

Kangar, Perlis

$47 5% 2.8% $1.3

Getting Around

Kuching

$18 1.8%

Kangar, Perlis

$19 2% 5.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Kuching versus $417 in Kangar, Perlis. 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 $24 in Kuching versus $19 in Kangar, Perlis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $258 – making Kangar, Perlis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Kangar, Perlis

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

284,853

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kuching Kangar, Perlis 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Kangar, Perlis

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 Kangar, Perlis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $997 in Kuching, $927 in Kangar, Perlis – Kangar, Perlis comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,495 per month in Kuching and $1,390 in Kangar, Perlis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kangar, Perlis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $417 there versus $471 in Kuching.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Kuching and $19 in Kangar, Perlis. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $997 in Kuching and $927 in Kangar, Perlis. That makes Kangar, Perlis about 7% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $997 in Kuching and $927 in Kangar, Perlis, 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 $927 in Kangar, Perlis to $997 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.