Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miri and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $809 a month against $886 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Kuching despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
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Miri Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$809

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Miri versus $886 in Kuching.

Miri $809
Kuching $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Miri versus $1,395 in Kuching.

Miri $1,235
Kuching $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,661 in Miri versus $1,904 in Kuching.

Miri $1,661
Kuching $1,904

Living in Miri costs roughly 9% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Miri 40% lower, Kuching 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.57

$3.49 MYR 14.23

2.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.29 MYR 50.1

$24.27 MYR 99.0

-49.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 MYR 18.66

$4.91 MYR 20.04

-6.72%

Cappuccino

$2.39 MYR 9.74

$3.22 MYR 13.13

-25.78%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.81 MYR 3.30

2.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.23

$0.35 MYR 1.44

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 MYR 11.94

$4.71 MYR 19.23

-37.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 MYR 15.63

$6.07 MYR 24.77

-36.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MYR 5.76

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-40.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 MYR 7.62

$1.21 MYR 4.92

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 MYR 3.82

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-20.34%

Eggs

$3.56 MYR 14.53

$2.43 MYR 9.90

46.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 MYR 44.24

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 MYR 19.74

$4.38 MYR 17.88

10.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 MYR 62.2

$9.94 MYR 40.56

53.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 MYR 13.34

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 8.09

$1.34 MYR 5.48

47.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.56

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.72

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.83

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 MYR 6.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.57

$0.54 MYR 2.22

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MYR 17.20

$4.58 MYR 18.70

-7.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.34 MYR 78.9

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-11.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.31

$4.08 MYR 16.66

-25.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 MYR 9.77

$5.19 MYR 21.17

-53.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.04

$0.59 MYR 2.39

-15.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.38 MYR 58.7

$12.46 MYR 50.8

15.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.02 MYR 4.16

18.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MYR 2.36

$1.20 MYR 4.89

-51.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 MYR 25.38

$8.61 MYR 35.14

-27.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 MYR 2.78

$0.89 MYR 3.62

-23.60%

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

$49.8K MYR 203.1K

$42.1K MYR 171.5K

18.38%

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

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

$36.8K MYR 149.9K

-11.07%

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

$49.34 MYR 201

$35.97 MYR 147

37.17%

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

$9.96 MYR 40.64

$10.25 MYR 41.81

-2.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.87 MYR 134

$25.70 MYR 105

27.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.98 MYR 118

$30.03 MYR 123

-3.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.10 MYR 24.88

$12.47 MYR 50.9

-51.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 MYR 18.33

$4.83 MYR 19.70

-7.04%

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

$98.5 MYR 402

$133 MYR 544

-26.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,442 MYR 26.3K

$7,106 MYR 29.0K

-9.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.57 MYR 182

$63.3 MYR 258

-29.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.03 MYR 93.9

$37.78 MYR 154

-39.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 MYR 224

$90.3 MYR 368

-39.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.84 MYR 175

$65.9 MYR 269

-34.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$338 MYR 1,377

$364 MYR 1,484

-7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 MYR 1,183

$243 MYR 990

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 MYR 2,423

$657 MYR 2,679

-9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 MYR 2,393

$478 MYR 1,951

22.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,212 MYR 4,946

$2,017 MYR 8,227

-39.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 MYR 2,785

$1,507 MYR 6,148

-54.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$683 MYR 2,787

$540 MYR 2,203

26.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

4.37

-5.72%

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

Last update for Miri: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Miri

$290 35.9%

Kuching

$243 27.4% 16.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Miri

$196 * 24.2%

Kuching

$272 30.7% 39% $76

Eating Out

Miri

$98 12.1%

Kuching

$122 13.7% 24.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miri

$92 11.4%

Kuching

$72 8.1% 22% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Miri

$74 9.2%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 55.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Miri

$38 4.7%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 4.5% $1.7

Getting Around

Miri

$20 2.5%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 6.5% $1.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $338 in Miri and $364 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miri pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12.00 in Miri vs $24.00 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $272 per month, with Miri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Miri

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Miri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,877

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

Miri Kuching 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Miri
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

Miri vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Miri is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Miri, 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: $338 in Miri versus $364 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Miri – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $24.00 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $809 per month in Miri versus $886 in Kuching – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Miri gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Miri 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 Miri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Kuching. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.