Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Petaling Jaya: $1,056 a month against $1,133 in Astana, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. The total is higher in Astana despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Astana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,133 in Astana, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Astana $1,133

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,810 in Astana, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Astana $1,810

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $2,486 in Astana, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Astana $2,486

Petaling Jaya is about 7% cheaper than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Petaling Jaya and Astana are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Astana 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.54

$11.06 ₸5,039

-67.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.4

$38.01 ₸17.3K

-35.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.75

$7.89 ₸3,596

-38.53%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.53

$2.65 ₸1,205

16.23%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$1.08 ₸490

-21.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.62 ₸282

-33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$1.34 ₸611

144.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.19

$2.25 ₸1,024

152.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.26 ₸573

53.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$0.60 ₸275

71.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.55 ₸708

-7.10%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$2.18 ₸992

-18.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.55

$11.98 ₸5,459

-18.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$5.79 ₸2,638

-43.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.65

$10.57 ₸4,815

-7.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.29

$1.82 ₸830

92.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.57

$2.31 ₸1,052

-19.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.13

$2.29 ₸1,043

19.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.44

$2.19 ₸996

-16.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.75

$0.66 ₸299

225.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.23

$0.46 ₸210

339.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.53 ₸695

-5.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.14

$0.90 ₸412

-42.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$2.37 ₸1,079

92.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 79.0

$10.93 ₸4,978

77.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.75

$1.30 ₸590

103.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.23

$2.35 ₸1,071

90.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.25 ₸114

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$16.60 ₸7,560

-25.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$2.27 ₸1,032

-47.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.13 ₸515

-69.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.65

$6.62 ₸3,016

32.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.69 ₸312

26.09%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

$28.0K ₸12.8M

63.62%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

$31.7K ₸14.4M

11.60%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$68.4 ₸31.2K

-27.47%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.33

$10.08 ₸4,592

-18.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$18.13 ₸8,258

50.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$58.7 ₸26.7K

-31.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.34

$20.67 ₸9,414

-85.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.38

$6.27 ₸2,856

-20.26%

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

$273 MYR 1,111

$487 ₸221.9K

-44.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$11.7K ₸5.3M

-10.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$64.6 ₸29.4K

-20.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$46.35 ₸21.1K

-36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$120 ₸54.5K

-34.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$126 ₸57.5K

-30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,084

$564 ₸256.9K

-9.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,737

$391 ₸178.3K

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,913

$1,151 ₸524.1K

-16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,849

$769 ₸350.1K

-9.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$1,560 ₸710.5K

101.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,978

$1,120 ₸510.2K

-12.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,114

$867 ₸394.7K

101.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

14.83

-69.59%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Astana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Astana

$391 34.5% 8.2% $35

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Astana

$226 20% 9.3% $23

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Astana

$162 14.3% 43.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Astana

$161 14.2% 44.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Astana

$97 8.5% 13.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Astana

$71 6.3% 41.2% $21

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Astana

$26 2.3% 24.9% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $564 in Astana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Petaling Jaya are about 2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $38 in Astana. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $226 in Astana – so Astana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

3 h behind Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

814,400 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 456 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 507 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Petaling Jaya Astana 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Petaling Jaya
Astana

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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, $1,133 in Astana – Petaling Jaya comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,700 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $511 in Petaling Jaya and $564 in Astana. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Petaling Jaya and $487 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Astana – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $1,133 in Astana. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Astana has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,056 in Petaling Jaya to $1,133 in Astana. 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.