Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $969 a month against $997 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $340 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kuching outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$997

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $997 in Kuching versus $969 in Labuan.

Kuching $997
Labuan $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,550 in Kuching versus $1,507 in Labuan.

Kuching $1,550
Labuan $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,103 in Kuching versus $2,045 in Labuan.

Kuching $2,103
Labuan $2,045

Living in Kuching is roughly 3% more expensive than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 26% lower, Labuan 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 14.28

$5.45 MYR 22.13

-35.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.35 MYR 98.9

$24.74 MYR 100

-1.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 MYR 20.34

$6.91 MYR 28.06

-27.50%

Cappuccino

$3.34 MYR 13.54

$3.96 MYR 16.06

-15.66%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$1.07 MYR 4.33

-28.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.57

$0.41 MYR 1.67

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.56 MYR 18.53

$3.82 MYR 15.53

19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 MYR 25.04

$4.63 MYR 18.79

33.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 MYR 9.39

$1.77 MYR 7.18

30.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 MYR 4.96

$1.05 MYR 4.25

16.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$1.44 MYR 5.86

-19.44%

Eggs

$2.37 MYR 9.63

$2.26 MYR 9.17

4.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.83 MYR 48.04

$16.79 MYR 68.2

-29.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 MYR 17.83

$4.54 MYR 18.42

-3.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.42 MYR 38.26

$9.39 MYR 38.14

0.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.56

$3.28 MYR 13.31

9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.80

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 MYR 9.87

$2.52 MYR 10.23

-3.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.65

$1.58 MYR 6.41

34.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.38

$1.21 MYR 4.93

29.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$1.38 MYR 5.58

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MYR 8.45

$1.18 MYR 4.81

76.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.52 MYR 2.10

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.66

$4.30 MYR 17.44

1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.38 MYR 90.9

$19.07 MYR 77.5

17.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.23 MYR 17.16

$2.98 MYR 12.09

41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 MYR 21.28

$4.44 MYR 18.02

18.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.08

$0.70 MYR 2.84

-27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.16 MYR 29.08

$12.19 MYR 49.50

-41.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MYR 10.12

$1.20 MYR 4.88

107.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$0.58 MYR 2.34

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 MYR 34.82

$7.38 MYR 29.96

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 MYR 3.71

$0.77 MYR 3.15

18.18%

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

$46.4K MYR 188.6K

$44.4K MYR 180.4K

4.57%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.2K

$35.9K MYR 145.8K

-1.11%

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

$40.74 MYR 165

$48.90 MYR 199

-16.69%

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

$10.25 MYR 41.61

$9.66 MYR 39.23

6.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.63 MYR 104

$28.73 MYR 117

-10.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 MYR 143

$37.51 MYR 152

-6.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.43 MYR 50.5

$6.74 MYR 27.35

84.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 MYR 20.59

$4.39 MYR 17.82

15.49%

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

$158 MYR 642

$241 MYR 979

-34.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,761 MYR 27.5K

$6,912 MYR 28.1K

-2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 MYR 258

$55.2 MYR 224

14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.07 MYR 155

$34.25 MYR 139

11.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 MYR 369

$81.9 MYR 333

10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 MYR 291

$76.3 MYR 310

-5.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,912

$409 MYR 1,661

15.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,359

$291 MYR 1,181

15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 MYR 3,623

$732 MYR 2,972

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 MYR 2,610

$557 MYR 2,261

15.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,066 MYR 8,392

$1,970 MYR 8,002

4.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 MYR 6,287

$1,191 MYR 4,839

29.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$542 MYR 2,201

$362 MYR 1,471

49.67%

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 Labuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$335 33.6%

Labuan

$291 30% 13.1% $44

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$280 28.1%

Labuan

$268 27.6% 4.5% $13

Eating Out

Kuching

$123 12.3%

Labuan

$146 15.1% 18.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$119 11.9%

Labuan

$111 11.5% 6.2% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$77 7.7%

Labuan

$87 9% 13.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$45 4.6%

Labuan

$46 4.8% 1.9% $0.9

Getting Around

Kuching

$18 1.8%

Labuan

$19 2% 6.5% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $471 in Kuching and $409 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 50% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Kuching vs $25 in Labuan. Groceries flip the comparison at $280 vs $268, with Labuan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

95,120

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kuching Labuan 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Kuching, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $471 in Kuching versus $409 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $24 versus $25 in Labuan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $997 per month in Kuching versus $969 in Labuan – Labuan is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Labuan wins on affordability, Kuching on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.