Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sentul and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $869 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
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Sentul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$869

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $869 in Sentul versus $972 in Kuching.

Sentul $869
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,351 in Sentul versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Sentul $1,351
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,833 in Sentul versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Sentul $1,833
Kuching $2,070

Living in Sentul costs roughly 11% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sentul 36% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.63

$3.37 MYR 13.79

6.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 MYR 90.0

$24.51 MYR 100

-10.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 MYR 19.40

$4.90 MYR 20.04

-3.06%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MYR 11.97

$3.19 MYR 13.05

-8.15%

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

$0.82 MYR 3.36

$0.78 MYR 3.20

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.38 MYR 1.56

34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 MYR 13.37

$4.61 MYR 18.84

-29.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 MYR 23.78

$5.96 MYR 24.38

-2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.05

$2.39 MYR 9.77

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.17

$1.19 MYR 4.88

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$1.19 MYR 4.86

21.01%

Eggs

$1.73 MYR 7.08

$2.38 MYR 9.71

-27.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 MYR 39.92

$10.99 MYR 44.91

-11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 MYR 13.70

$4.34 MYR 17.73

-22.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MYR 39.59

$10.00 MYR 40.86

-3.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 MYR 13.50

$3.17 MYR 12.96

4.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.84

$1.32 MYR 5.40

26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 MYR 11.18

$2.52 MYR 10.31

8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 MYR 6.54

$1.78 MYR 7.28

-10.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.80

$1.38 MYR 5.65

2.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.85

$1.19 MYR 4.85

41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 MYR 5.45

$1.61 MYR 6.59

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.71

$4.76 MYR 19.43

-9.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 MYR 57.1

$22.25 MYR 90.9

-37.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.92

$4.13 MYR 16.86

-35.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 MYR 12.42

$5.06 MYR 20.66

-39.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 MYR 3.43

$0.36 MYR 1.47

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.5

$7.48 MYR 30.57

65.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.16

$0.97 MYR 3.96

5.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.57

$1.23 MYR 5.03

-69.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 MYR 36.41

$8.82 MYR 36.03

1.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-14.89%

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

$43.9K MYR 179.5K

$45.9K MYR 187.7K

-4.39%

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

$35.2K MYR 144.0K

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-2.31%

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

$48.67 MYR 199

$35.63 MYR 146

36.60%

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

$8.10 MYR 33.09

$10.19 MYR 41.65

-20.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.45 MYR 108

$25.50 MYR 104

3.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.55 MYR 158

$33.85 MYR 138

13.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.36 MYR 30.09

$12.26 MYR 50.1

-39.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 MYR 19.85

$4.87 MYR 19.91

-0.21%

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

$234 MYR 956

$135 MYR 552

73.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,527 MYR 18.5K

$7,150 MYR 29.2K

-36.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 MYR 212

$64.1 MYR 262

-18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.61 MYR 67.9

$37.52 MYR 153

-55.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 MYR 321

$90.0 MYR 368

-12.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 MYR 350

$64.6 MYR 264

32.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,741

$469 MYR 1,917

-9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,125

$334 MYR 1,365

-17.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 MYR 3,372

$834 MYR 3,410

-1.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 MYR 2,158

$654 MYR 2,675

-19.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 MYR 8,294

$2,053 MYR 8,390

-1.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 MYR 4,807

$1,534 MYR 6,267

-23.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$872 MYR 3,563

$535 MYR 2,188

62.82%

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 Sentul: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sentul

$275 31.7%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 21.3% $59

Groceries & Markets

Sentul

$228 26.2%

Kuching

$272 28% 19.7% $45

Eating Out

Sentul

$111 12.8%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 7.4% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sentul

$105 12.1%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sentul

$83 9.6%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 14.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sentul

$48 5.6%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 9.7% $4.7

Getting Around

Sentul

$19 2.2%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 14% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Sentul and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sentul pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22 in Sentul vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $272 per month, with Sentul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sentul

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

Same time as Sentul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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

Sentul Kuching 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sentul
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

Sentul vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sentul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 63% higher in Sentul, 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: $426 in Sentul versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sentul – a meal for two runs $22 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $869 per month in Sentul versus $972 in Kuching – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sentul is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Sentul 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.