Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Shah Alam Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Shah Alam

🙂 Solo nomad: Kuching is 2.8% cheaper than Shah Alam without rent, and 9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kuching is 2.2% cheaper than Shah Alam without rent, and 2.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.78 MYR 10.97

$3.10 MYR 12.23

-10.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.69 MYR 77.8

$19.22 MYR 75.9

2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 MYR 18.87

$4.12 MYR 16.27

16.02%

Cappuccino

$2.54 MYR 10.03

$2.69 MYR 10.64

-5.58%

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

$0.75 MYR 2.95

$0.73 MYR 2.90

2.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 MYR 1.27

$0.36 MYR 1.43

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 MYR 11.26

$3.56 MYR 14.06

-19.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 MYR 14.02

$4.30 MYR 16.98

-17.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MYR 7.56

$1.83 MYR 7.22

4.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.33

$0.97 MYR 3.81

13.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 MYR 4.15

$1.49 MYR 5.90

-29.53%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.92

$2.15 MYR 8.50

5.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 MYR 38.50

$13.93 MYR 55.0

-30.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 MYR 15.34

$5.08 MYR 20.05

-23.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 MYR 31.20

$8.30 MYR 32.78

-4.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 MYR 12.34

$2.92 MYR 11.52

6.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 MYR 4.38

$1.46 MYR 5.79

-23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MYR 9.85

$2.56 MYR 10.12

-2.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.27

$1.24 MYR 4.91

48.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.52

$1.19 MYR 4.68

-4.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 4.92

$1.34 MYR 5.31

-6.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 MYR 6.73

$0.97 MYR 3.84

75.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 1.96

$0.52 MYR 2.05

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.08

$4.24 MYR 16.75

1.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.99 MYR 82.9

$19.00 MYR 75.0

10.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 MYR 15.05

$2.60 MYR 10.26

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 MYR 13.59

$3.97 MYR 15.69

-13.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 MYR 0.90

$0.69 MYR 2.72

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.63 MYR 45.94

$15.02 MYR 59.3

-22.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.77

$0.95 MYR 3.76

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 MYR 4.53

$0.55 MYR 2.16

109.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.36

$6.99 MYR 27.63

-73.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

$0.50 MYR 1.96

-2.00%

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

$46.0K MYR 181.6K

$34.0K MYR 134.3K

35.22%

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

$36.8K MYR 145.5K

$27.4K MYR 108.4K

34.21%

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

$40.85 MYR 161

$41.42 MYR 164

-1.38%

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

$9.20 MYR 36.35

$10.06 MYR 39.73

-8.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.66 MYR 101

$29.86 MYR 118

-14.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.97 MYR 118

$38.36 MYR 152

-21.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.91 MYR 39.15

$5.82 MYR 23.00

70.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 18.79

$6.19 MYR 24.43

-23.10%

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

$145 MYR 573

$214 MYR 844

-32.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 MYR 23.8K

$6,149 MYR 24.3K

-2.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 MYR 256

$48.45 MYR 191

33.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 MYR 127

$34.94 MYR 138

-7.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 MYR 340

$62.3 MYR 246

38.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 MYR 285

$48.82 MYR 193

47.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,084

$358 MYR 1,415

-23.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 MYR 792

$263 MYR 1,038

-23.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$571 MYR 2,254

$575 MYR 2,269

-0.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 MYR 1,550

$473 MYR 1,870

-17.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,134 MYR 8,429

$1,530 MYR 6,044

39.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,555 MYR 6,143

$1,229 MYR 4,856

26.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$547 MYR 2,160

$1,254 MYR 4,954

-56.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

4.16

2.64%

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

Last update for Kuching: April 13, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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