Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumut, Perak and Kuching

For one person, living costs are similar in Lumut, Perak and in Kuching: $988 and $972 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $988 in Lumut, Perak versus $972 in Kuching.

Lumut, Perak $988
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,498 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Lumut, Perak $1,498
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,008 in Lumut, Perak versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Lumut, Perak $2,008
Kuching $2,070

Monthly costs are close between Lumut, Perak and Kuching; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lumut, Perak 27% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.85

$3.37 MYR 13.75

8.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 MYR 48.89

$24.51 MYR 99.9

-51.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 MYR 20.03

$4.90 MYR 19.98

0.20%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MYR 12.01

$3.19 MYR 13.01

-7.52%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$0.78 MYR 3.19

-1.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.55

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.27

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 MYR 25.36

$5.96 MYR 24.30

4.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$2.39 MYR 9.74

-13.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.34

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-10.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MYR 7.83

$1.19 MYR 4.85

61.34%

Eggs

$2.41 MYR 9.81

$2.38 MYR 9.68

1.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 MYR 56.4

$10.99 MYR 44.77

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 MYR 18.46

$4.34 MYR 17.67

4.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 MYR 40.06

$10.00 MYR 40.73

-1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.52

$3.17 MYR 12.92

4.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.52

$1.32 MYR 5.38

40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.08

$2.52 MYR 10.28

-11.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.38

$1.78 MYR 7.26

-11.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.18

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-7.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$1.19 MYR 4.84

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.73

$1.61 MYR 6.57

-27.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$0.55 MYR 2.22

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.45

$4.76 MYR 19.37

-10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.87 MYR 81.0

$22.25 MYR 90.7

-10.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.12

$4.13 MYR 16.81

-15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 MYR 20.52

$5.06 MYR 20.60

-0.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.36 MYR 1.47

102.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.54 MYR 51.1

$7.48 MYR 30.47

67.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$0.97 MYR 3.95

26.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 MYR 5.12

$1.23 MYR 5.01

2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 MYR 19.79

$8.82 MYR 35.92

-44.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.94 MYR 3.83

-7.45%

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

$43.7K MYR 178.2K

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

-4.78%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.5K

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

-3.71%

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

$62.5 MYR 255

$35.63 MYR 145

75.53%

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

$8.99 MYR 36.62

$10.19 MYR 41.52

-11.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 105

$25.50 MYR 104

1.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 MYR 170

$33.85 MYR 138

23.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 MYR 26.79

$12.26 MYR 49.94

-46.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.62

$4.87 MYR 19.85

-1.23%

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

$242 MYR 987

$135 MYR 551

79.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K MYR 54.3K

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

86.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 MYR 294

$64.1 MYR 261

12.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.00 MYR 171

$37.52 MYR 153

11.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 MYR 347

$90.0 MYR 367

-5.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 MYR 393

$64.6 MYR 263

49.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 MYR 1,692

$469 MYR 1,912

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 MYR 1,201

$334 MYR 1,361

-11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 MYR 2,942

$834 MYR 3,399

-13.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,293

$654 MYR 2,667

-14.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,757 MYR 7,160

$2,053 MYR 8,364

-14.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,304 MYR 5,314

$1,534 MYR 6,248

-14.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$375 MYR 1,527

$535 MYR 2,181

-30.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.37

-4.58%

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

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lumut, Perak

$295 29.9%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 13.3% $39

Groceries & Markets

Lumut, Perak

$273 27.7%

Kuching

$272 28% 0.4% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.5%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 13.4% $18

Eating Out

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 4% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.9%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 26.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lumut, Perak

$51 5.2%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 15% $7.7

Getting Around

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 30.1% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $415 in Lumut, Perak and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kuching pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Lumut, Perak vs $25 in Kuching. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $272, with Kuching cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

Same time as Lumut, Perak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,595

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lumut, Perak Kuching 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lumut, Perak
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

Lumut, Perak vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Lumut, Perak. 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: $415 in Lumut, Perak versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $242 in Lumut, Perak versus $135 in Kuching. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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, Lumut, Perak and Kuching are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.