Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skudai and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $972 in Kuching, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
Learn more

Skudai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
Learn more

Kuching Living Index

Jump to prices

Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $900 in Skudai versus $972 in Kuching.

Skudai $900
Kuching $972

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,370 in Skudai versus $1,521 in Kuching.

Skudai $1,370
Kuching $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,840 in Skudai versus $2,070 in Kuching.

Skudai $1,840
Kuching $2,070

Living in Skudai costs roughly 7% less than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Skudai 34% lower, Kuching 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 MYR 14.82

$3.37 MYR 13.79

7.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.25 MYR 74.5

$24.51 MYR 100

-25.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 20.03

Cappuccino

$2.87 MYR 11.72

$3.19 MYR 13.04

-10.03%

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

$0.83 MYR 3.39

$0.78 MYR 3.20

6.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.38 MYR 1.56

18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.61

$4.61 MYR 18.83

-27.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 MYR 22.95

$5.96 MYR 24.37

-5.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$2.39 MYR 9.77

-27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.18

$1.19 MYR 4.88

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.06

$1.19 MYR 4.86

24.37%

Eggs

$1.66 MYR 6.78

$2.38 MYR 9.71

-30.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 MYR 39.40

$10.99 MYR 44.89

-12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 13.07

$4.34 MYR 17.72

-26.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 MYR 39.24

$10.00 MYR 40.84

-3.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 MYR 13.96

$3.17 MYR 12.96

7.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$1.32 MYR 5.40

28.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.68

$2.52 MYR 10.31

3.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.68

$1.78 MYR 7.27

-7.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.74

$1.38 MYR 5.65

2.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.08

$1.19 MYR 4.85

45.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.59

$1.61 MYR 6.58

-14.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.55 MYR 2.23

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 17.48

$4.76 MYR 19.42

-10.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 MYR 56.5

$22.25 MYR 90.9

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 MYR 11.18

$4.13 MYR 16.86

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.21

$5.06 MYR 20.65

-40.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MYR 3.40

$0.36 MYR 1.47

130.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.95 MYR 44.74

$7.48 MYR 30.55

46.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 MYR 4.13

$0.97 MYR 3.96

4.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 MYR 1.46

$1.23 MYR 5.02

-70.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.03 MYR 36.89

$8.82 MYR 36.01

2.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 MYR 3.50

$0.94 MYR 3.84

-8.51%

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

$44.3K MYR 180.8K

$45.9K MYR 187.6K

-3.63%

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

$36.0K MYR 147.1K

$36.1K MYR 147.3K

-0.15%

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

$48.79 MYR 199

$35.63 MYR 146

36.94%

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

$8.16 MYR 33.35

$10.19 MYR 41.63

-19.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.88 MYR 110

$25.50 MYR 104

5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.95 MYR 151

$33.85 MYR 138

9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.55 MYR 30.84

$12.26 MYR 50.1

-38.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MYR 20.16

$4.87 MYR 19.90

1.23%

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

$235 MYR 961

$135 MYR 552

74.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,393 MYR 17.9K

$7,150 MYR 29.2K

-38.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 MYR 206

$64.1 MYR 262

-21.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 MYR 67.9

$37.52 MYR 153

-55.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 316

$90.0 MYR 367

-14.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 MYR 349

$64.6 MYR 264

32.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 MYR 1,460

$469 MYR 1,916

-23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 MYR 1,269

$334 MYR 1,365

-6.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 MYR 2,657

$834 MYR 3,408

-22.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 MYR 2,308

$654 MYR 2,673

-13.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,956 MYR 7,990

$2,053 MYR 8,386

-4.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,161 MYR 4,742

$1,534 MYR 6,264

-24.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$535 MYR 2,187

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 Skudai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skudai

$311 34.5%

Kuching

$334 34.4% 7.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Skudai

$226 25.2%

Kuching

$272 28% 20.2% $46

Eating Out

Skudai

$111 12.4%

Kuching

$120 12.3% 7.6% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Skudai

$103 11.5%

Kuching

$115 11.9% 11.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skudai

$84 9.3%

Kuching

$71 7.3% 14.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Skudai

$47 5.2%

Kuching

$44 4.5% 6.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Skudai

$17 1.9%

Kuching

$16 1.7% 6% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $357 in Skudai and $469 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18 in Skudai vs $25 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $272 per month, with Skudai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Skudai

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

Same time as Skudai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,733

349,147

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Skudai Kuching 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Skudai
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

Skudai vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skudai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,349 in Skudai and $1,458 in Kuching to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $357 in Skudai versus $469 in Kuching. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Skudai – a meal for two runs $18 versus $25 in Kuching. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $900 per month in Skudai versus $972 in Kuching – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Skudai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Skudai 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.