Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Miri

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $805 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Miri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $805 in Miri.

Kuching $972
Miri $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,224 in Miri.

Kuching $1,521
Miri $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,644 in Miri.

Kuching $2,070
Miri $1,644

Living in Kuching is roughly 21% more expensive than in Miri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Miri 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.68

$3.55 MYR 14.40

-5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.4

$12.12 MYR 49.15

102.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.42 MYR 17.91

10.86%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.94

$2.26 MYR 9.15

41.15%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.80 MYR 3.24

-2.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.30 MYR 1.22

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.69

$2.90 MYR 11.77

58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$3.86 MYR 15.65

54.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$1.40 MYR 5.69

70.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.80 MYR 7.29

-33.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$0.99 MYR 4.02

20.20%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.63

$3.43 MYR 13.89

-30.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.58

$4.88 MYR 19.80

-11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.53

$14.99 MYR 60.8

-33.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.36

$1.96 MYR 7.95

-32.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.22

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.39 MYR 1.57

41.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.28

$4.29 MYR 17.39

10.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.2

$19.71 MYR 79.9

12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

$3.00 MYR 12.15

37.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

$2.33 MYR 9.46

117.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.47 MYR 1.92

-23.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

$14.01 MYR 56.8

-46.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.25 MYR 5.05

-22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$0.59 MYR 2.38

108.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

$5.98 MYR 24.24

47.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.64 MYR 2.61

46.87%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

$49.6K MYR 201.0K

-7.36%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$32.5K MYR 131.8K

10.93%

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

$35.63 MYR 144

$49.18 MYR 199

-27.55%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.31

$9.92 MYR 40.21

2.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 103

$33.44 MYR 136

-23.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

$29.19 MYR 118

15.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

$6.25 MYR 25.35

96.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.75

$4.33 MYR 17.57

12.47%

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

$135 MYR 548

$99.5 MYR 403

35.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

$6,535 MYR 26.5K

9.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 260

$44.80 MYR 182

43.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 152

$23.11 MYR 93.7

62.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 365

$55.3 MYR 224

62.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 262

$43.17 MYR 175

49.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

$348 MYR 1,409

34.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

$289 MYR 1,173

15.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

$589 MYR 2,388

41.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

$578 MYR 2,343

13.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

$1,201 MYR 4,868

70.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

$680 MYR 2,756

125.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

$688 MYR 2,789

-22.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.12

6.07%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Miri: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Miri

$289 36% 13.3% $45

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Miri

$195 * 24.2% 28.5% $78

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Miri

$95 11.9% 20.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Miri

$75 9.3% 35.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Miri

$93 11.5% 29.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Miri

$38 4.7% 13.2% $5.7

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Miri

$20 2.5% 25.2% $4

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 $348 in Miri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miri pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $12 in Miri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $195 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Miri

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

248,877

💱 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 Miri 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Miri

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 Miri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miri is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Kuching. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $469 in Kuching versus $348 in Miri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Miri – a meal for two runs $12 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 $805 in Miri – Miri is about 17% 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 Miri are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.