Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living costs are similar in Johor Bahru and in Petaling Jaya: $1,080 and $1,056 a month, rent and utilities included.

52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johor Bahru 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 Johor Bahru and in Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,080 in Johor Bahru versus $1,056 in Petaling Jaya.

Johor Bahru $1,080
Petaling Jaya $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,611 in Johor Bahru versus $1,569 in Petaling Jaya.

Johor Bahru $1,611
Petaling Jaya $1,569

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,141 in Johor Bahru versus $2,082 in Petaling Jaya.

Johor Bahru $2,141
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Monthly costs are close between Johor Bahru and Petaling Jaya; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Johor Bahru 21% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.53

$3.57 MYR 14.54

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.54 MYR 75.5

$24.39 MYR 99.4

-23.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 MYR 20.49

$4.85 MYR 19.75

3.71%

Cappuccino

$3.00 MYR 12.21

$3.08 MYR 12.53

-2.60%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$0.85 MYR 3.46

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.30

$0.41 MYR 1.67

36.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 MYR 18.50

$3.28 MYR 13.38

38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 MYR 25.53

$5.69 MYR 23.19

10.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.92

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-11.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.28

$1.03 MYR 4.21

1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.77

$1.44 MYR 5.87

-1.39%

Eggs

$1.73 MYR 7.04

$1.77 MYR 7.21

-2.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 MYR 74.3

$9.71 MYR 39.55

87.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 MYR 18.62

$3.28 MYR 13.36

39.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.51 MYR 42.80

$9.73 MYR 39.65

8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$3.51 MYR 14.29

-6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.86 MYR 7.57

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 MYR 15.94

$2.73 MYR 11.13

43.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.68

$1.83 MYR 7.44

-10.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MYR 5.73

$2.15 MYR 8.75

-34.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.71

$2.02 MYR 8.23

-18.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.56

$1.45 MYR 5.90

-5.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.26

$0.52 MYR 2.14

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.06

$4.56 MYR 18.59

-8.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 MYR 57.9

$19.38 MYR 79.0

-26.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.91

$2.64 MYR 10.75

10.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$4.48 MYR 18.23

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-44.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.36 MYR 50.4

$12.45 MYR 50.7

-0.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-21.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MYR 3.07

$0.35 MYR 1.44

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 MYR 40.54

$8.75 MYR 35.65

13.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 MYR 3.37

$0.87 MYR 3.55

-4.60%

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

$43.9K MYR 178.7K

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

-4.36%

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

$35.7K MYR 145.6K

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

1.16%

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

$52.7 MYR 215

$49.61 MYR 202

6.17%

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

$11.01 MYR 44.86

$8.18 MYR 33.33

34.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.28 MYR 115

$27.36 MYR 111

3.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.28 MYR 168

$40.42 MYR 165

2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 MYR 23.61

$3.03 MYR 12.34

91.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$5.00 MYR 20.38

-3.80%

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

$239 MYR 975

$273 MYR 1,111

-12.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,518 MYR 18.4K

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

-57.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 MYR 222

$51.6 MYR 210

5.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 MYR 67.3

$29.45 MYR 120

-43.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 MYR 331

$78.0 MYR 318

4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.3 MYR 400

$87.2 MYR 355

12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 MYR 2,132

$511 MYR 2,084

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 MYR 1,693

$426 MYR 1,737

-2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 MYR 4,004

$961 MYR 3,913

2.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,881

$699 MYR 2,849

1.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,002 MYR 8,154

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

-36.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 MYR 4,944

$976 MYR 3,978

24.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 MYR 4,382

$1,746 MYR 7,114

-38.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.51

-9.98%

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

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 2.6% $11

Groceries & Markets

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 7.1% $19

Eating Out

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 6.3% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 1.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 7.4% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 0.9% $0.5

Getting Around

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 2.8% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $523 in Johor Bahru and $511 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Johor Bahru vs $24 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $249, with Petaling Jaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

Same time as Johor Bahru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

858,118

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Johor Bahru Petaling Jaya 300 km

From you

Johor Bahru
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

Johor Bahru vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Johor Bahru. 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: $523 in Johor Bahru versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $239 in Johor Bahru versus $273 in Petaling Jaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Johor Bahru. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Petaling Jaya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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