Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Nang: $844 a month against $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Petaling Jaya
🇲🇾 Malaysia
$1,062
/mo nomad
Da Nang
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$844
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Da Nang

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $844 in Da Nang, rent included.

  • Petaling Jaya $1,062
  • Da Nang $844

A couple spends around $1,529 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,386 in Da Nang, rent included.

  • Petaling Jaya $1,529
  • Da Nang $1,386

A family of three spends $1,997 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,928 in Da Nang, rent included.

  • Petaling Jaya $1,997
  • Da Nang $1,928

Petaling Jaya costs about 26% more than Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petaling Jaya and Da Nang are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 21% lower, Da Nang 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.71 MYR 15.15
$2.27 ₫58.7K
63.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.45 MYR 99.8
$19.51 ₫504.8K
25.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.87 MYR 19.88
$4.62 ₫119.6K
5.41%
Cappuccino
$2.99 MYR 12.21
$1.73 ₫44.8K
72.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 MYR 3.59
$0.65 ₫16.9K
35.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 MYR 1.80
$0.32 ₫8,179
37.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.33 MYR 13.60
$1.37 ₫35.5K
143.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.69 MYR 23.21
$2.25 ₫58.2K
152.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 MYR 7.90
$1.58 ₫41.0K
22.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 MYR 4.20
$1.27 ₫32.8K
-18.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MYR 5.89
$1.04 ₫26.9K
38.46%
Eggs
$1.76 MYR 7.18
$1.50 ₫38.8K
17.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.66 MYR 39.44
$13.12 ₫339.5K
-26.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.32 MYR 13.54
$4.17 ₫107.9K
-20.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.54 MYR 38.94
$9.26 ₫239.6K
3.02%
Apples (1kg)
$3.44 MYR 14.05
$2.71 ₫70.2K
26.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.93 MYR 7.89
$1.14 ₫29.6K
69.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.77 MYR 11.31
$1.33 ₫34.4K
108.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.83 MYR 7.47
$1.53 ₫39.6K
19.61%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 MYR 8.80
$1.14 ₫29.5K
88.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MYR 8.23
$1.31 ₫34.0K
53.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.43 MYR 5.85
$1.01 ₫26.1K
41.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 MYR 2.25
$0.49 ₫12.7K
12.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 MYR 18.66
$1.55 ₫40.2K
194.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.30 MYR 78.8
$7.80 ₫201.8K
147.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.71 MYR 11.08
$0.88 ₫22.8K
207.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.46 MYR 18.20
$2.10 ₫54.3K
112.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.20 MYR 4.92
$0.31 ₫8,147
287.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.40 MYR 50.6
$5.06 ₫130.9K
145.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.25 MYR 5.09
$1.05 ₫27.1K
19.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 MYR 1.44
$0.57 ₫14.7K
-38.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.73 MYR 35.64
$19.44 ₫503.0K
-55.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 MYR 3.58
$0.89 ₫23.1K
-1.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.1K MYR 167.8K
$30.2K ₫780.7M
36.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K MYR 133.2K
$27.9K ₫721.7M
16.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.53 MYR 198
$78.0 ₫2.0M
-37.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.08 MYR 33.00
$6.34 ₫164.0K
27.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.83 MYR 110
$8.23 ₫213.0K
226.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.8 MYR 211
$22.58 ₫584.2K
129.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.16 MYR 12.89
$5.43 ₫140.5K
-41.80%
Cinema Ticket
$4.92 MYR 20.09
$3.13 ₫81.0K
57.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$279 MYR 1,137
$161 ₫4.2M
73.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.4K MYR 42.4K
$14.7K ₫380.7M
-29.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.4 MYR 214
$45.61 ₫1.2M
14.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.65 MYR 121
$27.84 ₫720.5K
6.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.3 MYR 311
$102 ₫2.6M
-25.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.9 MYR 347
$81.1 ₫2.1M
4.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 MYR 1,970
$516 ₫13.4M
-6.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$404 MYR 1,651
$341 ₫8.8M
18.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$831 MYR 3,391
$1,047 ₫27.1M
-20.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$554 MYR 2,260
$783 ₫20.3M
-29.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,121 MYR 12.7K
$3,790 ₫98.1M
-17.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$952 MYR 3,888
$1,306 ₫33.8M
-27.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Petaling Jaya
Da Nang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,744 MYR 7,120
$350 ₫9.1M
397.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
10.72
-57.93%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
$404
Da Nang
$341 15.7% $64
Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
$250
Da Nang
$200 19.8% $49
Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
$113
Da Nang
$68 40% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
$109
Da Nang
$115 5.4% $5.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
$83
Da Nang
$93 10.9% $9.1
Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
$62
Da Nang
$29 53.2% $33
Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
$20
Da Nang
$10 49.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Petaling Jaya versus $516 in Da Nang. 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 398% 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 $24.00 in Petaling Jaya versus $20.00 in Da Nang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $200 – making Da Nang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya
🇻🇳 Da Nang
🕒 Local time
18:33 6:33 PM
17:33 5:33 PM
1 h behind Petaling Jaya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
771,687
1,245,200
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Petaling Jaya Da Nang 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Petaling Jaya
  • Da Nang

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 Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Petaling Jaya and in Da Nang compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, $844 in Da Nang – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Petaling Jaya compared to Da Nang?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,266 in Da Nang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Petaling Jaya and Da Nang?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Da Nang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 25% more in Petaling Jaya, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Petaling Jaya and $20.00 in Da Nang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Da Nang, where all-in costs run around $844, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,062. In Da Nang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Petaling Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Petaling Jaya and Da Nang?
It depends on your priorities. Da Nang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $844 in Da Nang to $1,062 in Petaling Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Petaling Jaya or Da Nang safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Petaling Jaya and Da Nang?
If budget matters most, go with Da Nang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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