Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,062

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,062
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,529 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,529
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,997 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,997
Delhi $1,195

Petaling Jaya costs about 104% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petaling Jaya and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 21% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 MYR 15.15

$3.67 ₹355

1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.45 MYR 99.8

$20.95 ₹2,027

16.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 MYR 19.88

$3.74 ₹362

30.21%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 12.21

$2.33 ₹226

28.33%

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

$0.88 MYR 3.59

$0.37 ₹35.82

137.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MYR 1.80

$0.20 ₹18.91

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 MYR 13.60

$2.02 ₹195

64.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.21

$3.19 ₹308

78.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.90

$0.68 ₹65.9

183.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$0.52 ₹50.2

98.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.89

$0.83 ₹80.0

73.49%

Eggs

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$1.07 ₹104

64.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 MYR 39.44

$4.43 ₹428

118.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 MYR 13.54

$3.37 ₹326

-1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 MYR 38.94

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.05

$1.99 ₹192

72.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 MYR 7.89

$0.72 ₹70.1

168.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 MYR 11.31

$1.02 ₹98.4

171.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$0.52 ₹50.1

251.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.80

$0.27 ₹25.96

696.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MYR 8.23

$0.37 ₹35.42

443.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MYR 5.85

$0.43 ₹41.64

232.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.25

$0.31 ₹30.39

77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 MYR 18.66

$4.92 ₹476

-7.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.8

$8.34 ₹808

131.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 MYR 11.08

$1.64 ₹159

65.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.20

$2.70 ₹261

65.19%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.20 MYR 4.92

$0.46 ₹44.04

160.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

$15.29 ₹1,480

-18.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.09

$1.03 ₹99.8

21.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.27 ₹26.38

29.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 MYR 35.64

$1.53 ₹148

470.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$1.05 ₹102

-16.19%

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

$41.1K MYR 167.8K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

292.71%

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

$32.6K MYR 133.2K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

77.58%

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

$48.53 MYR 198

$42.67 ₹4,129

13.73%

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

$8.08 MYR 33.00

$4.04 ₹391

100.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.83 MYR 110

$6.75 ₹653

297.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 MYR 211

$19.40 ₹1,878

166.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.16 MYR 12.89

$8.06 ₹780

-60.79%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.09

$5.08 ₹492

-3.15%

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

$279 MYR 1,137

$100 ₹9,696

177.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K MYR 42.4K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

358.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 MYR 214

$24.14 ₹2,336

117.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.65 MYR 121

$28.38 ₹2,747

4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 MYR 311

$53.3 ₹5,160

43.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 MYR 347

$44.13 ₹4,271

92.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 MYR 1,970

$264 ₹25.5K

82.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 MYR 1,651

$154 ₹14.9K

162.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 MYR 3,391

$736 ₹71.2K

12.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MYR 2,260

$397 ₹38.5K

39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 MYR 12.7K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

25.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 MYR 3,888

$1,017 ₹98.4K

-6.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,744 MYR 7,120

$585 ₹56.7K

197.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

8.33

-45.86%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 4, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$404 38.8%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 61.9% $250

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$250 24%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 56.7% $142

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.9%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 23.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$109 10.5%

Delhi

$67 13% 38.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$83 8%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 35.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$62 5.9%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 52% $32

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 3.6% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Petaling Jaya versus $264 in Delhi. 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 198% 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 $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

13:17 1:17 PM

2 h 30 min behind Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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 = 0.218 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Petaling Jaya Delhi 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Petaling Jaya
Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,062 in Petaling Jaya, $520 in Delhi – roughly 104% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Petaling Jaya and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Petaling Jaya and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,062 in Petaling Jaya and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 104%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,062. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Petaling Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Petaling Jaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $1,062 in Petaling Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Delhi. 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.