Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living costs are similar in Labuan and in Petaling Jaya: $1,020 and $1,037 a month, rent and utilities included.

48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Labuan and in Petaling Jaya

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Labuan and in Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in Labuan versus $1,037 in Petaling Jaya.

Labuan $1,020
Petaling Jaya $1,037

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Labuan versus $1,499 in Petaling Jaya.

Labuan $1,487
Petaling Jaya $1,499

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,953 in Labuan versus $1,962 in Petaling Jaya.

Labuan $1,953
Petaling Jaya $1,962

Living in Labuan costs roughly 2% less than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Labuan 24% lower, Petaling Jaya 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 MYR 22.53

$3.58 MYR 14.62

54.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$24.22 MYR 98.8

-0.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 MYR 27.19

$4.76 MYR 19.40

39.92%

Cappuccino

$3.93 MYR 16.05

$2.99 MYR 12.21

31.44%

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

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$0.93 MYR 3.80

13.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.44 MYR 1.81

2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$3.32 MYR 13.54

12.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$5.64 MYR 23.01

-19.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.43

$1.85 MYR 7.53

-1.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$1.02 MYR 4.16

1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$1.48 MYR 6.02

0.68%

Eggs

$2.10 MYR 8.58

$1.83 MYR 7.48

14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 MYR 68.6

$9.93 MYR 40.53

69.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$3.29 MYR 13.42

34.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MYR 38.76

$9.51 MYR 38.81

-0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.95

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-9.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.46

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$2.71 MYR 11.07

-11.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-3.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$2.15 MYR 8.79

-35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$1.97 MYR 8.02

-47.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.49 MYR 6.08

-20.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$4.62 MYR 18.86

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 MYR 66.5

$19.26 MYR 78.6

-15.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 MYR 13.11

$2.62 MYR 10.69

22.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

$4.68 MYR 19.09

-6.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-35.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 MYR 43.48

$12.34 MYR 50.3

-13.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 MYR 5.47

$1.23 MYR 5.02

8.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$0.38 MYR 1.55

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MYR 26.43

$8.76 MYR 35.75

-26.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$0.80 MYR 3.26

10.00%

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

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

$41.7K MYR 170.2K

5.44%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$32.1K MYR 130.8K

1.45%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$49.70 MYR 203

-1.61%

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

$9.68 MYR 39.49

$7.99 MYR 32.61

21.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.69 MYR 113

$26.77 MYR 109

3.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.60 MYR 170

$52.5 MYR 214

-20.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.68 MYR 31.32

$3.03 MYR 12.37

153.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$4.93 MYR 20.12

-12.98%

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

$208 MYR 849

$273 MYR 1,114

-23.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

-33.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MYR 228

$51.7 MYR 211

7.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 MYR 123

$30.02 MYR 122

0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 355

$78.4 MYR 320

11.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 MYR 334

$86.4 MYR 353

-5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,768

$482 MYR 1,966

-10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 MYR 1,397

$397 MYR 1,620

-13.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,614

$832 MYR 3,394

-22.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MYR 1,892

$559 MYR 2,281

-17.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,282 MYR 9,308

$3,184 MYR 13.0K

-28.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MYR 4,636

$978 MYR 3,990

16.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$374 MYR 1,525

$1,707 MYR 6,964

-78.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.51

-9.98%

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

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Labuan

$342 33.6%

Petaling Jaya

$397 38.3% 16% $55

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$264 25.9%

Petaling Jaya

$249 24.1% 5.5% $15

Eating Out

Labuan

$145 14.2%

Petaling Jaya

$112 10.8% 22.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$115 11.2%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.7% 3.2% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$86 8.5%

Petaling Jaya

$84 8.2% 2.1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$50 4.9%

Petaling Jaya

$62 6% 24.3% $12

Getting Around

Labuan

$18 1.7%

Petaling Jaya

$20 2% 15.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $433 in Labuan and $482 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 357% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $24.00 in Labuan vs $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $264 vs $249, with Petaling Jaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

Same time as Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Labuan Petaling Jaya 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
Petaling Jaya

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Labuan vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 357% lower in Petaling Jaya. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $433 in Labuan versus $482 in Petaling Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $208 in Labuan versus $273 in Petaling Jaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Petaling Jaya pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,020 in Labuan versus $1,037 in Petaling Jaya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Labuan but tight or insufficient in Petaling Jaya. The gap between the two cities makes Labuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Labuan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Petaling Jaya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Labuan and Petaling Jaya are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Labuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Petaling Jaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.