Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $886 a month against $1,020 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Labuan 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 Labuan and in Kuching actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Labuan versus $886 in Kuching.

Labuan $1,020
Kuching $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Labuan versus $1,395 in Kuching.

Labuan $1,487
Kuching $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,953 in Labuan versus $1,904 in Kuching.

Labuan $1,953
Kuching $1,904

Living in Labuan is roughly 15% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Labuan 24% lower, Kuching 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 MYR 22.53

$3.49 MYR 14.23

58.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$24.27 MYR 99.0

-0.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 MYR 27.19

$4.91 MYR 20.04

35.64%

Cappuccino

$3.93 MYR 16.05

$3.22 MYR 13.13

22.05%

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

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$0.81 MYR 3.30

30.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.35 MYR 1.44

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$4.71 MYR 19.23

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$6.07 MYR 24.77

-25.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.43

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$1.21 MYR 4.92

-14.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$1.18 MYR 4.83

26.27%

Eggs

$2.10 MYR 8.58

$2.43 MYR 9.90

-13.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 MYR 68.6

$10.84 MYR 44.24

55.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$4.38 MYR 17.88

0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MYR 38.76

$9.94 MYR 40.56

-4.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.95

$3.27 MYR 13.34

-3.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.46

$1.34 MYR 5.48

36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$1.85 MYR 7.56

-4.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$1.40 MYR 5.72

-0.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-12.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-27.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$0.54 MYR 2.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$4.58 MYR 18.70

10.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 MYR 66.5

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 MYR 13.11

$4.08 MYR 16.66

-21.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

$5.19 MYR 21.17

-15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.59 MYR 2.39

32.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 MYR 43.48

$12.46 MYR 50.8

-14.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 MYR 5.47

$1.02 MYR 4.16

31.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MYR 26.43

$8.61 MYR 35.14

-24.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$0.89 MYR 3.62

-1.12%

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

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

$42.1K MYR 171.5K

4.63%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$36.8K MYR 149.9K

-11.49%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$35.97 MYR 147

35.95%

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

$9.68 MYR 39.49

$10.25 MYR 41.81

-5.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.69 MYR 113

$25.70 MYR 105

7.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.60 MYR 170

$30.03 MYR 123

38.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.68 MYR 31.32

$12.47 MYR 50.9

-38.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$4.83 MYR 19.70

-11.18%

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

$208 MYR 849

$133 MYR 544

56.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

$7,106 MYR 29.0K

-1.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MYR 228

$63.3 MYR 258

-11.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 MYR 123

$37.78 MYR 154

-20.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 355

$90.3 MYR 368

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 MYR 334

$65.9 MYR 269

24.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,768

$364 MYR 1,484

19.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 MYR 1,397

$243 MYR 990

41.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,614

$657 MYR 2,679

-2.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MYR 1,892

$478 MYR 1,951

-3.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,282 MYR 9,308

$2,017 MYR 8,227

13.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MYR 4,636

$1,507 MYR 6,148

-24.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$374 MYR 1,525

$540 MYR 2,203

-30.77%

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 Labuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Labuan

$342 33.6%

Kuching

$243 27.4% 29.1% $100

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$264 25.9%

Kuching

$272 30.7% 3.1% $8.1

Eating Out

Labuan

$145 14.2%

Kuching

$122 13.7% 16.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$115 11.2%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 1% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$86 8.5%

Kuching

$72 8.1% 16.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$50 4.9%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 20.9% $11

Getting Around

Labuan

$18 1.7%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 24.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $433 in Labuan and $364 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Labuan vs $24.00 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $272 per month, with Labuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

Same time as Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Labuan Kuching 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
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

Labuan vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 44% 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: $433 in Labuan versus $364 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kuching – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $24.00 in Labuan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,020 per month in Labuan versus $886 in Kuching – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Kuching versus $1,020 in Labuan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Labuan. The gap between the two cities makes Kuching the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kuching is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Labuan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Labuan 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.

Expats usually find Kuching gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Labuan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.