Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ampang Jaya and Calamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Ampang Jaya
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Ampang Jaya Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index

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Ampang Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ampang Jaya and in Calamba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ampang Jaya and in Calamba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,009 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $518 in Calamba, rent included.

Ampang Jaya $1,009
Calamba $518

A couple spends around $1,506 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $764 in Calamba, rent included.

Ampang Jaya $1,506
Calamba $764

A family of three spends $2,003 per month in Ampang Jaya vs $1,010 in Calamba, rent included.

Ampang Jaya $2,003
Calamba $1,010

Ampang Jaya costs about 95% more than Calamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ampang Jaya and Calamba are more affordable than the global median – Ampang Jaya 25% lower, Calamba 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 MYR 15.07

$3.92 ₱247

-5.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.43 MYR 99.6

$12.02 ₱757

103.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 MYR 20.19

$2.82 ₱178

75.53%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MYR 12.48

$1.79 ₱113

70.95%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.79

$0.56 ₱35.44

66.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.26

$0.33 ₱21.06

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 MYR 17.82

$0.94 ₱59.5

364.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 MYR 26.19

$1.55 ₱97.7

314.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.10

$1.60 ₱101

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.41

$1.11 ₱70.1

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.10

$0.97 ₱61.0

54.64%

Eggs

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$2.00 ₱126

-12.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 MYR 40.76

$5.20 ₱327

92.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.16

$3.40 ₱214

2.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 MYR 40.42

$7.80 ₱491

27.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 MYR 13.73

$2.31 ₱145

45.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.91

$1.54 ₱96.9

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 MYR 13.09

$2.40 ₱151

33.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.62

$1.06 ₱66.9

52.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.83

$1.73 ₱109

-17.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$1.78 ₱112

-3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MYR 5.61

$0.61 ₱38.68

126.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.49 ₱31.10

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.51

$2.92 ₱184

55.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 MYR 80.5

$8.87 ₱558

122.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 MYR 11.61

$0.96 ₱60.3

196.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 MYR 18.70

$2.10 ₱132

118.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 MYR 4.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.59 MYR 79.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$0.82 ₱51.9

52.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.25 ₱15.75

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 MYR 25.33

$1.88 ₱119

230.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.93 ₱58.7

-6.45%

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

$42.5K MYR 173.4K

$21.1K ₱1.3M

101.10%

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

$34.6K MYR 141.0K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

81.74%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$139 ₱8,759

-64.85%

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

$11.23 MYR 45.79

$17.36 ₱1,093

-35.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.37 MYR 116

$23.85 ₱1,502

18.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.16 MYR 148

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.54 MYR 30.76

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 MYR 20.54

$5.04 ₱317

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

$193 MYR 786

$130 ₱8,193

48.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,453 MYR 18.2K

$10.6K ₱668.9K

-58.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 217

$28.54 ₱1,797

86.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.19 MYR 123

$19.73 ₱1,242

53.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$71.0 ₱4,468

14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 MYR 353

$55.3 ₱3,482

56.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$436 MYR 1,780

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 MYR 1,484

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 MYR 6,083

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 MYR 2,407

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$836 MYR 3,412

$260 ₱16.4K

221.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.75

-33.19%

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

Last update for Ampang Jaya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ampang Jaya

$364 36.1%

Calamba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ampang Jaya

$249 24.7%

Calamba

$175 33.7% 29.8% $74

Eating Out

Ampang Jaya

$122 12.1%

Calamba

$73 14% 40.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Ampang Jaya

$113 11.2%

Calamba

$79 15.2% 30.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ampang Jaya

$88 8.8%

Calamba

$180 34.8% 104% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Ampang Jaya

$46 4.6%

Calamba

$10 * 1.9% 78.2% $36

Getting Around

Ampang Jaya

$27 2.6%

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4% 92.2% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 222% higher in Ampang Jaya, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Ampang Jaya versus $12.00 in Calamba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $175 – making Calamba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Ampang Jaya

🇵🇭 Calamba

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

Same time as Ampang Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

531,904

539,671

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ampang Jaya Calamba 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ampang Jaya
Calamba

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

Ampang Jaya vs Calamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,009 in Ampang Jaya, $518 in Calamba – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,513 per month in Ampang Jaya and $777 in Calamba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Ampang Jaya and $12.00 in Calamba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Ampang Jaya, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Calamba, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Ampang Jaya at $1,009. In Calamba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ampang Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calamba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Calamba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ampang Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.