Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kangar, Perlis and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Kangar, Perlis: $927 a month against $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kangar, Perlis
Learn more

Kangar, Perlis Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
Learn more

Petaling Jaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $927 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $927
Petaling Jaya $1,094

A couple spends around $1,421 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $1,589 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $1,421
Petaling Jaya $1,589

A family of three spends $1,916 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $2,083 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $1,916
Petaling Jaya $2,083

Kangar, Perlis is about 15% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Kangar, Perlis and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Kangar, Perlis 31% lower, Petaling Jaya 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 MYR 15.00

$3.64 MYR 14.77

1.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.24 MYR 78.0

$24.78 MYR 101

-22.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 MYR 19.12

$5.00 MYR 20.27

-5.80%

Cappuccino

$2.94 MYR 11.93

$3.02 MYR 12.26

-2.65%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$0.85 MYR 3.45

-12.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.58

$0.45 MYR 1.81

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 MYR 15.74

$3.28 MYR 13.29

18.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 17.99

$5.71 MYR 23.18

-22.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 MYR 7.51

$1.95 MYR 7.92

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.40

$1.07 MYR 4.36

0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.75

$1.43 MYR 5.79

-0.70%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.04

$1.85 MYR 7.50

20.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.4

$9.87 MYR 40.02

38.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$3.33 MYR 13.51

31.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 MYR 39.07

$9.80 MYR 39.77

-1.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 MYR 12.89

$3.59 MYR 14.56

-11.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.71

$1.91 MYR 7.76

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 MYR 9.98

$2.63 MYR 10.68

-6.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MYR 6.42

$1.74 MYR 7.06

-9.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.20

$2.14 MYR 8.69

-40.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$2.04 MYR 8.29

-32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.54

$1.44 MYR 5.84

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.53 MYR 2.14

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.42

$4.50 MYR 18.26

-4.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.78 MYR 76.2

$20.01 MYR 81.2

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.87

$2.67 MYR 10.83

9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MYR 18.78

$4.49 MYR 18.22

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$1.22 MYR 4.93

-39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.05 MYR 48.90

$12.31 MYR 49.94

-2.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.85

$1.02 MYR 4.15

17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 MYR 2.17

$0.35 MYR 1.44

54.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 MYR 28.91

$9.04 MYR 36.66

-21.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.82 MYR 3.34

-4.88%

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

$44.1K MYR 178.8K

$45.1K MYR 183.0K

-2.30%

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

$35.4K MYR 143.8K

$35.0K MYR 142.1K

1.19%

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

$48.94 MYR 199

$50.3 MYR 204

-2.61%

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

$9.52 MYR 38.63

$7.57 MYR 30.72

25.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.21 MYR 114

$26.54 MYR 108

6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.14 MYR 151

$47.38 MYR 192

-21.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.40 MYR 25.96

$3.12 MYR 12.66

105.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 19.31

$4.84 MYR 19.62

-1.65%

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

$239 MYR 969

$280 MYR 1,135

-14.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,932 MYR 28.1K

$20.6K MYR 83.6K

-66.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MYR 225

$52.6 MYR 213

5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.80 MYR 141

$29.69 MYR 120

17.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 MYR 328

$76.6 MYR 311

5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.2 MYR 305

$87.3 MYR 354

-13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 MYR 1,690

$519 MYR 2,105

-19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 MYR 1,190

$456 MYR 1,848

-35.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,888

$931 MYR 3,778

-23.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 MYR 2,220

$680 MYR 2,759

-19.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,995 MYR 8,093

$3,129 MYR 12.7K

-36.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,178 MYR 4,780

$972 MYR 3,944

21.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,082

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 Kangar, Perlis: November 2, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kangar, Perlis

$293 31.7%

Petaling Jaya

$456 41.7% 55.3% $162

Groceries & Markets

Kangar, Perlis

$258 27.9%

Petaling Jaya

$253 23.1% 2.3% $5.8

Eating Out

Kangar, Perlis

$112 12.1%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.4% 1.4% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kangar, Perlis

$111 12%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.1% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kangar, Perlis

$87 9.4%

Petaling Jaya

$84 7.7% 2.6% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kangar, Perlis

$47 5%

Petaling Jaya

$57 5.2% 22.3% $10

Getting Around

Kangar, Perlis

$19 2%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.8% 5.7% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $417 in Kangar, Perlis versus $519 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 $19 in Kangar, Perlis versus $25 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Kangar, Perlis vs $253 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

Same time as Kangar, Perlis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

284,853

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kangar, Perlis Petaling Jaya 400 km

From you

Kangar, Perlis
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

Kangar, Perlis vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $927 in Kangar, Perlis, $1,094 in Petaling Jaya – Kangar, Perlis comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,390 per month in Kangar, Perlis and $1,641 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kangar, Perlis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $417 there versus $519 in Petaling Jaya.

Kindergarten costs $239 per month in Kangar, Perlis and $280 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $927 in Kangar, Perlis and $1,094 in Petaling Jaya. That makes Kangar, Perlis about 15% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Kangar, Perlis – 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.