Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kajang, Selangor and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Kajang, Selangor: $925 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kajang, Selangor
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Kajang, Selangor Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$925

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $925
Petaling Jaya $1,056

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $1,569 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,410
Petaling Jaya $1,569

A family of three spends $1,895 per month in Kajang, Selangor vs $2,082 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Kajang, Selangor $1,895
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Kajang, Selangor is about 12% cheaper than Petaling Jaya.

Both Kajang, Selangor and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Kajang, Selangor 32% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.29

$3.57 MYR 14.48

5.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 MYR 73.6

$24.39 MYR 98.9

-25.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$4.85 MYR 19.67

-0.41%

Cappuccino

$2.86 MYR 11.58

$3.08 MYR 12.48

-7.14%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.19

$0.85 MYR 3.44

-7.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.85

$0.41 MYR 1.66

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MYR 18.17

$3.28 MYR 13.32

36.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 MYR 25.02

$5.69 MYR 23.09

8.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$1.93 MYR 7.83

-12.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.33

$1.03 MYR 4.20

3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.09

$1.44 MYR 5.84

4.17%

Eggs

$1.65 MYR 6.70

$1.77 MYR 7.18

-6.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.37 MYR 74.5

$9.71 MYR 39.39

89.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 MYR 18.05

$3.28 MYR 13.31

35.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.06 MYR 40.80

$9.73 MYR 39.48

3.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 MYR 13.91

$3.51 MYR 14.23

-2.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.84

$1.86 MYR 7.54

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.38

$2.73 MYR 11.08

-15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.13

$1.83 MYR 7.41

-17.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$2.15 MYR 8.71

-42.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.82

$2.02 MYR 8.19

-16.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.75

$1.45 MYR 5.88

-19.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$0.52 MYR 2.13

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.42

$4.56 MYR 18.51

-5.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 MYR 56.9

$19.38 MYR 78.6

-27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$2.64 MYR 10.70

13.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 MYR 12.23

$4.48 MYR 18.16

-32.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.04

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.39 MYR 50.3

$12.45 MYR 50.5

-0.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.08

$1.19 MYR 4.83

5.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$0.35 MYR 1.44

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 MYR 20.34

$8.75 MYR 35.50

-42.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.87 MYR 3.53

-6.90%

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

$43.4K MYR 176.2K

$45.9K MYR 186.1K

-5.31%

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

$35.4K MYR 143.8K

$35.3K MYR 143.3K

0.33%

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

$53.0 MYR 215

$49.61 MYR 201

6.75%

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

$9.61 MYR 38.99

$8.18 MYR 33.19

17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.69 MYR 104

$27.36 MYR 111

-6.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 MYR 171

$40.42 MYR 164

4.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 MYR 29.92

$3.03 MYR 12.29

143.56%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 MYR 19.91

$5.00 MYR 20.29

-1.80%

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

$234 MYR 951

$273 MYR 1,107

-14.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,442 MYR 18.0K

$10.5K MYR 42.7K

-57.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 MYR 218

$51.6 MYR 209

3.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 MYR 66.5

$29.45 MYR 119

-44.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 MYR 330

$78.0 MYR 317

4.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MYR 397

$87.2 MYR 354

12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,454

$511 MYR 2,075

-29.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,112

$426 MYR 1,730

-35.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 MYR 2,951

$961 MYR 3,897

-24.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 MYR 1,993

$699 MYR 2,837

-29.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,045 MYR 8,297

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

-34.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 MYR 4,285

$976 MYR 3,961

8.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,084

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 Kajang, Selangor: 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

Kajang, Selangor

$274 29.6%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 55.6% $152

Groceries & Markets

Kajang, Selangor

$259 28%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 3.8% $9.7

Eating Out

Kajang, Selangor

$119 12.8%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 4.9% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kajang, Selangor

$112 12.1%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 1.3% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kajang, Selangor

$88 9.6%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 3.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kajang, Selangor

$52 5.6%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 2.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Kajang, Selangor

$20 2.2%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Kajang, Selangor versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Kajang, Selangor versus $24 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Kajang, Selangor vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kajang, Selangor

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

Same time as Kajang, Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,047,356

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kajang, Selangor Petaling Jaya 20 km

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Kajang, Selangor
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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

Kajang, Selangor vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 14% more than Kajang, Selangor, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,387 per month in Kajang, Selangor and $1,583 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kajang, Selangor, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Kajang, Selangor and $24 in Petaling Jaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Petaling Jaya – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $925 in Kajang, Selangor and $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.