Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Kuching is 8% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 8.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 10.3% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 13.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 MYR 11.72

$3.11 MYR 12.61

-7.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.39 MYR 82.8

$21.15 MYR 85.9

-3.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 MYR 19.55

$4.33 MYR 17.57

11.32%

Cappuccino

$2.45 MYR 9.96

$2.86 MYR 11.63

-14.34%

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

$0.75 MYR 3.05

$0.73 MYR 2.96

2.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$0.36 MYR 1.48

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 MYR 11.26

$4.29 MYR 17.41

-35.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 MYR 14.99

$4.37 MYR 17.73

-15.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MYR 7.75

$1.88 MYR 7.63

1.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.00 MYR 4.06

12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.30

$1.99 MYR 8.07

-46.73%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.10

$2.05 MYR 8.33

9.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 MYR 38.52

$16.99 MYR 69.0

-44.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 MYR 15.21

$5.18 MYR 21.02

-27.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.15 MYR 33.10

$14.97 MYR 60.8

-45.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 MYR 12.07

$2.77 MYR 11.26

7.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.65

$1.44 MYR 5.87

-20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$2.70 MYR 10.96

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.38

$2.09 MYR 8.47

-12.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.66

$1.13 MYR 4.60

1.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.22 MYR 4.97

0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$0.95 MYR 3.84

85.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MYR 2.00

$0.45 MYR 1.82

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 16.80

$4.22 MYR 17.12

-1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.4

$19.31 MYR 78.4

-0.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.69 MYR 14.97

$2.62 MYR 10.63

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 MYR 13.92

$3.50 MYR 14.21

-2.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 MYR 1.02

$0.46 MYR 1.85

-45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.82 MYR 47.98

$17.42 MYR 70.7

-32.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$0.70 MYR 2.83

38.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$0.50 MYR 2.03

118.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 MYR 7.58

$7.23 MYR 29.33

-74.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$0.46 MYR 1.88

8.70%

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

$46.1K MYR 187.0K

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

35.96%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.8K

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

30.75%

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

$40.95 MYR 166

$38.60 MYR 157

6.09%

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

$9.21 MYR 37.40

$10.03 MYR 40.71

-8.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.22 MYR 102

$30.91 MYR 125

-18.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.30 MYR 119

$32.64 MYR 133

-10.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.80 MYR 39.80

$5.52 MYR 22.40

77.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 MYR 18.61

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-6.53%

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

$141 MYR 572

$238 MYR 968

-40.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,166 MYR 25.0K

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

0.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.8 MYR 263

$55.6 MYR 226

16.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.43 MYR 128

$29.29 MYR 119

7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 352

$60.4 MYR 245

43.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 MYR 294

$52.8 MYR 214

37.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 MYR 1,142

$380 MYR 1,543

-25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 MYR 827

$227 MYR 920

-10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 MYR 2,276

$649 MYR 2,636

-13.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 MYR 1,543

$520 MYR 2,113

-26.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,054 MYR 8,340

$2,235 MYR 9,072

-8.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,526 MYR 6,195

$1,156 MYR 4,693

31.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 MYR 2,387

$988 MYR 4,012

-40.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

4.16

2.64%

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

Last update for Kuching: January 12, 2026

Last update for Penang: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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