Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Kedah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $877 in Kedah.

Kuching $972
Kedah $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,399 in Kedah.

Kuching $1,521
Kedah $1,399

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,920 in Kedah.

Kuching $2,070
Kedah $1,920

Living in Kuching is roughly 11% more expensive than in Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Kedah 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.74

$3.72 MYR 15.13

-9.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.8

$12.32 MYR 50.2

98.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.96

$4.56 MYR 18.57

7.46%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.99

$2.91 MYR 11.86

9.62%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.77 MYR 3.14

1.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.77

$4.24 MYR 17.24

8.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.28

$4.36 MYR 17.73

36.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.73

$1.88 MYR 7.65

27.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.06 MYR 4.31

12.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.72 MYR 6.98

-30.81%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.67

$2.19 MYR 8.90

8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.73

$13.55 MYR 55.1

-18.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.65

$4.34 MYR 17.68

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.69

$8.84 MYR 35.99

13.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.91

$2.94 MYR 11.97

7.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.63 MYR 6.65

-19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.27

$2.75 MYR 11.19

-8.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.45 MYR 5.92

22.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.10 MYR 4.48

25.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.83

$1.09 MYR 4.43

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$1.13 MYR 4.61

42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.36

$4.62 MYR 18.81

3.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.6

$18.76 MYR 76.4

18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.80

$2.98 MYR 12.14

38.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.58

$5.33 MYR 21.70

-5.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.76 MYR 3.10

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.44

$12.85 MYR 52.3

-41.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.66 MYR 6.75

-41.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.38 MYR 1.54

223.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.88

$7.29 MYR 29.67

20.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.60 MYR 2.46

56.67%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.0K

$45.6K MYR 185.8K

0.66%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.8K

$35.8K MYR 145.9K

0.60%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$36.47 MYR 148

-2.30%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.48

$9.66 MYR 39.31

5.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$29.48 MYR 120

-13.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$34.63 MYR 141

-2.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.89

$6.85 MYR 27.89

78.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$4.79 MYR 19.51

1.67%

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

$135 MYR 550

$388 MYR 1,578

-65.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

-32.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$58.9 MYR 240

8.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$34.76 MYR 141

7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 366

$81.6 MYR 332

10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$70.7 MYR 288

-8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,910

$358 MYR 1,456

31.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,360

$258 MYR 1,050

29.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,396

$712 MYR 2,899

17.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,664

$607 MYR 2,469

7.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,356

$1,930 MYR 7,857

6.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,242

$1,258 MYR 5,119

21.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,179

$1,339 MYR 5,451

-60.02%

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 Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 22.8% $76

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 5.8% $16

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 5.6% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 4% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Kedah

$44 5% 1.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 21.2% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $358 in Kedah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $12 in Kedah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

417,800

💱 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 Kedah 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $972 in Kuching and $877 in Kedah, so Kedah is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% 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 $358 in Kedah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $135 in Kuching versus $388 in Kedah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kedah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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