Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawang and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Rawang versus $972 in Kuching.

Rawang $735
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Rawang versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Rawang $1,173
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,611 in Rawang versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Rawang $1,611
Kuching $2,070

Living in Rawang costs roughly 24% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawang 46% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.15

$3.37 MYR 13.75

10.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.66 MYR 80.1

$24.51 MYR 99.9

-19.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 MYR 20.25

$4.90 MYR 19.98

1.43%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.22

$3.19 MYR 13.01

-5.96%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.35

$0.78 MYR 3.19

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.38 MYR 1.55

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.23

$4.61 MYR 18.79

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 18.01

$5.96 MYR 24.30

-25.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 MYR 7.30

$2.39 MYR 9.74

-25.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$1.19 MYR 4.87

-12.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.88

$1.19 MYR 4.85

42.02%

Eggs

$2.14 MYR 8.72

$2.38 MYR 9.68

-10.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.8

$10.99 MYR 44.77

29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 MYR 18.04

$4.34 MYR 17.67

2.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 MYR 41.42

$10.00 MYR 40.73

1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.88

$3.17 MYR 12.92

-7.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.44

$1.32 MYR 5.38

37.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$2.52 MYR 10.28

4.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.78 MYR 7.26

-19.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 MYR 4.98

$1.38 MYR 5.63

-11.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 MYR 5.34

$1.19 MYR 4.84

10.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$1.61 MYR 6.57

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.55 MYR 2.22

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.49 MYR 18.31

$4.76 MYR 19.37

-5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.06 MYR 77.7

$22.25 MYR 90.7

-14.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.62

$4.13 MYR 16.81

-30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.13

$5.06 MYR 20.60

-2.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.36 MYR 1.47

113.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 49.97

$7.48 MYR 30.47

63.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$0.97 MYR 3.95

79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 MYR 1.52

$1.23 MYR 5.01

-69.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.83 MYR 27.82

$8.82 MYR 35.92

-22.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$0.94 MYR 3.83

-11.70%

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

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

$45.9K MYR 187.2K

-5.40%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

$36.1K MYR 146.9K

-2.91%

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

$36.97 MYR 151

$35.63 MYR 145

3.76%

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

$9.75 MYR 39.71

$10.19 MYR 41.52

-4.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 MYR 116

$25.50 MYR 104

11.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.63 MYR 153

$33.85 MYR 138

11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 MYR 27.31

$12.26 MYR 49.94

-45.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 MYR 19.85

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

$401 MYR 1,634

$135 MYR 551

196.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

$7,150 MYR 29.1K

53.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MYR 245

$64.1 MYR 261

-6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.90 MYR 142

$37.52 MYR 153

-6.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 MYR 336

$90.0 MYR 367

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 MYR 290

$64.6 MYR 263

10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$143 MYR 581

$469 MYR 1,912

-69.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 MYR 425

$334 MYR 1,361

-68.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 MYR 2,347

$834 MYR 3,399

-30.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 MYR 955

$654 MYR 2,667

-64.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 MYR 7,998

$2,053 MYR 8,364

-4.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 MYR 4,877

$1,534 MYR 6,248

-21.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,012 MYR 4,122

$535 MYR 2,181

88.96%

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 Rawang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rawang

$262 35.6%

Kuching

$272 28% 4% $10

Eating Out

Rawang

$115 15.7%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 3.6% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Rawang

$112 15.2%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 3.1% $3.5

Accommodation & Living

Rawang

$104 14.2%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 220% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawang

$75 10.2%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 5.1% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Rawang

$47 6.4%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 8% $3.8

Getting Around

Rawang

$19 2.6%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 15.3% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $143 in Rawang and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rawang pays 89% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Rawang vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $272 per month, with Rawang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Rawang

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

Same time as Rawang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

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

Rawang Kuching 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rawang
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

Rawang vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawang is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 89% higher in Rawang, 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: $143 in Rawang versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rawang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $735 per month in Rawang versus $972 in Kuching – Rawang is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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