Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Petaling Jaya

🙂 Solo nomad: Kota Bharu is 18.6% cheaper than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 28.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kota Bharu is 22.2% cheaper than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 12.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.82 MYR 7.66
$3.47 MYR 14.63
-47.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.31 MYR 89.9
$18.92 MYR 79.8
12.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.21 MYR 17.76
$4.6 MYR 19.4
-8.48%
Cappuccino
$2.32 MYR 9.79
$2.72 MYR 11.47
-14.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 MYR 1.9
$0.73 MYR 3.07
-38.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 MYR 1.15
$0.39 MYR 1.66
-30.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.27 MYR 18.02
$3.47 MYR 14.62
23.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.17 MYR 17.58
$4.92 MYR 20.75
-15.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 MYR 6.62
$1.87 MYR 7.89
-16.04%
White Bread (500g)
$0.76 MYR 3.19
$0.95 MYR 4.01
-20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.83 MYR 3.51
$1.72 MYR 7.24
-51.74%
Eggs
$1.55 MYR 6.55
$2.18 MYR 9.18
-28.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.17 MYR 64
$10.64 MYR 44.87
42.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.95 MYR 12.43
$3.39 MYR 14.3
-12.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.19 MYR 26.11
$8.19 MYR 34.54
-24.42%
Apples (1kg)
$1.4 MYR 5.88
$2.79 MYR 11.76
-49.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MYR 6.04
$1.75 MYR 7.37
-18.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 MYR 5.8
$2.53 MYR 10.68
-45.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.9 MYR 3.8
$1.25 MYR 5.27
-28.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.83 MYR 3.5
$1.13 MYR 4.75
-26.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 MYR 4.89
$1.4 MYR 5.89
-17.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 MYR 3.86
$0.96 MYR 4.04
-4.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.4 MYR 1.71
$0.58 MYR 2.45
-31.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.07 MYR 12.97
$4.27 MYR 18.01
-28.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.59 MYR 61.5
$18.88 MYR 79.6
-22.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.4 MYR 5.9
$2.68 MYR 11.31
-47.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 MYR 14.45
$3.83 MYR 16.16
-10.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.74 MYR 3.12
$0.71 MYR 2.99
4.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.63 MYR 49.04
$11.75 MYR 49.57
-1.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.69 MYR 2.91
$1.03 MYR 4.33
-33.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 MYR 2.26
$0.35 MYR 1.49
54.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 MYR 15.35
$9.36 MYR 39.46
-61.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.5 MYR 2.11
$0.49 MYR 2.07
2.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31K MYR 130.6K
$31.3K MYR 132.2K
-1.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K MYR 114.8K
$28K MYR 118.2K
-2.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.1 MYR 161
$41.58 MYR 175
-8.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.15 MYR 34.38
$8.89 MYR 37.47
-8.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.59 MYR 112
$22.97 MYR 96.9
15.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.56 MYR 154
$37.26 MYR 157
-1.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.77 MYR 24.33
$7.23 MYR 30.5
-20.19%
Cinema Ticket
$4.26 MYR 17.98
$5.08 MYR 21.43
-16.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$116 MYR 489
$210 MYR 887
-44.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,301 MYR 26.6K
$8,001 MYR 33.7K
-21.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 MYR 225
$49.01 MYR 207
8.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.9 MYR 79.7
$34.16 MYR 144
-44.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.7 MYR 260
$55.2 MYR 233
11.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.8 MYR 219
$48.06 MYR 203
7.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$264 MYR 1,114
$455 MYR 1,917
-41.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$141 MYR 595
$349 MYR 1,471
-59.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$845 MYR 3,565
$823 MYR 3,471
2.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$478 MYR 2,015
$542 MYR 2,287
-11.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,767 MYR 7,450
$2,404 MYR 10.1K
-26.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,061 MYR 4,474
$821 MYR 3,463
29.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kota Bharu
Petaling Jaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$325 MYR 1,371
$1,668 MYR 7,036
-80.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.16
4.49
-7.35%

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

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 28, 2025

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 27, 2025

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