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 16.4% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 2.1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 9.7% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 3.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 MYR 13.81

$3.65 MYR 14.33

-3.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.61 MYR 73.1

$18.95 MYR 74.5

-1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 18.47

$4.74 MYR 18.61

-0.84%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.27

$2.81 MYR 11.06

-7.12%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.53

$0.73 MYR 2.87

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.43

$0.40 MYR 1.57

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.14

$3.58 MYR 14.07

-34.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 13.97

$4.97 MYR 19.52

-28.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.60

$1.94 MYR 7.64

-13.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 MYR 4.89

$0.94 MYR 3.71

31.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.55

$1.78 MYR 7.00

-6.18%

Eggs

$2.93 MYR 11.51

$2.25 MYR 8.84

30.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.42 MYR 104

$10.55 MYR 41.45

150.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 13.56

$3.55 MYR 13.96

-2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.14 MYR 28.08

$7.89 MYR 31.02

-9.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.44

$2.79 MYR 10.95

-4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.43

$1.67 MYR 6.57

-32.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.57

$2.45 MYR 9.61

30.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 7.80

$1.20 MYR 4.72

65.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.76

$1.18 MYR 4.63

24.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 6.87

$1.33 MYR 5.22

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.40

$0.95 MYR 3.75

17.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.87

$0.58 MYR 2.30

-17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.32

$4.26 MYR 16.75

-2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.15 MYR 107

$20.10 MYR 79.0

35.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.49

$2.66 MYR 10.47

-28.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.39

$3.92 MYR 15.39

-58.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 MYR 6.06

$0.77 MYR 3.01

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.82 MYR 160

$11.59 MYR 45.55

252.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.30

$1.03 MYR 4.03

80.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 MYR 1.82

$0.35 MYR 1.39

31.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 MYR 22.77

$9.50 MYR 37.32

-39.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.94

$0.46 MYR 1.82

6.52%

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

$29.8K MYR 117.2K

$31.5K MYR 123.9K

-5.45%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.6K

$28.4K MYR 111.5K

-1.73%

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

$51.8 MYR 203

$40.92 MYR 161

26.54%

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

$9.14 MYR 35.90

$9.19 MYR 36.10

-0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.16 MYR 130

$22.78 MYR 89.5

45.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 MYR 168

$36.50 MYR 143

17.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 MYR 11.63

$7.22 MYR 28.36

-59.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MYR 17.96

$4.93 MYR 19.39

-7.30%

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

$132 MYR 517

$211 MYR 828

-37.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,466 MYR 17.5K

$8,077 MYR 31.7K

-44.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$49.40 MYR 194

21.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.69 MYR 89.2

$34.58 MYR 136

-34.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 MYR 277

$53.3 MYR 209

32.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 364

$48.25 MYR 190

91.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MYR 1,503

$465 MYR 1,826

-17.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 MYR 650

$339 MYR 1,331

-51.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 MYR 2,578

$829 MYR 3,258

-20.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MYR 1,442

$545 MYR 2,143

-32.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MYR 7,505

$3,253 MYR 12.8K

-41.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 MYR 4,415

$803 MYR 3,156

39.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$609 MYR 2,395

$1,811 MYR 7,115

-66.34%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: March 1, 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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