Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kulim and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kulim and in Kuching

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kulim and in Kuching actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Kulim versus $972 in Kuching.

Kulim $891
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,374 in Kulim versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Kulim $1,374
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,857 in Kulim versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Kulim $1,857
Kuching $2,070

Living in Kulim costs roughly 8% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kulim 35% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.21

$3.37 MYR 13.79

10.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.45 MYR 79.5

$24.51 MYR 100

-20.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.50

$4.90 MYR 20.04

-7.55%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$3.19 MYR 13.05

-9.40%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.20

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.38 MYR 1.56

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.95

$4.61 MYR 18.84

-15.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.82

$5.96 MYR 24.38

-22.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MYR 7.99

$2.39 MYR 9.77

-17.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$1.19 MYR 4.88

3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.19 MYR 4.86

9.24%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.10

$2.38 MYR 9.71

-6.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 MYR 51.8

$10.99 MYR 44.91

15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 15.75

$4.34 MYR 17.73

-11.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 MYR 43.82

$10.00 MYR 40.86

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.46

$3.17 MYR 12.96

-3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MYR 7.71

$1.32 MYR 5.40

43.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.40

$2.52 MYR 10.31

1.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.90

$1.78 MYR 7.28

-19.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.38 MYR 5.65

-13.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.55

$1.19 MYR 4.85

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$1.61 MYR 6.59

-32.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.16

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MYR 18.28

$4.76 MYR 19.43

-6.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 86.1

$22.25 MYR 90.9

-5.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$4.13 MYR 16.86

-25.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.95

$5.06 MYR 20.66

-22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.36 MYR 1.47

108.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 MYR 51.7

$7.48 MYR 30.57

68.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$0.97 MYR 3.96

7.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-54.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 MYR 33.75

$8.82 MYR 36.03

-6.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-21.28%

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

$48.9K MYR 199.7K

$45.9K MYR 187.7K

6.39%

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

$30.9K MYR 126.3K

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-14.28%

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

$45.19 MYR 185

$35.63 MYR 146

26.83%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.55

$10.19 MYR 41.65

-14.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 106

$25.50 MYR 104

1.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 MYR 148

$33.85 MYR 138

6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.37 MYR 30.13

$12.26 MYR 50.1

-39.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 MYR 18.22

$4.87 MYR 19.91

-8.42%

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

$268 MYR 1,094

$135 MYR 552

98.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,096 MYR 29.0K

$7,150 MYR 29.2K

-0.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 MYR 254

$64.1 MYR 262

-3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.78 MYR 126

$37.52 MYR 153

-17.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 315

$90.0 MYR 368

-14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 290

$64.6 MYR 264

9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 MYR 1,713

$469 MYR 1,917

-10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,082

$334 MYR 1,365

-20.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 MYR 3,119

$834 MYR 3,410

-8.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MYR 2,032

$654 MYR 2,675

-24.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 MYR 8,749

$2,053 MYR 8,390

4.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 MYR 5,200

$1,534 MYR 6,267

-17.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,188

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.37

-7.09%

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

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kulim

$265 29.7%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 26.1% $69

Groceries & Markets

Kulim

$262 29.4%

Kuching

$272 28% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Kulim

$112 12.5%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 7.3% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kulim

$108 12.2%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 6.3% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kulim

$80 9%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 10.5% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kulim

$45 5.1%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 3.2% $1.4

Getting Around

Kulim

$19 2.2%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 17.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $419 in Kulim and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Kulim vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $272 per month, with Kulim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kulim

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

Same time as Kulim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,056

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

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Between locations

Kulim Kuching 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kulim
Kuching

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

Kulim vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kulim is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,336 in Kulim and $1,458 in Kuching to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $419 in Kulim versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kulim – 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 $891 per month in Kulim versus $972 in Kuching – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kulim 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, Kulim and Kuching are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.