Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Sarawak

For one person, living costs are similar in Kuching and in Sarawak: $972 and $954 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Sarawak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $954 in Sarawak.

Kuching $972
Sarawak $954

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,408 in Sarawak.

Kuching $1,521
Sarawak $1,408

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,862 in Sarawak.

Kuching $2,070
Sarawak $1,862

Monthly costs are close between Kuching and Sarawak; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Sarawak 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$3.58 MYR 14.60

-5.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$19.96 MYR 81.3

22.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$4.70 MYR 19.16

4.26%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$2.96 MYR 12.06

7.77%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.19

$0.77 MYR 3.13

1.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.39 MYR 1.59

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$3.95 MYR 16.08

16.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.30

$4.57 MYR 18.63

30.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.75 MYR 7.13

36.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.22 MYR 4.98

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.36 MYR 5.53

-12.50%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$2.26 MYR 9.20

5.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$14.46 MYR 58.9

-24.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$4.07 MYR 16.58

6.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$9.85 MYR 40.13

1.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$2.90 MYR 11.81

9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.45 MYR 5.89

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.38 MYR 9.72

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.31 MYR 5.34

35.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.23 MYR 5.02

12.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.24 MYR 5.06

-4.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.11 MYR 4.50

45.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.46 MYR 1.89

19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$4.27 MYR 17.41

11.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$16.86 MYR 68.7

31.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$2.93 MYR 11.94

40.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$4.03 MYR 16.40

25.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

$10.56 MYR 43.04

-29.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-13.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.51 MYR 2.08

141.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$6.93 MYR 28.22

27.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.77 MYR 3.15

22.08%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$50.4K MYR 205.2K

-8.80%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$39.9K MYR 162.5K

-9.56%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$52.9 MYR 216

-32.68%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$10.66 MYR 43.43

-4.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$29.13 MYR 119

-12.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$40.05 MYR 163

-15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

$7.22 MYR 29.42

69.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$5.60 MYR 22.83

-13.04%

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

$135 MYR 551

$241 MYR 981

-43.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$6,956 MYR 28.3K

2.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$58.1 MYR 237

10.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$29.97 MYR 122

25.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$87.0 MYR 354

3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$75.9 MYR 309

-14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$410 MYR 1,669

14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$318 MYR 1,297

4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$704 MYR 2,870

18.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$491 MYR 2,000

33.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$2,170 MYR 8,841

-5.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$1,323 MYR 5,393

15.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$349 MYR 1,420

53.59%

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 Sarawak: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Sarawak

$318 33.4% 4.7% $16

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Sarawak

$249 26.1% 8.5% $23

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Sarawak

$112 11.7% 6.6% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Sarawak

$113 11.8% 2.1% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Sarawak

$93 9.7% 30% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Sarawak

$51 5.4% 17.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Sarawak

$17 1.8% 7.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $410 in Sarawak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $20 in Sarawak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $249 per month, with Sarawak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

💱 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 Sarawak 14 km

From you

Kuching
Sarawak

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 Sarawak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 54% 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 $410 in Sarawak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kuching runs roughly 29% less than in Sarawak. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sarawak gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Sarawak are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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