Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setia Alam and Kuching

For one person, living costs are similar in Setia Alam and in Kuching: $913 and $886 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $913 in Setia Alam versus $886 in Kuching.

Setia Alam $913
Kuching $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Setia Alam versus $1,395 in Kuching.

Setia Alam $1,358
Kuching $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,803 in Setia Alam versus $1,904 in Kuching.

Setia Alam $1,803
Kuching $1,904

Living in Setia Alam is roughly 3% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Setia Alam 32% lower, Kuching 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$3.49 MYR 14.23

37.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 MYR 100

$24.27 MYR 99.0

1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.22

$4.91 MYR 20.04

1.02%

Cappuccino

$2.76 MYR 11.27

$3.22 MYR 13.13

-14.29%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.81 MYR 3.30

-2.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.35 MYR 1.44

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

$4.71 MYR 19.23

-8.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MYR 24.50

$6.07 MYR 24.77

-0.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-37.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$1.21 MYR 4.92

-40.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$2.43 MYR 9.90

-50.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$10.84 MYR 44.24

27.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$4.38 MYR 17.88

-44.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$9.94 MYR 40.56

-75.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$3.27 MYR 13.34

-62.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$1.34 MYR 5.48

36.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-49.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.85 MYR 7.56

-35.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.40 MYR 5.72

-49.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.18 MYR 4.83

-37.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.62 MYR 6.61

-56.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$0.54 MYR 2.22

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$4.58 MYR 18.70

-5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.60 MYR 80.0

$21.82 MYR 89.0

-10.17%

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 19.84

$5.19 MYR 21.17

-6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$0.59 MYR 2.39

28.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$12.46 MYR 50.8

-1.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.02 MYR 4.16

21.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$1.20 MYR 4.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 MYR 19.49

$8.61 MYR 35.14

-44.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.89 MYR 3.62

-46.07%

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

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

$42.1K MYR 171.5K

-6.82%

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

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

$36.8K MYR 149.9K

-10.14%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$35.97 MYR 147

70.06%

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

$8.52 MYR 34.77

$10.25 MYR 41.81

-16.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MYR 106

$25.70 MYR 105

1.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.73 MYR 203

$30.03 MYR 123

65.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 MYR 28.44

$12.47 MYR 50.9

-44.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MYR 20.82

$4.83 MYR 19.70

5.59%

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

$135 MYR 551

$133 MYR 544

1.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

$7,106 MYR 29.0K

10.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MYR 296

$63.3 MYR 258

14.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 MYR 111

$37.78 MYR 154

-27.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.8 MYR 220

$90.3 MYR 368

-40.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.56 MYR 149

$65.9 MYR 269

-44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 MYR 2,160

$364 MYR 1,484

45.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 MYR 1,319

$243 MYR 990

33.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 MYR 3,562

$657 MYR 2,679

32.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 MYR 2,238

$478 MYR 1,951

14.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 MYR 8,128

$2,017 MYR 8,227

-1.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 MYR 4,498

$1,507 MYR 6,148

-26.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,143 MYR 4,663

$540 MYR 2,203

111.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

-8.47%

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

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setia Alam

$323 35.4%

Kuching

$243 27.4% 24.9% $81

Groceries & Markets

Setia Alam

$200 21.9%

Kuching

$272 30.7% 36% $72

Eating Out

Setia Alam

$125 13.7%

Kuching

$122 13.7% 2.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setia Alam

$96 10.5%

Kuching

$72 8.1% 24.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Setia Alam

$86 9.4%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 35.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Setia Alam

$60 6.6%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 33.8% $20

Getting Around

Setia Alam

$23 2.5%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 3.2% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Setia Alam and $364 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Setia Alam pays 112% 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: $25.00 in Setia Alam vs $24.00 in Kuching. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $272, with Setia Alam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

23:51 11:51 PM

Same time as Setia Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

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

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Highest

Between locations

Setia Alam Kuching 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Setia Alam
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

Setia Alam vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 112% higher in Setia Alam, 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: $529 in Setia Alam 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $913 per month in Setia Alam versus $886 in Kuching – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Kuching versus $913 in Setia Alam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Setia Alam. 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 Setia Alam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Setia Alam 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 3% less than in Setia Alam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.