Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $609 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Malacca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $609 in Malacca.

Kuching $972
Malacca $609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $970 in Malacca.

Kuching $1,521
Malacca $970

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,330 in Malacca.

Kuching $2,070
Malacca $1,330

Living in Kuching is roughly 60% more expensive than in Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Malacca 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.68

$3.23 MYR 13.11

4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.4

$18.02 MYR 73.1

36.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.80 MYR 19.46

2.08%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.94

$2.89 MYR 11.72

10.38%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.79 MYR 3.18

-1.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.55 MYR 2.21

-30.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.69

$1.93 MYR 7.83

138.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$2.90 MYR 11.77

105.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$1.66 MYR 6.74

43.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.05 MYR 4.27

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.48 MYR 5.99

-19.59%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.63

$1.68 MYR 6.81

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

$18.08 MYR 73.3

-39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.58

$4.63 MYR 18.78

-6.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.53

$10.55 MYR 42.76

-5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$3.29 MYR 13.36

-3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.36

$1.68 MYR 6.81

-21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$2.39 MYR 9.69

5.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.22

$1.69 MYR 6.87

5.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$1.41 MYR 5.70

-2.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.66 MYR 6.72

-28.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.53

$1.37 MYR 5.57

17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.55 MYR 2.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.28

$4.18 MYR 16.97

13.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.2

$14.21 MYR 57.6

56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

$2.14 MYR 8.68

92.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

$3.13 MYR 12.70

61.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.48 MYR 1.93

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

$12.40 MYR 50.3

-39.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.02 MYR 4.13

-4.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$0.71 MYR 2.87

73.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

$12.09 MYR 49.02

-27.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.51 MYR 2.07

84.31%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

$44.4K MYR 180.2K

3.37%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$36.0K MYR 145.9K

0.23%

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

$35.63 MYR 144

$52.4 MYR 212

-31.98%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.31

$11.33 MYR 45.93

-10.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 103

$28.13 MYR 114

-9.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

$21.87 MYR 88.7

54.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

$11.78 MYR 47.74

4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.75

$4.92 MYR 19.94

-1.02%

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

$135 MYR 548

$237 MYR 961

-42.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

$4,388 MYR 17.8K

62.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 260

$54.1 MYR 219

18.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 152

$16.83 MYR 68.2

122.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 365

$81.9 MYR 332

9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 262

$96.7 MYR 392

-33.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

$193 MYR 782

143.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

$1,179 MYR 4,780

74.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

$794 MYR 3,218

93.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

$416 MYR 1,686

28.72%

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 Malacca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Malacca

$258 42.4% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Malacca

$96 15.7% 20% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Malacca

$112 18.5% 2.6% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Malacca

$92 15.1% 28.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Malacca

$32 5.2% 27.3% $12

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 17.6% $2.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $193 in Malacca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $18 in Malacca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $258 per month, with Malacca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

579,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Malacca 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Malacca

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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malacca is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $469 in Kuching versus $193 in Malacca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Malacca – a meal for two runs $18 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 $609 in Malacca – Malacca is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

Both work as nomad bases, but Malacca delivers better value at $609 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Malacca hard to pass up.

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

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