Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and George Town, Malaysia

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $952 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in George Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya versus $952 in George Town.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
George Town $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,569 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,558 in George Town.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
George Town $1,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,082 in Petaling Jaya versus $2,164 in George Town.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
George Town $2,164

Living in Petaling Jaya is roughly 11% more expensive than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 22% lower, George Town 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.47

$3.46 MYR 14.01

3.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 98.9

$15.45 MYR 62.6

57.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.66

$4.68 MYR 18.97

3.63%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.47

$2.75 MYR 11.15

12.00%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.70 MYR 2.85

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.35 MYR 1.42

17.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$2.47 MYR 10.03

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.07

$4.42 MYR 17.93

28.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$1.87 MYR 7.58

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.19

$1.05 MYR 4.25

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$1.73 MYR 7.01

-16.76%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.17

$2.22 MYR 8.99

-20.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.36

$13.65 MYR 55.4

-28.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.30

$4.48 MYR 18.14

-26.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.45

$8.70 MYR 35.26

11.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.22

$2.34 MYR 9.48

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.53

$1.46 MYR 5.91

27.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.08

$2.22 MYR 9.00

22.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.40

$1.20 MYR 4.87

52.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.70

$0.92 MYR 3.71

133.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$0.85 MYR 3.45

137.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$0.74 MYR 3.02

95.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.50

$4.58 MYR 18.55

-0.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.6

$18.84 MYR 76.4

2.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.69

$2.41 MYR 9.77

9.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$3.56 MYR 14.45

25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.47 MYR 1.92

165.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.5

$12.01 MYR 48.70

3.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.23 MYR 4.99

-3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.51 MYR 2.05

-31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.47

$6.53 MYR 26.49

34.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.82 MYR 3.34

6.10%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

0.72%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

$34.6K MYR 140.4K

2.00%

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

$49.61 MYR 201

$36.85 MYR 149

34.63%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.16

$8.05 MYR 32.62

1.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$28.38 MYR 115

-3.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 164

$40.35 MYR 164

0.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.28

$5.03 MYR 20.38

-39.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$4.52 MYR 18.31

10.62%

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

$273 MYR 1,106

$168 MYR 683

61.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

112.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 209

$53.2 MYR 216

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 119

$34.86 MYR 141

-15.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 316

$73.5 MYR 298

6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 353

$70.8 MYR 287

23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,073

$709 MYR 2,874

-27.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,729

$366 MYR 1,485

16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,894

$1,104 MYR 4,475

-12.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,835

$904 MYR 3,666

-22.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,958

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,079

$1,057 MYR 4,285

65.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.04

11.63%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for George Town: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

George Town

$366 38.5% 14.1% $60

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

George Town

$241 25.3% 3.4% $8.4

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

George Town

$100 10.5% 11.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

George Town

$105 11% 5.6% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

George Town

$73 7.7% 14% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

George Town

$49 5.2% 2.1% $1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

George Town

$18 1.9% 13.5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Petaling Jaya and $709 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 65% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Petaling Jaya vs $15 in George Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $241 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

794,313

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Petaling Jaya
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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 George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Petaling Jaya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $709 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 4% less than in Petaling Jaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $273 in Petaling Jaya versus $168 in George Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 George Town are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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