Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Gombak

For one person, living is cheaper in Gombak: $904 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Gombak
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Gombak Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya versus $904 in Gombak.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Gombak $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,569 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,437 in Gombak.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Gombak $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,082 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,970 in Gombak.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Gombak $1,970

Living in Petaling Jaya is roughly 17% more expensive than in Gombak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Gombak 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.53

$3.60 MYR 14.65

-0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.3

$24.44 MYR 99.5

-0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.74

$5.02 MYR 20.45

-3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.52

$2.96 MYR 12.06

4.05%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.91 MYR 3.72

-6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.45 MYR 1.82

-8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.37

$3.28 MYR 13.34

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.17

$5.76 MYR 23.45

-1.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.92 MYR 7.83

0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.07 MYR 4.36

-3.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.47 MYR 6.00

-2.04%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.20

$1.76 MYR 7.18

0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.52

$9.87 MYR 40.19

-1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.35

$3.35 MYR 13.65

-2.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.62

$9.68 MYR 39.42

0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.28

$3.40 MYR 13.82

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.88 MYR 7.65

-1.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$2.63 MYR 10.72

3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$1.81 MYR 7.35

1.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.74

$2.08 MYR 8.48

3.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.96 MYR 7.98

3.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.44 MYR 5.84

0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.52 MYR 2.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$4.48 MYR 18.24

1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.9

$19.92 MYR 81.1

-2.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.74

$2.68 MYR 10.90

-1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.22

$4.44 MYR 18.07

0.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.82 MYR 3.35

52.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$12.38 MYR 50.4

0.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.36 MYR 1.45

-2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.62

$9.10 MYR 37.02

-3.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.87 MYR 3.55

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

$45.9K MYR 186.7K

$46.0K MYR 187.3K

-0.30%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$35.1K MYR 142.9K

0.60%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$50.0 MYR 204

-0.78%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.30

$8.39 MYR 34.17

-2.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$26.39 MYR 107

3.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$37.05 MYR 151

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$5.93 MYR 24.15

-48.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

$3.11 MYR 12.68

60.77%

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

$273 MYR 1,110

$282 MYR 1,149

-3.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

-0.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$51.7 MYR 211

-0.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$29.84 MYR 121

-1.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$76.1 MYR 310

2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$84.2 MYR 343

3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,082

$411 MYR 1,671

24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,736

$285 MYR 1,162

49.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,910

$732 MYR 2,981

31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,846

$608 MYR 2,473

15.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$1,943 MYR 7,910

61.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,974

$1,168 MYR 4,755

-16.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,108

$542 MYR 2,206

222.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gombak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Gombak

$285 31.6% 33.1% $141

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Gombak

$250 27.7% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Gombak

$113 12.5% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Gombak

$109 12% 1.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Gombak

$85 9.4% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Gombak

$43 4.8% 14.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Gombak

$19 2.1% 8.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Petaling Jaya and $411 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Petaling Jaya vs $24 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $250 per month, with Petaling Jaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

41,699

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Petaling Jaya Gombak 17 km

From you

Petaling Jaya
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gombak wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Petaling Jaya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gombak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Petaling Jaya is about 3.2 times higher, 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 $411 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $273 in Petaling Jaya versus $282 in Gombak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya versus $904 in Gombak – Gombak is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gombak is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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