Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuching and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuching and in Sibu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $972 in Kuching versus $905 in Sibu.

Kuching $972
Sibu $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Kuching versus $1,406 in Sibu.

Kuching $1,521
Sibu $1,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,070 in Kuching versus $1,906 in Sibu.

Kuching $2,070
Sibu $1,906

Living in Kuching is roughly 7% more expensive than in Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 MYR 13.68

$2.26 MYR 9.14

49.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.51 MYR 99.4

$19.22 MYR 77.9

27.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$4.23 MYR 17.14

15.84%

Cappuccino

$3.19 MYR 12.94

$2.30 MYR 9.31

38.70%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.61 MYR 2.48

27.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

$0.23 MYR 0.93

65.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 MYR 18.69

$2.86 MYR 11.60

61.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$4.46 MYR 18.08

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 MYR 9.69

$1.76 MYR 7.14

35.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.87 MYR 3.54

36.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.33 MYR 5.37

-10.53%

Eggs

$2.38 MYR 9.63

$2.18 MYR 8.82

9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 MYR 44.55

$13.35 MYR 54.1

-17.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.58

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 MYR 40.53

$9.92 MYR 40.23

0.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.86

$2.86 MYR 11.60

10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.36

$1.81 MYR 7.35

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$2.36 MYR 9.58

6.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.22

$1.69 MYR 6.86

5.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$1.38 MYR 5.59

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.33 MYR 5.40

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MYR 6.53

$1.06 MYR 4.28

51.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.21

$0.56 MYR 2.28

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 MYR 19.28

$4.48 MYR 18.18

6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.25 MYR 90.2

$19.27 MYR 78.1

15.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 MYR 16.73

$3.02 MYR 12.23

36.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.50

$4.61 MYR 18.71

9.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$0.79 MYR 3.21

-54.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.48 MYR 30.32

$11.49 MYR 46.59

-34.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 MYR 3.93

$1.04 MYR 4.24

-6.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$0.61 MYR 2.48

101.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MYR 35.74

$7.27 MYR 29.47

21.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 MYR 3.81

$0.87 MYR 3.51

8.05%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.2K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

0.91%

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

$36.1K MYR 146.2K

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

-0.25%

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

$35.63 MYR 144

$48.91 MYR 198

-27.15%

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

$10.19 MYR 41.31

$7.37 MYR 29.86

38.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 MYR 103

$26.21 MYR 106

-2.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 MYR 137

$27.13 MYR 110

24.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.26 MYR 49.69

$6.38 MYR 25.88

92.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.75

$3.72 MYR 15.10

30.91%

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

$135 MYR 548

$243 MYR 984

-44.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,150 MYR 29.0K

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

3.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 MYR 260

$56.1 MYR 228

14.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.52 MYR 152

$36.43 MYR 148

2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 MYR 365

$69.2 MYR 281

29.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 MYR 262

$78.2 MYR 317

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 MYR 1,902

$390 MYR 1,579

20.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 MYR 1,354

$318 MYR 1,288

5.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 MYR 3,382

$698 MYR 2,828

19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,653

$630 MYR 2,552

3.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,053 MYR 8,322

$2,136 MYR 8,660

-3.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,534 MYR 6,217

$1,165 MYR 4,723

31.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,170

$487 MYR 1,974

9.95%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuching

$334 34.4%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 4.9% $16

Groceries & Markets

Kuching

$272 28%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Kuching

$120 12.3%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 29.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kuching

$115 11.9%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 6.3% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuching

$71 7.3%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 15.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Kuching

$44 4.5%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 20.7% $9

Getting Around

Kuching

$16 1.7%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 17% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $469 in Kuching and $390 in Sibu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Kuching vs $19 in Sibu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $258 per month, with Sibu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuching

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as Kuching

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,147

198,239

💱 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

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Kuching Sibu 190 km

From you

Kuching
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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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibu is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% 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 $390 in Sibu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sibu – a meal for two runs $19 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 $905 in Sibu – Sibu is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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