Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Rawang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $735 in Rawang.

Kuching $972
Rawang $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,173 in Rawang.

Kuching $1,521
Rawang $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,611 in Rawang.

Kuching $2,070
Rawang $1,611

Living in Kuching is roughly 32% more expensive than in Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Rawang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$3.72 MYR 15.15

-9.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$19.66 MYR 80.1

24.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$4.97 MYR 20.25

-1.41%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$3.00 MYR 12.22

6.33%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.82 MYR 3.35

-4.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.40 MYR 1.61

-5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$4.23 MYR 17.23

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.30

$4.42 MYR 18.01

34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.79 MYR 7.30

33.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.04 MYR 4.23

14.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-29.59%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$2.14 MYR 8.72

11.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$14.18 MYR 57.8

-22.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$4.43 MYR 18.04

-2.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$10.17 MYR 41.42

-1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$2.92 MYR 11.88

8.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-27.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.64 MYR 10.77

-4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.43 MYR 5.82

24.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.22 MYR 4.98

13.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.31 MYR 5.34

-9.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.12 MYR 4.58

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$4.49 MYR 18.31

6.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$19.06 MYR 77.7

16.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$2.85 MYR 11.62

44.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$4.94 MYR 20.13

2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.77 MYR 3.12

-53.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

$12.26 MYR 49.97

-38.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-44.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.37 MYR 1.52

232.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$6.83 MYR 27.82

29.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.83 MYR 3.37

13.25%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

5.71%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

3.00%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$36.97 MYR 151

-3.62%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$9.75 MYR 39.71

4.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$28.46 MYR 116

-10.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$37.63 MYR 153

-10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

$6.70 MYR 27.31

82.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

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

$135 MYR 551

$401 MYR 1,634

-66.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

-34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$60.1 MYR 245

6.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$34.90 MYR 142

7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$82.4 MYR 336

9.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$71.1 MYR 290

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$143 MYR 581

229.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$104 MYR 425

219.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$576 MYR 2,347

44.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$234 MYR 955

179.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$1,963 MYR 7,998

4.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$1,197 MYR 4,877

28.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$1,012 MYR 4,122

-47.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

4.17

4.80%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Rawang

$104 14.2% 68.7% $230

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Rawang

$262 35.6% 3.8% $10

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Rawang

$115 15.7% 3.5% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Rawang

$112 15.2% 3% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Rawang

$75 10.2% 5.4% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Rawang

$47 6.4% 8.7% $3.8

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 18.1% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $143 in Rawang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang pays 89% 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 $20 in Rawang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $262 per month, with Rawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

50,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Rawang 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Rawang

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 Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawang is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $143 in Rawang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rawang – a meal for two runs $20 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 $735 in Rawang – Rawang is about 24% 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 Rawang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.