Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Setia Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $904 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Kuching despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Setia Alam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $904 in Setia Alam.

Kuching $972
Setia Alam $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,353 in Setia Alam.

Kuching $1,521
Setia Alam $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,801 in Setia Alam.

Kuching $2,070
Setia Alam $1,801

Living in Kuching is roughly 8% more expensive than in Setia Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuching 29% lower, Setia Alam 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.68

$4.75 MYR 19.28

-29.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.4

$24.61 MYR 99.8

-0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.98 MYR 20.18

-1.61%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.94

$2.79 MYR 11.32

14.34%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.77 MYR 3.10

1.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.45 MYR 1.84

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.69

$4.40 MYR 17.83

4.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$6.03 MYR 24.46

-1.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$1.48 MYR 6.02

61.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.72 MYR 2.91

65.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$0.59 MYR 2.40

101.69%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.63

$1.15 MYR 4.67

106.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

$13.91 MYR 56.4

-20.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.58

$2.51 MYR 10.18

72.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.53

$2.51 MYR 10.18

298.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$1.19 MYR 4.83

166.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.36

$1.85 MYR 7.51

-28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$1.24 MYR 5.04

103.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.22

$1.21 MYR 4.89

47.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$0.69 MYR 2.81

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$0.70 MYR 2.83

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.53

$0.70 MYR 2.85

130.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.72 MYR 2.91

-23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.28

$4.18 MYR 16.93

13.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.2

$19.78 MYR 80.2

12.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

$3.49 MYR 14.15

18.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

$4.99 MYR 20.23

1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.75 MYR 3.03

-52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

$12.39 MYR 50.2

-39.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.21 MYR 4.89

-19.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$1.21 MYR 4.90

1.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

$4.77 MYR 19.32

84.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.49 MYR 1.98

91.84%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

$39.5K MYR 159.9K

16.43%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$33.4K MYR 135.2K

8.12%

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

$35.63 MYR 144

$61.0 MYR 247

-41.59%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.31

$8.67 MYR 35.14

17.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 103

$25.85 MYR 105

-1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

$51.1 MYR 207

-33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

$6.74 MYR 27.33

81.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.75

$5.00 MYR 20.26

-2.60%

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

$135 MYR 548

$235 MYR 951

-42.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

$7,890 MYR 32.0K

-9.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 260

$72.5 MYR 294

-11.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 152

$26.70 MYR 108

40.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 365

$53.5 MYR 217

68.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 262

$36.15 MYR 147

78.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

$522 MYR 2,116

-10.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

$313 MYR 1,269

6.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

$843 MYR 3,418

-1.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

$544 MYR 2,207

20.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

$2,033 MYR 8,242

0.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

$1,188 MYR 4,816

29.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

$1,152 MYR 4,670

-53.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

9.25%

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

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Last update for Setia Alam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Setia Alam

$313 34.7% 6.3% $21

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Setia Alam

$201 22.2% 26.3% $72

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Setia Alam

$125 13.9% 4.8% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Setia Alam

$85 9.4% 26.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Setia Alam

$96 10.6% 33.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Setia Alam

$61 6.8% 40.2% $18

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Setia Alam

$23 2.5% 41.1% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $522 in Setia Alam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays about 2.2 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 $25 in Setia Alam. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $201, with Setia Alam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

150,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuching Setia Alam 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuching
Setia Alam

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 Setia Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setia Alam is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 54% 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 $522 in Setia Alam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Kuching. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $972 per month in Kuching versus $904 in Setia Alam – Setia Alam is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.