Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Butterworth Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Butterworth

🙂 Solo nomad: Petaling Jaya is 12.1% cheaper than Butterworth without rent, and 5.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 16.8% cheaper than Butterworth without rent, and 2.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.65 MYR 14.33
$3.13 MYR 12.30
16.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.95 MYR 74.5
$20.92 MYR 82.2
-9.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.74 MYR 18.61
$4.77 MYR 18.76
-0.63%
Cappuccino
$2.81 MYR 11.06
$2.97 MYR 11.66
-5.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 MYR 2.87
$0.73 MYR 2.85
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MYR 1.57
$0.36 MYR 1.42
11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.58 MYR 14.07
$4.18 MYR 16.41
-14.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.97 MYR 19.52
$4.39 MYR 17.26
13.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 MYR 7.64
$1.81 MYR 7.10
7.18%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 MYR 3.71
$1.03 MYR 4.04
-8.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 MYR 7.00
$1.68 MYR 6.59
5.95%
Eggs
$2.25 MYR 8.84
$2.15 MYR 8.46
4.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 MYR 41.45
$14.52 MYR 57.1
-27.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.55 MYR 13.96
$4.77 MYR 18.76
-25.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.89 MYR 31.02
$9.41 MYR 36.97
-16.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 MYR 10.95
$2.88 MYR 11.30
-3.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 MYR 6.57
$1.45 MYR 5.70
15.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.45 MYR 9.61
$2.61 MYR 10.26
-6.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.20 MYR 4.72
$1.53 MYR 6.03
-21.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 MYR 4.63
$1.18 MYR 4.64
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 MYR 5.22
$1.17 MYR 4.58
13.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 MYR 3.75
$0.95 MYR 3.73
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 MYR 2.30
$0.46 MYR 1.80
26.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MYR 16.75
$4.27 MYR 16.79
-0.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.10 MYR 79.0
$18.85 MYR 74.1
6.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 MYR 10.47
$2.70 MYR 10.61
-1.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 MYR 15.39
$3.50 MYR 13.74
12.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 MYR 3.01
$0.68 MYR 2.66
13.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.59 MYR 45.55
$11.60 MYR 45.60
-0.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 MYR 4.03
$0.70 MYR 2.74
47.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 MYR 1.39
$0.50 MYR 1.96
-30.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.50 MYR 37.32
$4.66 MYR 18.31
103.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.46 MYR 1.82
$0.46 MYR 1.81
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K MYR 123.9K
$33.5K MYR 131.6K
-5.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K MYR 111.5K
$27.1K MYR 106.5K
4.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.92 MYR 161
$39.04 MYR 153
4.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.19 MYR 36.10
$10.18 MYR 40.00
-9.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.78 MYR 89.5
$26.07 MYR 102
-12.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.50 MYR 143
$36.80 MYR 145
-0.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.22 MYR 28.36
$5.80 MYR 22.81
24.48%
Cinema Ticket
$4.93 MYR 19.39
$4.92 MYR 19.34
0.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 MYR 828
$239 MYR 939
-11.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,077 MYR 31.7K
$6,196 MYR 24.4K
30.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.40 MYR 194
$55.9 MYR 220
-11.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.58 MYR 136
$29.37 MYR 115
17.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.3 MYR 209
$62.1 MYR 244
-14.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.25 MYR 190
$52.3 MYR 205
-7.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$465 MYR 1,826
$381 MYR 1,499
21.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$339 MYR 1,331
$275 MYR 1,079
23.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 MYR 3,258
$632 MYR 2,485
31.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$545 MYR 2,143
$475 MYR 1,867
14.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,253 MYR 12.8K
$1,531 MYR 6,016
112.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 MYR 3,156
$963 MYR 3,783
-16.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Petaling Jaya
Butterworth
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,811 MYR 7,115
$994 MYR 3,908
82.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
4.16
7.93%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: March 1, 2026

Last update for Butterworth: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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