Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumut, Perak and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $983 a month against $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$983

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lumut, Perak 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 Lumut, Perak and in Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $983 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,094 in Petaling Jaya.

Lumut, Perak $983
Petaling Jaya $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,589 in Petaling Jaya.

Lumut, Perak $1,487
Petaling Jaya $1,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,991 in Lumut, Perak versus $2,083 in Petaling Jaya.

Lumut, Perak $1,991
Petaling Jaya $2,083

Living in Lumut, Perak costs roughly 10% less than in Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lumut, Perak 27% lower, Petaling Jaya 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.50

$3.64 MYR 14.76

-1.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.07 MYR 48.94

$24.78 MYR 101

-51.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 MYR 20.06

$5.00 MYR 20.27

-1.00%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MYR 11.88

$3.02 MYR 12.26

-2.98%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.13

$0.85 MYR 3.45

-9.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.45 MYR 1.81

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.22

$3.28 MYR 13.28

14.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 24.12

$5.71 MYR 23.18

4.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 MYR 8.70

$1.95 MYR 7.92

9.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$1.07 MYR 4.36

2.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.54

$1.43 MYR 5.79

30.07%

Eggs

$2.54 MYR 10.32

$1.85 MYR 7.50

37.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.5

$9.87 MYR 40.02

43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 18.26

$3.33 MYR 13.51

35.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 MYR 41.27

$9.80 MYR 39.76

3.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 MYR 14.11

$3.59 MYR 14.56

-3.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$1.91 MYR 7.76

-4.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 MYR 9.52

$2.63 MYR 10.68

-10.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.35

$1.74 MYR 7.06

-9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 4.97

$2.14 MYR 8.69

-42.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.38

$2.04 MYR 8.29

-34.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.44 MYR 5.83

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.87

$0.53 MYR 2.14

33.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MYR 17.78

$4.50 MYR 18.25

-2.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.26 MYR 78.1

$20.01 MYR 81.2

-3.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.07

$2.67 MYR 10.83

29.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.52

$4.49 MYR 18.22

12.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.03

$1.22 MYR 4.93

-38.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 48.90

$12.31 MYR 49.93

-2.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$1.02 MYR 4.15

17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 MYR 5.09

$0.35 MYR 1.44

260.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 MYR 19.34

$9.04 MYR 36.66

-47.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.82 MYR 3.34

6.10%

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

$44.5K MYR 180.6K

$45.1K MYR 183.0K

-1.30%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.1K

-0.01%

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

$61.7 MYR 250

$50.3 MYR 204

22.77%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.28

$7.57 MYR 30.72

14.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.02 MYR 106

$26.54 MYR 108

-1.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.25 MYR 151

$47.38 MYR 192

-21.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.89

$3.12 MYR 12.66

104.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$4.84 MYR 19.61

-0.21%

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

$237 MYR 962

$280 MYR 1,135

-15.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K MYR 52.3K

$20.6K MYR 83.6K

-37.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 MYR 288

$52.6 MYR 213

34.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 MYR 167

$29.69 MYR 120

38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 MYR 343

$76.6 MYR 311

10.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 MYR 384

$87.3 MYR 354

8.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 MYR 1,695

$519 MYR 2,105

-19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MYR 1,200

$456 MYR 1,848

-35.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 MYR 2,905

$931 MYR 3,778

-23.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MYR 2,249

$680 MYR 2,759

-18.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,015 MYR 8,175

$3,129 MYR 12.7K

-35.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 MYR 4,843

$972 MYR 3,944

22.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 MYR 1,532

$1,746 MYR 7,081

-78.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.51

-7.54%

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

Last update for Lumut, Perak: November 1, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lumut, Perak

$296 30.1%

Petaling Jaya

$456 41.7% 54% $160

Groceries & Markets

Lumut, Perak

$277 28.1%

Petaling Jaya

$253 23.1% 8.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Lumut, Perak

$131 13.3%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.1% 15.5% $20

Eating Out

Lumut, Perak

$114 11.6%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.4% 0.4% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumut, Perak

$96 9.8%

Petaling Jaya

$84 7.7% 12.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lumut, Perak

$47 4.8%

Petaling Jaya

$57 5.2% 21.6% $10

Getting Around

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.8% 11.4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $418 in Lumut, Perak and $519 in Petaling Jaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Lumut, Perak vs $25 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $253, with Petaling Jaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

Same time as Lumut, Perak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,595

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lumut, Perak Petaling Jaya 170 km

From you

Lumut, Perak
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

Lumut, Perak vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Petaling Jaya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Lumut, Perak. 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: $418 in Lumut, Perak versus $519 in Petaling Jaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Petaling Jaya pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $983 per month in Lumut, Perak versus $1,094 in Petaling Jaya – Lumut, Perak is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lumut, Perak is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lumut, Perak and Petaling Jaya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lumut, Perak wins on affordability, Petaling Jaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.