Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Kuching

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuching: $887 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $27,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kuching
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Kuching Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Kuching

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,182 in Sydney versus $887 in Kuching.

Sydney $3,182
Kuching $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,696 in Sydney versus $1,389 in Kuching.

Sydney $4,696
Kuching $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,210 in Sydney versus $1,892 in Kuching.

Sydney $6,210
Kuching $1,892

Living in Sydney is roughly 259% more expensive than in Kuching, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 137% above, Kuching is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.28

$3.33 MYR 13.60

430.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$24.53 MYR 100

295.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.09

$4.87 MYR 19.89

145.17%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.72

$3.17 MYR 12.93

26.18%

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

$2.84 A$4.06

$0.74 MYR 3.04

283.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.25

$0.36 MYR 1.47

530.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.29

$4.51 MYR 18.43

74.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.20

$6.16 MYR 25.15

15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$2.31 MYR 9.42

-28.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.00

$1.26 MYR 5.16

121.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.33

$1.15 MYR 4.68

101.74%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.92

$2.46 MYR 10.03

124.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.28

$10.95 MYR 44.72

10.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.09

$4.45 MYR 18.17

121.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.78

$9.90 MYR 40.42

67.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.76

$3.17 MYR 12.93

26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.51

$1.37 MYR 5.59

129.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.01

$2.40 MYR 9.80

45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.39

$1.82 MYR 7.42

145.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.76

$1.41 MYR 5.75

135.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.19 MYR 4.86

93.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$1.56 MYR 6.35

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.65

$0.54 MYR 2.22

112.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.4

$4.51 MYR 18.41

898.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$19.97

$21.59 MYR 88.2

-35.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.70

$4.06 MYR 16.58

-1.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.82

$5.19 MYR 21.19

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$0.58 MYR 2.37

444.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$12.36 MYR 50.5

1113.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.94

$1.00 MYR 4.09

245.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.24 MYR 5.06

31.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.2

$8.32 MYR 33.99

380.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.90 MYR 3.68

55.56%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$40.9K MYR 167.2K

-30.59%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$36.1K MYR 147.4K

-18.56%

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

$220 A$315

$35.18 MYR 144

525.04%

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

$27.70 A$39.64

$9.95 MYR 40.63

178.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.5

$25.26 MYR 103

119.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$106

$30.24 MYR 123

145.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.28

$12.38 MYR 50.6

93.46%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.37

$4.83 MYR 19.72

267.08%

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

$2,157 A$3,087

$135 MYR 551

1498.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.5K

$7,000 MYR 28.6K

304.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$112

$63.3 MYR 258

23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$37.67 MYR 154

87.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$90.2 MYR 368

23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$65.8 MYR 269

100.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,598

$360 MYR 1,471

597.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,478

$245 MYR 1,001

606.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$6,996

$647 MYR 2,642

655.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,349

$478 MYR 1,953

535.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$18.9K

$2,073 MYR 8,464

537.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.6K

$1,508 MYR 6,157

438.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,842

$530 MYR 2,165

669.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

4.37

33.64%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kuching: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Kuching

$245 27.8% 85.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Kuching

$271 30.7% 28.8% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Kuching

$70 8% 76.8% $233

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Kuching

$119 13.4% 60.4% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Kuching

$116 13.1% 34.5% $61

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Kuching

$22 2.5% 87.4% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Kuching

$40 4.5% 63.7% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,514 in Sydney and $360 in Kuching. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 670% 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: $97.0 in Sydney vs $25.00 in Kuching for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $271 per month, with Kuching cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇲🇾 Kuching

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

349,147

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sydney Kuching 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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

Sydney vs Kuching: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuching is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 259% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 670% higher in Sydney, 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: $2,514 in Sydney versus $360 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 $25.00 versus $97.0 in Sydney. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,182 per month in Sydney versus $887 in Kuching – a 259% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $887 in Kuching versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kuching but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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 Sydney, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sydney 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 259% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.