Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $917 a month against $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
Learn more

Kedah Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
Learn more

Petaling Jaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $917 in Kedah versus $1,094 in Petaling Jaya.

Kedah $917
Petaling Jaya $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,398 in Kedah versus $1,589 in Petaling Jaya.

Kedah $1,398
Petaling Jaya $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,878 in Kedah versus $2,083 in Petaling Jaya.

Kedah $1,878
Petaling Jaya $2,083

Living in Kedah costs roughly 16% less than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kedah 32% lower, Petaling Jaya 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.50

$3.64 MYR 14.72

-1.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.05 MYR 48.75

$24.78 MYR 100

-51.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 MYR 18.38

$5.00 MYR 20.21

-9.00%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.21

$3.02 MYR 12.22

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

$0.77 MYR 3.11

$0.85 MYR 3.44

-9.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.48

$0.45 MYR 1.80

-17.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 MYR 17.08

$3.28 MYR 13.25

28.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MYR 18.07

$5.71 MYR 23.11

-21.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.50

$1.95 MYR 7.89

-4.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.24

$1.07 MYR 4.35

-1.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.82

$1.43 MYR 5.77

18.18%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 9.13

$1.85 MYR 7.47

22.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 MYR 55.9

$9.87 MYR 39.90

39.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.28 MYR 17.33

$3.33 MYR 13.47

28.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.53 MYR 34.49

$9.80 MYR 39.64

-12.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MYR 11.80

$3.59 MYR 14.52

-18.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MYR 6.87

$1.91 MYR 7.73

-10.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.03

$2.63 MYR 10.65

3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.63

$1.74 MYR 7.04

-20.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.43

$2.14 MYR 8.67

-48.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 MYR 4.35

$2.04 MYR 8.27

-47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MYR 4.62

$1.44 MYR 5.82

-20.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.31

$0.53 MYR 2.13

7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MYR 18.04

$4.50 MYR 18.20

-0.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.31 MYR 78.1

$20.01 MYR 80.9

-3.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.82

$2.67 MYR 10.80

9.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 MYR 20.80

$4.49 MYR 18.17

14.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$1.22 MYR 4.91

-39.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.42 MYR 50.2

$12.31 MYR 49.79

0.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 MYR 6.86

$1.02 MYR 4.13

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.35 MYR 1.43

8.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 MYR 30.27

$9.04 MYR 36.55

-17.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 MYR 2.39

$0.82 MYR 3.33

-28.05%

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

$45.5K MYR 183.9K

$45.1K MYR 182.4K

0.82%

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

$35.7K MYR 144.4K

$35.0K MYR 141.7K

1.93%

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

$37.03 MYR 150

$50.3 MYR 203

-26.31%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.05

$7.57 MYR 30.63

27.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.92 MYR 117

$26.54 MYR 107

8.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.68 MYR 148

$47.38 MYR 192

-22.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 MYR 26.17

$3.12 MYR 12.62

107.37%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 20.25

$4.84 MYR 19.56

3.51%

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

$402 MYR 1,625

$280 MYR 1,132

43.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.0K

$20.6K MYR 83.3K

-47.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MYR 246

$52.6 MYR 213

15.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.82 MYR 141

$29.69 MYR 120

17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.1 MYR 332

$76.6 MYR 310

7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 MYR 278

$87.3 MYR 353

-21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 MYR 1,691

$519 MYR 2,099

-19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MYR 1,196

$456 MYR 1,843

-35.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 MYR 2,873

$931 MYR 3,766

-23.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,276

$680 MYR 2,751

-17.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,963 MYR 7,940

$3,129 MYR 12.7K

-37.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 MYR 4,875

$972 MYR 3,932

23.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,310 MYR 5,299

$1,746 MYR 7,060

-24.94%

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 Kedah: 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

Kedah

$296 32.2%

Petaling Jaya

$456 41.7% 54% $160

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$256 27.9%

Petaling Jaya

$253 23.1% 1.4% $3.6

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.3%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.4% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.1%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.1% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.2%

Petaling Jaya

$84 7.7% 11.6% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$47 5.1%

Petaling Jaya

$57 5.2% 22.2% $10

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.1%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.8% 5.2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $418 in Kedah and $519 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $25 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $256 vs $253, with Petaling Jaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

Same time as Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

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

Kedah Petaling Jaya 370 km

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $917 in Kedah and $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, so Kedah is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Kedah. 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: $418 in Kedah versus $519 in Petaling Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $402 in Kedah versus $280 in Petaling Jaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $917 per month in Kedah versus $1,094 in Petaling Jaya – Kedah is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Kedah and Petaling Jaya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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