Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Sentul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $869 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Sentul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $869 in Sentul.

Kuching $972
Sentul $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,351 in Sentul.

Kuching $1,521
Sentul $1,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,833 in Sentul.

Kuching $2,070
Sentul $1,833

Living in Kuching is roughly 12% more expensive than in Sentul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Sentul 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.75

$3.58 MYR 14.59

-5.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.9

$22.02 MYR 89.7

11.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.98

$4.75 MYR 19.34

3.16%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 13.01

$2.93 MYR 11.94

8.87%

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

$0.51 MYR 2.09

-25.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.79

$3.27 MYR 13.33

40.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.30

$5.82 MYR 23.71

2.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$1.72 MYR 7.03

38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.02 MYR 4.15

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.44 MYR 5.87

-17.36%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.68

$1.73 MYR 7.05

37.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.77

$9.77 MYR 39.80

12.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.67

$3.35 MYR 13.66

29.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.73

$9.69 MYR 39.47

3.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.92

$3.30 MYR 13.46

-3.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.38

$1.67 MYR 6.82

-20.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.28

$2.74 MYR 11.15

-8.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.26

$1.60 MYR 6.52

11.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.63

$1.42 MYR 5.78

-2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.68 MYR 6.83

-29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.57

$1.33 MYR 5.43

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.54 MYR 2.20

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.37

$4.33 MYR 17.66

9.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.7

$13.96 MYR 56.9

59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.81

$2.67 MYR 10.89

54.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.60

$3.04 MYR 12.38

66.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.84 MYR 3.42

-57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.47

$12.36 MYR 50.4

-39.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$1.02 MYR 4.15

-4.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$0.38 MYR 1.56

223.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.92

$8.91 MYR 36.30

-1.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.83

$0.80 MYR 3.25

17.50%

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

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

$43.9K MYR 178.9K

4.60%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

$35.2K MYR 143.5K

2.36%

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

$35.63 MYR 145

$48.67 MYR 198

-26.79%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.52

$8.10 MYR 32.99

25.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 104

$26.45 MYR 108

-3.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 138

$38.55 MYR 157

-12.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.94

$7.36 MYR 30.00

66.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

$4.86 MYR 19.79

0.21%

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

$135 MYR 551

$234 MYR 953

-42.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

$4,527 MYR 18.4K

57.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 261

$52.0 MYR 212

23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 153

$16.61 MYR 67.7

125.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 367

$78.4 MYR 320

14.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 263

$85.6 MYR 349

-24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,912

$426 MYR 1,736

10.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,361

$275 MYR 1,122

21.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,399

$825 MYR 3,362

1.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,667

$528 MYR 2,152

23.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,364

$2,029 MYR 8,269

1.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,248

$1,176 MYR 4,792

30.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,181

$872 MYR 3,552

-38.58%

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 Sentul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Sentul

$275 31.7% 17.6% $59

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Sentul

$228 26.2% 16.4% $45

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Sentul

$111 12.8% 6.9% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Sentul

$105 12.1% 9.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Sentul

$83 9.6% 16.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Sentul

$48 5.6% 10.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Sentul

$19 2.2% 16.3% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $426 in Sentul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sentul pays 63% 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 $22 in Sentul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $228 per month, with Sentul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Sentul

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

100,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Sentul 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Sentul

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 Sentul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sentul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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 $426 in Sentul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sentul – a meal for two runs $22 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 $869 in Sentul – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sentul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sentul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.