Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Bukit Mertajam

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
Learn more

Petaling Jaya Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
Learn more

Bukit Mertajam Living Index

Jump to prices

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Bukit Mertajam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Bukit Mertajam $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,569 in Petaling Jaya versus $976 in Bukit Mertajam.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Bukit Mertajam $976

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,082 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Bukit Mertajam $1,331

Living in Petaling Jaya is roughly 70% more expensive than in Bukit Mertajam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Bukit Mertajam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.53

$1.91 MYR 7.79

86.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.3

$20.97 MYR 85.4

16.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.74

$3.98 MYR 16.21

21.86%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.52

$3.14 MYR 12.77

-1.91%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.69 MYR 2.82

23.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.45 MYR 1.85

-8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.37

$4.51 MYR 18.35

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.17

$6.26 MYR 25.48

-9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.66 MYR 6.76

16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.12 MYR 4.56

-8.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.95 MYR 7.94

-26.15%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.20

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-30.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.52

$13.83 MYR 56.3

-29.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.35

$4.41 MYR 17.96

-25.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.62

$9.98 MYR 40.64

-2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.28

$3.39 MYR 13.79

3.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.76 MYR 7.16

5.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$2.26 MYR 9.21

20.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$1.55 MYR 6.31

18.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.74

$1.27 MYR 5.15

69.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.38 MYR 5.60

46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.12 MYR 4.55

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.67 MYR 2.72

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$4.45 MYR 18.11

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.9

$19.54 MYR 79.5

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.74

$3.42 MYR 13.91

-22.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.22

$5.08 MYR 20.70

-11.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.24 MYR 5.03

-4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.19 MYR 4.86

-70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.62

$4.95 MYR 20.16

76.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.81 MYR 3.31

7.41%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.7K

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

4.59%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

-0.53%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$63.1 MYR 257

-21.35%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.30

$8.54 MYR 34.76

-4.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$26.67 MYR 109

2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

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

$273 MYR 1,110

$249 MYR 1,013

9.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

-19.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$70.5 MYR 287

-26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$41.35 MYR 168

-28.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$86.7 MYR 353

-10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$95.0 MYR 387

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,082

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,736

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,910

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,846

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,974

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,108

$572 MYR 2,330

205.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.17

8.15%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3% 7.9% $20

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8% 7.3% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3% 19.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8% 15.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6% 80.1% $40

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2% 64.7% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Petaling Jaya pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Petaling Jaya vs $21 in Bukit Mertajam. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $269, with Petaling Jaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

212,329

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Petaling Jaya Bukit Mertajam 280 km

From you

Petaling Jaya
Bukit Mertajam

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 Bukit Mertajam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $621 in Bukit Mertajam, so Bukit Mertajam is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Petaling Jaya is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Petaling Jaya pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya versus $621 in Bukit Mertajam – Bukit Mertajam is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bukit Mertajam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Petaling Jaya and Bukit Mertajam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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