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

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 9.7% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 3.3% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 27.3% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 3.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.55 MYR 14.42

$3.48 MYR 14.12

2.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.72 MYR 76.0

$18.63 MYR 75.6

0.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.62 MYR 18.78

$4.67 MYR 18.97

-1.07%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MYR 10.55

$2.82 MYR 11.44

-7.80%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.58

$0.73 MYR 2.98

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.37 MYR 1.49

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MYR 9.72

$3.46 MYR 14.04

-30.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 MYR 13.95

$5.19 MYR 21.08

-33.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 MYR 6.85

$1.91 MYR 7.76

-11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.01 MYR 4.11

18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.83

$1.75 MYR 7.09

-4.00%

Eggs

$2.92 MYR 11.84

$2.27 MYR 9.22

28.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.22 MYR 106

$10.56 MYR 42.88

148.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 MYR 14.51

$3.44 MYR 13.95

3.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MYR 29.29

$8.23 MYR 33.41

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 MYR 10.26

$2.69 MYR 10.90

-5.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MYR 4.72

$1.74 MYR 7.06

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 MYR 12.81

$2.48 MYR 10.09

27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.19 MYR 4.85

69.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.12

$1.19 MYR 4.82

26.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.97

$1.38 MYR 5.60

24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 MYR 4.35

$0.90 MYR 3.63

18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.93

$0.59 MYR 2.41

-18.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 MYR 16.66

$4.33 MYR 17.59

-5.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.44 MYR 78.9

$19.00 MYR 77.2

2.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$2.69 MYR 10.91

-30.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 MYR 6.59

$3.83 MYR 15.54

-57.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 MYR 6.39

$0.75 MYR 3.03

109.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.90 MYR 166

$11.71 MYR 47.54

249.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.54

$1.02 MYR 4.14

82.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.78

$0.35 MYR 1.44

25.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 MYR 23.48

$9.01 MYR 36.59

-35.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.89

$0.50 MYR 2.02

-6.00%

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

$29.6K MYR 120.3K

$31.9K MYR 129.5K

-7.08%

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

$27.3K MYR 110.8K

$27.5K MYR 111.6K

-0.73%

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

$52.5 MYR 213

$41.33 MYR 168

27.03%

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

$9.04 MYR 36.70

$9.31 MYR 37.82

-2.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.02 MYR 134

$23.39 MYR 95.0

41.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.82 MYR 174

$37.06 MYR 150

15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.99 MYR 12.14

$7.33 MYR 29.75

-59.21%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MYR 19.42

$4.80 MYR 19.51

-0.42%

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

$129 MYR 522

$213 MYR 864

-39.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 MYR 18.1K

$8,234 MYR 33.4K

-45.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 MYR 242

$49.78 MYR 202

19.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.57 MYR 91.6

$34.45 MYR 140

-34.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 MYR 291

$54.1 MYR 220

32.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 MYR 385

$48.92 MYR 199

93.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,526

$454 MYR 1,843

-17.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 MYR 669

$349 MYR 1,418

-52.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 MYR 2,653

$835 MYR 3,388

-21.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 MYR 1,509

$554 MYR 2,249

-32.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,502

$3,218 MYR 13.1K

-42.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 MYR 4,434

$759 MYR 3,081

43.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$580 MYR 2,356

$1,712 MYR 6,952

-66.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.49

-15.37%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: January 11, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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