How walkable is Kota Kinabalu?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Kota Kinabalu has a walkability score of 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the 3rd most walkable of the 18 cities ranked in Malaysia.
What's within walking distance of the centre
1,462 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Kota Kinabalu. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping and coffee.
Groceries
- Giant Supermarket, 7 min
- Pick N Pay Express, 19 min
Restaurants & bars
- Mee Tauhu Corner, 5 min
- Asiarasa Cafe Citarasa Kampung, 6 min
Shopping
- HQ Nanostix Sabah, 4 min
- Cosway, 5 min
Coffee
- 友情记，Friendship Cafe, 7 min
- Drip @ Hilton Kota Kinabalu, 12 min
Banks
- Maybank Islamic, 13 min
- Maybank, 14 min
Parks
- Padang Merdeka, 17 min
- Taman Chong Thien Vun, 18 min
Schools
- SJK (C) Chung Hwa Kota Kinabalu, 13 min
- Tzu Yu Kindergarten, 13 min
Books & libraries
- Perpustakaan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu, 18 min
- Popular Book at Centre Point Sabah, 19 min
Culture & entertainment
- Muzium Tamadun Islam Sabah, 17 min
- Sabah Islamic Civilization Museum, 17 min
Further than usual
- The nearest bank is 13 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest park is 16 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
- The nearest cultural venue is 16 minutes from the centre on foot, against 4 minutes for the median city ranked.
Measured from the centre at 5.9710, 116.0792, the point near Kota Kinabalu's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 104 street intersections per km², and blocks average 90 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Kota Kinabalu's score of 70 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 85 within 1 km of the centre, 76 from 1 to 3 km out and 61 from 3 to 5 km out. 40 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 61% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Kota Kinabalu. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 88 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 85 | 86% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 76 | 63% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 61 | 52% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Miri, Malaysia | 290 km | 50 |
| Zamboanga City, Philippines | 672 km | 45 |
| Samarinda, Indonesia | 730 km | 57 |
Questions about walking in Kota Kinabalu
Is Kota Kinabalu a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Kota Kinabalu has a walkability score of 70 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 88. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks 3rd of 18 cities in Malaysia and joint 285th of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Malaysia?
Petaling Jaya is the most walkable of the 18 cities ranked in Malaysia, with a score of 80. Kota Kinabalu ranks 3rd with 70.
How does Kota Kinabalu compare with nearby cities?
Kota Kinabalu is more walkable than its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 70, against Miri (50, 290 km away), Zamboanga City (45, 672 km away) and Samarinda (57, 730 km away).
Which part of Kota Kinabalu is most walkable?
Kota Kinabalu's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 88. Walkability averages 85 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south (averaging 85) and falls most to the south-west (50).
How is Kota Kinabalu's walkability score calculated?
For Kota Kinabalu it is the average of 51 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 31 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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