Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Pasig

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasig: $716 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Pasig
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Pasig Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Pasig

🇵🇭 Philippines

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Pasig

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $716 in Pasig.

Kuching $972
Pasig $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,199 in Pasig.

Kuching $1,521
Pasig $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,682 in Pasig.

Kuching $2,070
Pasig $1,682

Living in Kuching is roughly 36% more expensive than in Pasig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Pasig 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$3.88 ₱248

-13.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$26.26 ₱1,678

-6.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$2.74 ₱175

78.83%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$2.20 ₱140

45.00%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.65 ₱41.28

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.33 ₱21.09

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$1.14 ₱73.0

304.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.30

$2.34 ₱149

154.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.69 ₱108

41.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.10 ₱70.4

8.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.00 ₱63.6

19.00%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$1.99 ₱127

19.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$5.63 ₱360

95.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$3.41 ₱218

27.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$7.69 ₱491

30.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$3.08 ₱197

2.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.52 ₱96.9

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.83 ₱181

-10.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.73 ₱111

2.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$2.25 ₱144

-38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$2.65 ₱169

-55.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$2.14 ₱136

-24.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.59 ₱37.41

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$2.91 ₱186

63.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$9.57 ₱612

132.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$1.30 ₱82.8

217.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$2.04 ₱130

148.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.48 ₱30.73

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$0.77 ₱49.10

25.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.23 ₱14.74

434.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$1.93 ₱123

356.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$1.22 ₱78.2

-22.95%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$21.4K ₱1.4M

114.93%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$18.7K ₱1.2M

93.25%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$119 ₱7,635

-70.18%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$16.99 ₱1,085

-40.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$24.01 ₱1,534

6.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$29.49 ₱1,884

14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$6.14 ₱393

-20.68%

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

$135 MYR 551

$131 ₱8,373

3.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$8,921 ₱570.0K

-19.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$33.15 ₱2,118

93.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$27.27 ₱1,742

37.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$69.6 ₱4,446

29.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$54.9 ₱3,505

17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$323 ₱20.7K

45.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$148 ₱9,467

125.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$504 ₱32.2K

65.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$476 ₱30.4K

37.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$3,203 ₱204.6K

-35.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$2,511 ₱160.4K

-38.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$512 ₱32.7K

4.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

6.75

-35.26%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pasig: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Pasig

$148 20.7% 55.6% $186

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Pasig

$199 27.8% 27% $74

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Pasig

$80 11.2% 33.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Pasig

$83 11.6% 27.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Pasig

$160 22.4% 125% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Pasig

$42 5.8% 4.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Pasig

$3.9 * 0.5% 76% $12

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 $323 in Pasig. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 5% 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 $26 in Pasig. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $199, with Pasig cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇵🇭 Pasig

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

803,159

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Pasig 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Pasig

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 Pasig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pasig is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% 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 $323 in Pasig. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $972 per month in Kuching versus $716 in Pasig – Pasig is about 26% 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 Pasig are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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