Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kota Kinabalu Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kota Kinabalu

🙂 Solo nomad: Kuching is 7.7% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 8.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 19.2% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 10.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 MYR 11.72

$3.55 MYR 14.42

-18.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.39 MYR 82.8

$18.72 MYR 76.0

8.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 MYR 19.55

$4.62 MYR 18.78

4.33%

Cappuccino

$2.45 MYR 9.96

$2.60 MYR 10.55

-5.77%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.64 MYR 2.58

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$0.40 MYR 1.61

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$2.40 MYR 9.72

15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 MYR 14.99

$3.44 MYR 13.95

7.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MYR 7.75

$1.69 MYR 6.85

13.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.20 MYR 4.87

-6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.30

$1.68 MYR 6.83

-36.90%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.10

$2.92 MYR 11.84

-23.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 MYR 38.52

$26.22 MYR 106

-63.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 MYR 15.21

$3.57 MYR 14.51

5.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.15 MYR 33.10

$7.21 MYR 29.29

13.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 MYR 12.07

$2.53 MYR 10.26

17.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.65

$1.16 MYR 4.72

-1.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$3.16 MYR 12.81

-18.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.38

$2.02 MYR 8.19

-9.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.66

$1.51 MYR 6.12

-23.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.72 MYR 6.97

-28.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$1.07 MYR 4.35

64.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 2.00

$0.48 MYR 1.93

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 16.80

$4.10 MYR 16.66

0.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.4

$19.44 MYR 78.9

-0.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.69 MYR 14.97

$1.86 MYR 7.56

98.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 MYR 13.92

$1.62 MYR 6.59

111.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 MYR 1.02

$1.57 MYR 6.39

-84.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.82 MYR 47.98

$40.90 MYR 166

-71.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.86 MYR 7.54

-47.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$0.44 MYR 1.78

147.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 MYR 7.58

$5.78 MYR 23.48

-67.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$0.47 MYR 1.89

6.38%

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

$46.1K MYR 187.0K

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

55.48%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.8K

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

32.51%

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

$40.95 MYR 166

$52.5 MYR 213

-22.00%

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

$9.21 MYR 37.40

$9.04 MYR 36.70

1.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.22 MYR 102

$33.02 MYR 134

-23.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.30 MYR 119

$42.82 MYR 174

-31.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.80 MYR 39.80

$2.99 MYR 12.14

227.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 MYR 18.61

$4.78 MYR 19.42

-4.18%

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

$141 MYR 572

$129 MYR 522

9.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,166 MYR 25.0K

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

38.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.8 MYR 263

$59.7 MYR 242

8.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.43 MYR 128

$22.57 MYR 91.6

39.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 352

$71.7 MYR 291

20.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 MYR 294

$94.7 MYR 385

-23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 MYR 1,142

$376 MYR 1,526

-25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 MYR 827

$165 MYR 669

23.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 MYR 2,276

$653 MYR 2,653

-14.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$372 MYR 1,509

2.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,054 MYR 8,340

$1,848 MYR 7,502

11.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 MYR 6,195

$1,092 MYR 4,434

39.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 MYR 2,387

$580 MYR 2,356

1.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

3.8

12.37%

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

Last update for Kuching: January 12, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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