Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kepong

For one person, living is cheaper in Kepong: $896 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
Learn more

Kuching Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kepong
Learn more

Kepong Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Kepong

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Kepong

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

A single person spends $972 per month in Kuching vs $896 in Kepong, rent included.

Kuching $972
Kepong $896

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Kuching vs $1,392 in Kepong, rent included.

Kuching $1,521
Kepong $1,392

A family of three spends $2,070 per month in Kuching vs $1,888 in Kepong, rent included.

Kuching $2,070
Kepong $1,888

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

Both Kuching and Kepong are more affordable than the global median – Kuching 29% lower, Kepong 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$3.74 MYR 15.23

-9.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$24.13 MYR 98.3

1.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$4.99 MYR 20.31

-1.80%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$2.98 MYR 12.13

7.05%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.86 MYR 3.49

-9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.41 MYR 1.69

-7.32%

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

$5.59 MYR 22.78

6.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.74 MYR 7.09

37.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.03 MYR 4.20

15.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.42 MYR 5.77

-16.20%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$1.82 MYR 7.43

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$9.82 MYR 40.02

11.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$3.32 MYR 13.52

30.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$9.29 MYR 37.84

7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$3.40 MYR 13.85

-6.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.74 MYR 7.07

-24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.62 MYR 10.69

-3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.66 MYR 6.77

7.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.46 MYR 5.93

-5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.72 MYR 7.02

-30.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.32 MYR 5.38

21.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.51 MYR 2.08

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$4.37 MYR 17.82

8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$13.83 MYR 56.4

60.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$2.64 MYR 10.77

56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$3.02 MYR 12.30

67.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.82 MYR 3.34

-56.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

$12.44 MYR 50.7

-39.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$0.95 MYR 3.86

2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.35 MYR 1.44

251.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$8.86 MYR 36.10

-0.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.88 MYR 3.59

6.82%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$43.6K MYR 177.6K

5.38%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$34.8K MYR 141.9K

3.53%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$49.67 MYR 202

-28.27%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$8.29 MYR 33.78

22.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$27.18 MYR 111

-6.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$40.69 MYR 166

-16.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

$6.25 MYR 25.47

96.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$4.85 MYR 19.75

0.41%

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

$135 MYR 551

$238 MYR 968

-43.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$4,440 MYR 18.1K

61.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$53.3 MYR 217

20.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$24.40 MYR 99.4

53.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$82.9 MYR 338

8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$87.0 MYR 354

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$406 MYR 1,654

15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$291 MYR 1,184

14.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$713 MYR 2,906

16.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$550 MYR 2,242

18.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$1,993 MYR 8,122

2.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$1,166 MYR 4,751

31.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$650 MYR 2,647

-17.59%

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 Kepong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Kepong

$291 32.4% 13% $43

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Kepong

$227 25.3% 16.7% $45

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Kepong

$113 12.6% 5.4% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Kepong

$111 12.4% 3.4% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Kepong

$85 9.5% 19.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Kepong

$50 5.6% 15.6% $6.8

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Kepong

$18 2.1% 14.9% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Kuching versus $406 in Kepong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Kepong, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kuching versus $24 in Kepong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $227 – making Kepong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Kepong

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

85,960

💱 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 Kepong 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Kepong

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 Kepong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $972 in Kuching, $896 in Kepong – Kepong comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,458 per month in Kuching and $1,344 in Kepong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kepong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $469 in Kuching.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Kuching. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Kuching and $238 in Kepong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $972 in Kuching and $896 in Kepong, 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 $896 in Kepong 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.