Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Kuching

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

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Selangor $1,020
Kuching $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,469 in Selangor versus $1,395 in Kuching.

Selangor $1,469
Kuching $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,918 in Selangor versus $1,904 in Kuching.

Selangor $1,918
Kuching $1,904

Living in Selangor is roughly 15% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$3.49 MYR 14.23

24.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$24.27 MYR 99.0

-20.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$4.91 MYR 20.04

-17.72%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.22 MYR 13.13

-29.81%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.81 MYR 3.30

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.35 MYR 1.44

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$4.71 MYR 19.23

-5.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$6.07 MYR 24.77

-18.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-18.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$1.21 MYR 4.92

-13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.18 MYR 4.83

29.66%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$2.43 MYR 9.90

-20.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$10.84 MYR 44.24

31.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$4.38 MYR 17.88

-0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$9.94 MYR 40.56

-3.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$3.27 MYR 13.34

5.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$1.34 MYR 5.48

37.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$1.85 MYR 7.56

-14.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$1.40 MYR 5.72

-4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-12.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.54 MYR 2.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$4.58 MYR 18.70

-1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-10.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$4.08 MYR 16.66

-12.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$5.19 MYR 21.17

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$0.59 MYR 2.39

101.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$12.46 MYR 50.8

-1.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.02 MYR 4.16

21.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$1.20 MYR 4.89

4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$8.61 MYR 35.14

-49.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$0.89 MYR 3.62

-17.98%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$42.1K MYR 171.5K

-0.35%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$36.8K MYR 149.9K

-4.09%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$35.97 MYR 147

76.15%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$10.25 MYR 41.81

-17.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$25.70 MYR 105

1.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$30.03 MYR 123

36.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$12.47 MYR 50.9

-44.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$4.83 MYR 19.70

4.55%

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

$122 MYR 499

$133 MYR 544

-8.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$7,106 MYR 29.0K

0.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$63.3 MYR 258

11.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$37.78 MYR 154

9.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$90.3 MYR 368

-14.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$65.9 MYR 269

25.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$364 MYR 1,484

40.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$243 MYR 990

42.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$657 MYR 2,679

33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$478 MYR 1,951

0.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$2,017 MYR 8,227

-21.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$1,507 MYR 6,148

-53.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$540 MYR 2,203

88.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.37

-9.38%

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

Last update for Selangor: 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

Selangor

$346 34%

Kuching

$243 27.4% 29.9% $104

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Kuching

$272 30.7% 2.2% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 5.5% $6.8

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Kuching

$122 13.7% 9.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Kuching

$72 8.1% 26.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 22.5% $11

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 11% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Selangor and $364 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Selangor pays 89% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Selangor vs $24.00 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $272 per month, with Selangor cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

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

Selangor Kuching 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
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

Selangor vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 89% higher in Selangor, 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: $511 in Selangor 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 $19.00 in Selangor. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,020 per month in Selangor 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 Selangor, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Selangor. 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 Selangor, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Selangor 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 Selangor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.