Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kuching vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Kuching is 0.5% cheaper than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 5.9% more in Kuching
Groceries
pay 17.6% more in Kuching
Transportation
pay 38.9% more in Kuching
Housing
pay 14.6% less in Kuching
Childcare
pay 75.7% less in Kuching
Entertainment and Sports
pay 32.2% more in Kuching
Clothing
pay 7.6% less in Kuching

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Kuching are more expensive than in Beijing. Expenses including childcare, housing, and clothing are lower in Kuching.

Kuching vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kuching instead of Beijing, you would:

pay 5.9% more for restaurants

 
Beijing
Kuching
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.74
$2.84
MYR11.69
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥34.69
$4.74
MYR19.48
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.39
$0.75
MYR3.08

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pay 17.6% more for groceries

 
Beijing
Kuching
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥12.07
$1.18
MYR4.84
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥52.80
$4.92
MYR20.21
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥46.96
$7.89
MYR32.45

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pay 38.9% more for transportation

 
Beijing
Kuching
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.77
$1.84
MYR7.56
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥223.02
$11.85
MYR48.71
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥128,857.25
$45,319.91
MYR186,310.13

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pay 14.6% less for housing

 
Beijing
Kuching
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥91.43
$25.28
MYR103.91
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,612.19
$267.58
MYR1,100.00
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,566.20
$203.40
MYR836.16

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pay 75.7% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Kuching
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥5,025.17
$138.86
MYR570.86
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥164,328.40
$6,793.05
MYR27,926.22

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pay 32.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Kuching
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.93
$3.79
MYR15.59
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.52
$3.18
MYR13.07
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.74
$4.27
MYR17.54

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pay 7.6% less for clothing

 
Beijing
Kuching
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥440.46
$66.02
MYR271.40
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥257.16
$31.99
MYR131.51
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥577.91
$87.06
MYR357.91

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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