Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 21.1% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 18.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 23.2% more expensive than Petaling Jaya without rent, and 20.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 MYR 19.31

$3.47 MYR 14.63

31.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.83 MYR 122

$18.92 MYR 79.8

52.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 20.13

$4.6 MYR 19.4

3.70%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MYR 12.48

$2.72 MYR 11.47

8.82%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.58

$0.73 MYR 3.07

16.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.39 MYR 1.66

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 MYR 17.82

$3.47 MYR 14.62

21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 25.11

$4.92 MYR 20.75

20.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 MYR 8.78

$1.87 MYR 7.89

11.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1 MYR 4.22

$0.95 MYR 4.01

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.92

$1.72 MYR 7.24

-4.65%

Eggs

$2.29 MYR 9.64

$2.18 MYR 9.18

5.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 62.6

$10.64 MYR 44.87

39.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 MYR 19.05

$3.39 MYR 14.3

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 MYR 40.1

$8.19 MYR 34.54

16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 12.46

$2.79 MYR 11.76

5.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.85

$1.75 MYR 7.37

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.7 MYR 11.37

$2.53 MYR 10.68

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.38

$1.25 MYR 5.27

20.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.13 MYR 4.75

7.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.92

$1.4 MYR 5.89

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 5.09

$0.96 MYR 4.04

26.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 MYR 2.87

$0.58 MYR 2.45

17.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.68

$4.27 MYR 18.01

-1.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.11 MYR 76.4

$18.88 MYR 79.6

-4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 MYR 14.06

$2.68 MYR 11.31

24.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 18.5

$3.83 MYR 16.16

14.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 3.06

$0.71 MYR 2.99

1.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 49.49

$11.75 MYR 49.57

-0.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.11

$1.03 MYR 4.33

17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$0.35 MYR 1.49

222.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 MYR 19.35

$9.36 MYR 39.46

-50.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 2.01

$0.49 MYR 2.07

-2.04%

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

$40K MYR 168.8K

$31.3K MYR 132.2K

27.73%

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

$33K MYR 139.2K

$28K MYR 118.2K

17.69%

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

$64.8 MYR 273

$41.58 MYR 175

55.82%

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

$11.7 MYR 49.34

$8.89 MYR 37.47

31.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.5 MYR 108

$22.97 MYR 96.9

11.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 MYR 194

$37.26 MYR 157

23.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.76 MYR 32.73

$7.23 MYR 30.5

7.33%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MYR 22.03

$5.08 MYR 21.43

2.95%

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

$266 MYR 1,122

$210 MYR 887

26.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,267 MYR 39.1K

$8,001 MYR 33.7K

15.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 MYR 259

$49.01 MYR 207

25.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.04 MYR 160

$34.16 MYR 144

11.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 MYR 364

$55.2 MYR 233

56.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 MYR 336

$48.06 MYR 203

65.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,437

$455 MYR 1,917

27.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 MYR 1,566

$349 MYR 1,471

6.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 MYR 4,472

$823 MYR 3,471

28.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 MYR 2,649

$542 MYR 2,287

15.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,071 MYR 12.9K

$2,404 MYR 10.1K

27.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,532 MYR 6,459

$821 MYR 3,463

86.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 MYR 5,659

$1,668 MYR 7,036

-19.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.49

-0.45%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: October 28, 2025

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 27, 2025

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