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 33.1% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 4.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 13.3% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 4.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 13.92

$3.45 MYR 13.65

2.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.5

$19.09 MYR 75.4

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.93

$4.58 MYR 18.09

4.59%

Cappuccino

$2.67 MYR 10.53

$2.82 MYR 11.12

-5.32%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.69

$0.67 MYR 2.63

1.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.39 MYR 1.55

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.22

$3.44 MYR 13.61

-32.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 13.72

$5.21 MYR 20.59

-33.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.63

$1.87 MYR 7.40

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 MYR 4.94

$1.02 MYR 4.04

22.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.62

$1.79 MYR 7.06

-6.15%

Eggs

$2.91 MYR 11.50

$2.26 MYR 8.93

28.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.95 MYR 102

$10.46 MYR 41.33

148.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 MYR 14.36

$3.39 MYR 13.39

7.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.09 MYR 28.01

$8.22 MYR 32.47

-13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.52

$2.63 MYR 10.40

1.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.47

$1.68 MYR 6.65

-32.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 MYR 12.82

$2.47 MYR 9.75

31.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MYR 7.78

$1.24 MYR 4.91

58.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 5.99

$1.14 MYR 4.50

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.74

$1.34 MYR 5.30

27.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.45

$0.95 MYR 3.76

18.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.85

$0.62 MYR 2.45

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 MYR 15.88

$4.35 MYR 17.20

-7.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.13 MYR 107

$19.85 MYR 78.4

36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.55

$2.69 MYR 10.64

-29.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.44

$3.93 MYR 15.52

-58.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 MYR 5.97

$0.75 MYR 2.98

101.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.65 MYR 161

$11.61 MYR 45.86

250.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 MYR 7.37

$0.98 MYR 3.89

90.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.72

$0.33 MYR 1.29

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 MYR 23.69

$9.45 MYR 37.35

-36.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.83

$0.47 MYR 1.85

-2.13%

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

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

$31.1K MYR 122.7K

-4.61%

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

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

$28.0K MYR 110.5K

0.26%

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

$51.2 MYR 202

$40.62 MYR 160

25.97%

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

$9.14 MYR 36.11

$9.08 MYR 35.87

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.66 MYR 129

$23.14 MYR 91.4

41.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.05 MYR 170

$37.14 MYR 147

15.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 MYR 11.33

$7.19 MYR 28.39

-60.08%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 18.80

$4.93 MYR 19.47

-3.45%

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

$133 MYR 524

$211 MYR 833

-37.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

$8,152 MYR 32.2K

-45.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 MYR 233

$49.59 MYR 196

18.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 MYR 90.0

$34.85 MYR 138

-34.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 281

$54.7 MYR 216

30.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 MYR 374

$49.12 MYR 194

92.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 MYR 1,492

$455 MYR 1,798

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MYR 641

$347 MYR 1,371

-53.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 MYR 2,548

$828 MYR 3,271

-22.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 MYR 1,456

$536 MYR 2,118

-31.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,893 MYR 7,478

$3,238 MYR 12.8K

-41.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 MYR 4,463

$217 MYR 856

421.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 MYR 2,417

$1,792 MYR 7,079

-65.86%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: April 13, 2026

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

Kota Kinabalu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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