Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $970 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Kulim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $891 in Kulim.

Kuching $972
Kulim $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,374 in Kulim.

Kuching $1,521
Kulim $1,374

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,857 in Kulim.

Kuching $2,070
Kulim $1,857

Living in Kuching is roughly 9% more expensive than in Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Kulim 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.79

$3.72 MYR 15.21

-9.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 100

$19.45 MYR 79.5

26.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 20.04

$4.53 MYR 18.50

8.17%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.05

$2.89 MYR 11.80

10.38%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.20

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.56

$0.42 MYR 1.71

-9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.84

$3.90 MYR 15.95

18.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.38

$4.61 MYR 18.82

29.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.77

$1.96 MYR 7.99

21.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.88

$1.23 MYR 5.02

-3.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.30 MYR 5.31

-8.46%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.71

$2.23 MYR 9.10

6.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.91

$12.68 MYR 51.8

-13.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.73

$3.85 MYR 15.75

12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.86

$10.72 MYR 43.82

-6.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.96

$3.05 MYR 12.46

3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.40

$1.89 MYR 7.71

-30.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.31

$2.55 MYR 10.40

-1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.28

$1.44 MYR 5.90

23.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.65

$1.19 MYR 4.85

15.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.36 MYR 5.55

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.59

$1.08 MYR 4.42

49.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.53 MYR 2.16

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.43

$4.47 MYR 18.28

6.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.9

$21.05 MYR 86.1

5.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.86

$3.07 MYR 12.53

34.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.66

$3.90 MYR 15.95

29.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.57

$12.64 MYR 51.7

-40.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.96

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-6.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.03

$0.56 MYR 2.29

119.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 36.03

$8.26 MYR 33.75

6.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$0.74 MYR 3.01

27.03%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.7K

$48.9K MYR 199.7K

-6.01%

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

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

$30.9K MYR 126.3K

16.67%

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

$35.63 MYR 146

$45.19 MYR 185

-21.16%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.65

$8.70 MYR 35.55

17.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$25.83 MYR 106

-1.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$36.10 MYR 148

-6.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 50.1

$7.37 MYR 30.13

66.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.91

$4.46 MYR 18.22

9.19%

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

$135 MYR 552

$268 MYR 1,094

-49.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.2K

$7,096 MYR 29.0K

0.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 262

$62.2 MYR 254

3.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$30.78 MYR 126

21.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 368

$77.2 MYR 315

16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 264

$70.8 MYR 290

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,917

$419 MYR 1,713

11.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,365

$265 MYR 1,082

26.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,410

$763 MYR 3,119

9.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,675

$497 MYR 2,032

31.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,390

$2,141 MYR 8,749

-4.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,267

$1,272 MYR 5,200

20.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,188

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 Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 20.7% $69

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 4% $11

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 6.8% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 5.9% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Kulim

$80 9% 11.8% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 3.3% $1.4

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 21.4% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $419 in Kulim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $19 in Kulim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $262 per month, with Kulim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

319,056

💱 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

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Between locations

Kuching Kulim 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kulim is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,458 in Kuching and $1,336 in Kulim 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: $469 in Kuching versus $419 in Kulim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kulim – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $972 per month in Kuching versus $891 in Kulim – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kulim is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Kulim are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.