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

🙂 Solo nomad: Kuching is 10.6% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 8% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 13.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 MYR 11.51

$3.10 MYR 12.54

-8.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.37 MYR 82.5

$21.25 MYR 86.1

-4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.60 MYR 18.62

$4.28 MYR 17.34

7.48%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MYR 10.06

$2.94 MYR 11.92

-15.65%

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

$0.76 MYR 3.06

$0.73 MYR 2.95

4.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 MYR 1.30

$0.36 MYR 1.46

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MYR 11.34

$4.42 MYR 17.91

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 MYR 14.46

$4.39 MYR 17.76

-18.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 MYR 7.86

$1.83 MYR 7.40

6.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.38

$1.02 MYR 4.15

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.27

$2.01 MYR 8.15

-47.76%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.75

$2.14 MYR 8.69

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.56 MYR 38.71

$17.20 MYR 69.7

-44.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 MYR 15.21

$5.19 MYR 21.02

-27.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 MYR 32.31

$14.94 MYR 60.5

-46.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 MYR 12.58

$2.78 MYR 11.25

11.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.47

$1.46 MYR 5.93

-24.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MYR 10.60

$2.67 MYR 10.81

-1.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$2.17 MYR 8.79

-15.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.44

$1.13 MYR 4.59

-2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.79

$1.22 MYR 4.92

-3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 MYR 7.06

$0.90 MYR 3.66

93.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 2.01

$0.45 MYR 1.82

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.53

$4.16 MYR 16.84

4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.39 MYR 78.5

$19.00 MYR 77.0

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.84 MYR 15.54

$2.69 MYR 10.90

42.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 MYR 13.93

$3.37 MYR 13.64

2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 MYR 1.02

$0.48 MYR 1.95

-47.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.00 MYR 48.61

$17.44 MYR 70.7

-31.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 MYR 3.70

$0.74 MYR 3.01

22.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 MYR 4.62

$0.50 MYR 2.02

128.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$6.98 MYR 28.27

-73.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 2.01

$0.46 MYR 1.85

8.70%

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

$44.7K MYR 181.0K

$33.8K MYR 136.8K

32.29%

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

$37.4K MYR 151.5K

$27.6K MYR 111.9K

35.43%

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

$42.17 MYR 171

$38.88 MYR 157

8.46%

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

$9.25 MYR 37.45

$9.94 MYR 40.26

-6.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.01 MYR 101

$31.03 MYR 126

-19.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.70 MYR 120

$32.57 MYR 132

-8.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.56 MYR 38.72

$5.51 MYR 22.32

73.50%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 MYR 19.18

$4.97 MYR 20.13

-4.83%

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

$142 MYR 573

$241 MYR 977

-41.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,029 MYR 24.4K

$6,130 MYR 24.8K

-1.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 MYR 264

$53.7 MYR 218

21.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.87 MYR 129

$28.83 MYR 117

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 MYR 348

$62.1 MYR 251

38.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 MYR 293

$53.3 MYR 216

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,115

$385 MYR 1,560

-28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 MYR 830

$229 MYR 927

-10.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 MYR 2,290

$631 MYR 2,554

-10.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 MYR 1,551

$519 MYR 2,103

-26.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,057 MYR 8,331

$2,249 MYR 9,110

-8.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 MYR 6,115

$1,145 MYR 4,639

31.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$588 MYR 2,380

$977 MYR 3,956

-39.85%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Penang: January 18, 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

Similar cities

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Pristina

🇽🇰 Kosovo

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda