Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Putra Heights

For one person, living is cheaper in Putra Heights: $927 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $540 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Putra Heights
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Putra Heights Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Putra Heights

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Putra Heights

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $927 in Putra Heights.

Kuching $972
Putra Heights $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,421 in Putra Heights.

Kuching $1,521
Putra Heights $1,421

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,915 in Putra Heights.

Kuching $2,070
Putra Heights $1,915

Living in Kuching is roughly 5% more expensive than in Putra Heights, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Putra Heights 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.74

$3.77 MYR 15.35

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.8

$18.15 MYR 73.9

35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.96

$4.90 MYR 19.95

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.99

$2.83 MYR 11.51

12.72%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.78 MYR 3.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.42 MYR 1.71

-9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.77

$4.51 MYR 18.34

2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.28

$6.23 MYR 25.38

-4.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.73

$1.67 MYR 6.78

43.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$1.07 MYR 4.34

11.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.43 MYR 5.84

-16.78%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.67

$1.75 MYR 7.12

36.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.73

$14.08 MYR 57.3

-21.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.65

$4.56 MYR 18.56

-4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.69

$10.18 MYR 41.44

-1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.91

$3.31 MYR 13.49

-4.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.73 MYR 7.06

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.27

$2.31 MYR 9.39

9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.25

$1.50 MYR 6.09

18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.23 MYR 5.00

12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.83

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.56

$1.13 MYR 4.61

42.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.36

$4.40 MYR 17.93

8.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.6

$14.20 MYR 57.8

56.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.80

$2.95 MYR 12.01

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.58

$3.02 MYR 12.30

67.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.74 MYR 3.02

-51.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.44

$12.19 MYR 49.61

-38.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$0.95 MYR 3.86

2.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.71 MYR 2.87

73.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.88

$4.99 MYR 20.33

76.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.87 MYR 3.54

8.05%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.0K

$44.4K MYR 180.9K

3.35%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.8K

$34.7K MYR 141.1K

4.05%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$62.9 MYR 256

-43.35%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.48

$8.99 MYR 36.61

13.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$25.85 MYR 105

-1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$37.32 MYR 152

-9.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.89

$5.72 MYR 23.29

114.34%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.83

$5.01 MYR 20.37

-2.79%

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

$135 MYR 550

$241 MYR 981

-43.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$5,302 MYR 21.6K

34.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$54.1 MYR 220

18.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$16.45 MYR 67.0

128.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 366

$79.9 MYR 325

12.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$97.9 MYR 399

-34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,910

$422 MYR 1,716

11.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,360

$286 MYR 1,164

16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,396

$707 MYR 2,878

17.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,664

$546 MYR 2,223

19.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,356

$1,818 MYR 7,400

12.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,242

$1,236 MYR 5,031

24.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,179

$1,102 MYR 4,486

-51.42%

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 Putra Heights: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Putra Heights

$286 30.8% 14.4% $48

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Putra Heights

$246 26.5% 9.7% $26

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Putra Heights

$119 12.8% 0.9% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Putra Heights

$112 12.1% 3% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Putra Heights

$98 10.5% 37% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Putra Heights

$47 5.1% 8.6% $3.8

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Putra Heights

$20 2.1% 22.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $422 in Putra Heights. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Putra Heights pays about 2.1 times 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 $18 in Putra Heights for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $246 per month, with Putra Heights cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Putra Heights

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

60,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Putra Heights 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Putra Heights

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 Putra Heights: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putra Heights is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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 $422 in Putra Heights. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Putra Heights – 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 $927 in Putra Heights – Putra Heights is about 5% 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 Putra Heights are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.