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 6% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 5.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 32.8% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 4.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 MYR 14.62

$3.47 MYR 14.63

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 MYR 80.7

$18.92 MYR 79.8

1.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 20.2

$4.6 MYR 19.4

4.13%

Cappuccino

$2.64 MYR 11.14

$2.72 MYR 11.47

-2.94%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.72

$0.73 MYR 3.07

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.56

$0.39 MYR 1.66

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.3 MYR 9.71

$3.47 MYR 14.62

-33.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 MYR 14.55

$4.92 MYR 20.75

-29.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 MYR 7.29

$1.87 MYR 7.89

-7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 MYR 5

$0.95 MYR 4.01

24.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.28

$1.72 MYR 7.24

0.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MYR 12.18

$2.18 MYR 9.18

32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.25 MYR 111

$10.64 MYR 44.87

146.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.82

$3.39 MYR 14.3

3.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 MYR 29.99

$8.19 MYR 34.54

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.75

$2.79 MYR 11.76

-8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.79

$1.75 MYR 7.37

-34.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.3 MYR 13.91

$2.53 MYR 10.68

30.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.01 MYR 8.5

$1.25 MYR 5.27

60.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.18

$1.13 MYR 4.75

30.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MYR 7.45

$1.4 MYR 5.89

26.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.7

$0.96 MYR 4.04

15.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.98

$0.58 MYR 2.45

-18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 MYR 17.04

$4.27 MYR 18.01

-5.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 MYR 79

$18.88 MYR 79.6

-0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 MYR 7.77

$2.68 MYR 11.31

-31.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 MYR 6.78

$3.83 MYR 16.16

-57.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 MYR 6.27

$0.71 MYR 2.99

109.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.22 MYR 170

$11.75 MYR 49.57

242.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MYR 8.09

$1.03 MYR 4.33

86.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 MYR 1.82

$0.35 MYR 1.49

22.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 MYR 24.43

$9.36 MYR 39.46

-38.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$0.49 MYR 2.07

-6.12%

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

$29.6K MYR 124.7K

$31.3K MYR 132.2K

-5.64%

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

$27.7K MYR 116.9K

$28K MYR 118.2K

-1.15%

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

$51.2 MYR 216

$41.58 MYR 175

23.06%

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

$8.97 MYR 37.84

$8.89 MYR 37.47

0.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.43 MYR 141

$22.97 MYR 96.9

45.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 MYR 185

$37.26 MYR 157

17.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.98 MYR 12.57

$7.23 MYR 30.5

-58.78%

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 MYR 19.33

$5.08 MYR 21.43

-9.84%

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

$129 MYR 544

$210 MYR 887

-38.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,457 MYR 18.8K

$8,001 MYR 33.7K

-44.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.6 MYR 255

$49.01 MYR 207

23.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.48 MYR 94.8

$34.16 MYR 144

-34.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 300

$55.2 MYR 233

28.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94 MYR 396

$48.06 MYR 203

95.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 MYR 1,598

$455 MYR 1,917

-16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 MYR 709

$349 MYR 1,471

-51.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 MYR 2,735

$823 MYR 3,471

-21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,544

$542 MYR 2,287

-32.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,364 MYR 5,754

$2,404 MYR 10.1K

-43.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 MYR 4,804

$821 MYR 3,463

38.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$551 MYR 2,325

$1,668 MYR 7,036

-66.95%

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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 27, 2025

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