Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Malaysia and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $952 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in George Town and in Petaling Jaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in George Town versus $1,056 in Petaling Jaya.

George Town $952
Petaling Jaya $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,558 in George Town versus $1,569 in Petaling Jaya.

George Town $1,558
Petaling Jaya $1,569

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,164 in George Town versus $2,082 in Petaling Jaya.

George Town $2,164
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Living in George Town costs roughly 10% less than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: George Town 30% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 MYR 14.01

$3.57 MYR 14.47

-3.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.45 MYR 62.6

$24.39 MYR 98.9

-36.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 MYR 18.97

$4.85 MYR 19.66

-3.51%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MYR 11.15

$3.08 MYR 12.47

-10.71%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$0.85 MYR 3.44

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$0.41 MYR 1.66

-14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 MYR 10.03

$3.28 MYR 13.31

-24.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 17.93

$5.69 MYR 23.07

-22.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.58

$1.93 MYR 7.83

-3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.25

$1.03 MYR 4.19

1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.01

$1.44 MYR 5.84

20.14%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 8.99

$1.77 MYR 7.17

25.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.4

$9.71 MYR 39.36

40.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$3.28 MYR 13.30

36.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.26

$9.73 MYR 39.45

-10.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.48

$3.51 MYR 14.22

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.86 MYR 7.53

-21.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$2.73 MYR 11.08

-18.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.83 MYR 7.40

-34.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MYR 3.71

$2.15 MYR 8.70

-57.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$2.02 MYR 8.19

-57.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MYR 3.02

$1.45 MYR 5.87

-48.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$0.52 MYR 2.13

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 MYR 18.55

$4.56 MYR 18.50

0.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 MYR 76.4

$19.38 MYR 78.6

-2.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.77

$2.64 MYR 10.69

-8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.45

$4.48 MYR 18.14

-20.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$1.25 MYR 5.07

-62.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.01 MYR 48.70

$12.45 MYR 50.5

-3.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$1.19 MYR 4.82

3.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.05

$0.35 MYR 1.44

45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MYR 26.49

$8.75 MYR 35.47

-25.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$0.87 MYR 3.53

-5.75%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

-0.72%

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

$34.6K MYR 140.4K

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

-1.96%

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

$36.85 MYR 149

$49.61 MYR 201

-25.72%

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

$8.05 MYR 32.62

$8.18 MYR 33.16

-1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.38 MYR 115

$27.36 MYR 111

3.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 MYR 164

$40.42 MYR 164

-0.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.03 MYR 20.38

$3.03 MYR 12.28

66.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MYR 18.31

$5.00 MYR 20.28

-9.60%

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

$168 MYR 683

$273 MYR 1,106

-38.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

-52.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 216

$51.6 MYR 209

3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 MYR 141

$29.45 MYR 119

18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 MYR 298

$78.0 MYR 316

-5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 287

$87.2 MYR 353

-18.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 MYR 2,874

$511 MYR 2,073

38.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,485

$426 MYR 1,729

-14.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 MYR 4,475

$961 MYR 3,894

14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 MYR 3,666

$699 MYR 2,835

29.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,958

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 MYR 4,285

$1,746 MYR 7,079

-39.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

4.51

-10.42%

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

Last update for George Town: October 26, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$366 38.5%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 16.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$241 25.3%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 3.5% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$105 11%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 6% $6.3

Eating Out

George Town

$100 10.5%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 12.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$73 7.7%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 16.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$49 5.2%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 2.1% $1

Getting Around

George Town

$18 1.9%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 15.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $709 in George Town and $511 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in George Town vs $24 in Petaling Jaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $249 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

Same time as George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

George Town Petaling Jaya 300 km

From you

George Town
Petaling Jaya

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

George Town vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in George Town. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $709 in George Town versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 4% less than in Petaling Jaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $168 in George Town versus $273 in Petaling Jaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, George Town and Petaling Jaya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – George Town wins on affordability, Petaling Jaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.