Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $918 a month against $997 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
Learn more

Kuching Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
Learn more

Kuala Terengganu Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$997

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Kuala Terengganu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $997 in Kuching versus $918 in Kuala Terengganu.

Kuching $997
Kuala Terengganu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,550 in Kuching versus $1,412 in Kuala Terengganu.

Kuching $1,550
Kuala Terengganu $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,103 in Kuching versus $1,907 in Kuala Terengganu.

Kuching $2,103
Kuala Terengganu $1,907

Living in Kuching is roughly 9% more expensive than in Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 26% lower, Kuala Terengganu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 14.22

$2.51 MYR 10.14

40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.35 MYR 98.5

$23.19 MYR 93.8

5.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 MYR 20.25

$4.79 MYR 19.35

4.59%

Cappuccino

$3.34 MYR 13.49

$2.72 MYR 11.01

22.79%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.07

$0.49 MYR 1.99

55.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.28 MYR 1.14

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 MYR 18.45

$3.98 MYR 16.09

14.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 MYR 24.93

$4.59 MYR 18.56

34.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.35

$1.71 MYR 6.92

35.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.94

$1.08 MYR 4.38

12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.69

$1.47 MYR 5.95

-21.09%

Eggs

$2.37 MYR 9.59

$2.15 MYR 8.68

10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 MYR 47.84

$13.52 MYR 54.7

-12.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 MYR 17.76

$4.49 MYR 18.16

-2.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 MYR 38.10

$9.94 MYR 40.21

-5.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.50

$3.29 MYR 13.29

9.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.77

$1.66 MYR 6.71

-13.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 MYR 9.83

$2.42 MYR 9.80

0.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.61

$1.51 MYR 6.12

41.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.36

$1.27 MYR 5.13

23.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.38 MYR 5.56

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MYR 8.41

$1.12 MYR 4.51

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.55 MYR 2.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.59

$4.43 MYR 17.91

-1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.38 MYR 90.5

$18.83 MYR 76.2

18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.23 MYR 17.09

$3.00 MYR 12.11

41.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 MYR 21.20

$4.44 MYR 17.94

18.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.72 MYR 2.90

-29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.16 MYR 28.96

$12.03 MYR 48.65

-40.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MYR 10.08

$1.19 MYR 4.80

109.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.02

$0.56 MYR 2.28

121.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 MYR 34.67

$7.41 MYR 29.98

15.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 MYR 3.69

$0.79 MYR 3.18

15.19%

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

$46.4K MYR 187.8K

$44.8K MYR 181.0K

3.77%

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

$35.5K MYR 143.6K

$35.3K MYR 142.6K

0.70%

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

$40.74 MYR 165

$49.59 MYR 201

-17.85%

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

$10.25 MYR 41.44

$9.83 MYR 39.75

4.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.63 MYR 104

$28.33 MYR 115

-9.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 MYR 143

$37.05 MYR 150

-4.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.43 MYR 50.3

$6.47 MYR 26.16

92.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MYR 20.51

$4.78 MYR 19.33

6.07%

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

$158 MYR 639

$235 MYR 952

-32.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,761 MYR 27.3K

$6,971 MYR 28.2K

-3.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 MYR 257

$56.7 MYR 229

11.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 MYR 154

$34.64 MYR 140

9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 MYR 367

$79.9 MYR 323

13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 MYR 290

$75.4 MYR 305

-4.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,904

$407 MYR 1,646

15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,353

$296 MYR 1,198

12.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 MYR 3,608

$716 MYR 2,896

24.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 MYR 2,599

$545 MYR 2,205

17.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,066 MYR 8,357

$2,017 MYR 8,156

2.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 MYR 6,261

$1,175 MYR 4,753

31.72%

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 Kuala Terengganu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$335 33.6%

Kuala Terengganu

$296 32.3% 11.5% $38

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$280 28.1%

Kuala Terengganu

$258 28.1% 8% $22

Eating Out

Kuching

$123 12.3%

Kuala Terengganu

$99 10.8% 19.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$119 11.9%

Kuala Terengganu

$111 12.1% 6.6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$77 7.7%

Kuala Terengganu

$88 9.6% 14.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$45 4.6%

Kuala Terengganu

$47 5.1% 2.7% $1.2

Getting Around

Kuching

$18 1.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$19 2.1% 5.6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $471 in Kuching and $407 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Kuching vs $23 in Kuala Terengganu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $258 per month, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

375,424

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Kuala Terengganu 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Kuala Terengganu

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 Kuala Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $997 in Kuching and $918 in Kuala Terengganu, so Kuala Terengganu is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,495 in Kuching and $1,377 in Kuala Terengganu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $471 in Kuching versus $407 in Kuala Terengganu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $997 per month in Kuching versus $918 in Kuala Terengganu – Kuala Terengganu is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 40% less than in Kuala Terengganu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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

Safety-wise, Kuching and Kuala Terengganu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.