Budget in Kuching (Sarawak)
Part of the Kuching (Sarawak) travel guide — see every topic in All Kuching (Sarawak) Guides.
Kuching is one of the better-value cities in Malaysia. Heritage shophouse hostels start at thirty-five ringgit, a bowl of Sarawak laksa is eight to fourteen, and the city is small enough to walk. What costs money is getting out of it: the excursions to Semenggoh, Bako, the longhouses and the parks, which involve transport, boats, park fees and often a guide. A backpacker manages on 90–150 ringgit a day; a comfortable trip with daily excursions runs 350–700.
Accommodation and food
Hostels 35–80 ringgit; boutique shophouse hotels 120–350; riverside four-stars 250–600; Damai resorts 250–700. Food: Sarawak laksa or kolo mee 8–14 ringgit; a coffee-shop meal 10–20; a mid-range restaurant main 25–60; a good dinner with drinks 80–150. Eating at Chinatown coffee shops and the waterfront night market runs 35–60 ringgit for a full day, and that is where the best food is anyway.
Excursions
Semenggoh: entry is a small park fee, plus Grab at 30–50 each way, or a tour at 80–150. Bako: bus or Grab to the village, a park fee, and a boat priced per vessel — share it. A Santubong evening cruise for dolphins and fireflies is 150–250. A Gunung Gading Rafflesia trip is 200–350. A one-night Iban longhouse package is 400–1,200 per person including transport, boat, food and guide. Two or three of these fill a four-day trip and dominate the budget.
Transport
Flights from Kuala Lumpur are 150–500 ringgit each way depending on booking. Airport to city is 20–35 by Grab. Within the city, Grab is 8–25 and the tambang river boats are one or two ringgit. Buses are cheap and slow. Car hire is 120–220 a day and only worth it for Gunung Gading or a wider Sarawak drive. Kuching itself costs almost nothing to get around, which is one of the reasons it is such good value.
Where to save
Eat at Chinatown coffee shops for breakfast, which is when Sarawak's best food is served anyway. Share Bako boats and longhouse packages — both are priced per boat or per group. Take Grab to Semenggoh rather than a tour if there are two of you. Book park accommodation directly with Sarawak Forestry. And note that almost all of Kuching's city sightseeing — the waterfront, the old streets, the kampungs, the river crossing — costs essentially nothing.
Budget at a glance
| Backpacker day | RM 90–150 |
|---|---|
| Comfortable day | RM 350–700 with excursions |
| Sarawak laksa | RM 8–14 |
| Hostel / boutique | RM 35–80 / RM 120–350 |
| Biggest variable | Excursions — longhouse RM 400–1,200 per person |
| Nearly free | The whole old town, waterfront and river crossing |