Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Alor Setar

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $868 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Alor Setar $868

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,310 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Alor Setar $1,310

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,752 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Alor Setar $1,752

Petaling Jaya costs about 22% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Petaling Jaya and Alor Setar are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Alor Setar 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.54

$2.06 MYR 8.38

73.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.4

$12.28 MYR 50.0

98.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.75

$4.09 MYR 16.65

18.58%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.53

$1.92 MYR 7.84

60.42%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.54 MYR 2.18

57.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.30 MYR 1.23

36.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$4.10 MYR 16.71

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.19

$4.52 MYR 18.42

25.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.61 MYR 6.56

19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$0.85 MYR 3.47

21.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.75 MYR 7.11

-17.71%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$1.53 MYR 6.22

15.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.56

$13.63 MYR 55.5

-28.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$4.32 MYR 17.62

-24.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.65

$8.47 MYR 34.51

14.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.29

$3.07 MYR 12.50

14.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.57

$1.19 MYR 4.84

56.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.13

$2.60 MYR 10.61

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.44

$1.47 MYR 5.98

24.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.75

$1.06 MYR 4.32

102.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.23

$1.08 MYR 4.38

87.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.09 MYR 4.45

33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.14

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$4.45 MYR 18.13

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 79.0

$18.90 MYR 77.0

2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.75

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$5.18 MYR 21.11

-13.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.70 MYR 2.84

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$12.69 MYR 51.7

-1.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.73 MYR 7.03

-31.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.41 MYR 1.66

-14.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.65

$7.38 MYR 30.09

18.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.49 MYR 1.99

77.55%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

$45.3K MYR 184.5K

1.31%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-1.46%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$37.81 MYR 154

31.21%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.33

$7.47 MYR 30.44

9.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$21.90 MYR 89.3

24.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$37.64 MYR 153

7.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.34

$6.37 MYR 25.95

-52.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.38

$4.83 MYR 19.68

3.52%

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

$273 MYR 1,112

$396 MYR 1,615

-31.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

$10.7K MYR 43.6K

-1.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$59.6 MYR 243

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$35.76 MYR 146

-17.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$81.7 MYR 333

-4.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$68.9 MYR 281

26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,084

$421 MYR 1,713

21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,738

$294 MYR 1,197

45.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,914

$653 MYR 2,660

47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,849

$532 MYR 2,167

31.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$2,256 MYR 9,193

39.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,978

$1,157 MYR 4,712

-15.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,115

$1,600 MYR 6,519

9.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.04

11.63%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 31.1% $133

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 1.6% $3.9

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 24.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 21.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 6.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 5.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $421 in Alor Setar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Petaling Jaya, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $12 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $245 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

423,868

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Petaling Jaya Alor Setar 360 km

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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

Petaling Jaya vs Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 22% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,303 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $868 in Alor Setar. That makes Alor Setar about 18% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya and $12 in Alor Setar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $868 in Alor Setar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Petaling Jaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Alor Setar to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Alor Setar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.