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

🙂 Solo nomad: Petaling Jaya is 2.2% cheaper than Ipoh without rent, and 4.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 12.9% cheaper than Ipoh without rent, and 2.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.65 MYR 14.36
$2.55 MYR 10.04
43.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.95 MYR 74.6
$18.97 MYR 74.8
-0.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.74 MYR 18.66
$3.79 MYR 14.95
25.07%
Cappuccino
$2.81 MYR 11.09
$2.32 MYR 9.13
21.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 MYR 2.88
$0.77 MYR 3.03
-5.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 MYR 1.57
$0.34 MYR 1.33
17.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.58 MYR 14.11
$3.64 MYR 14.34
-1.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.97 MYR 19.57
$4.60 MYR 18.11
8.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 MYR 7.66
$1.84 MYR 7.25
5.43%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 MYR 3.72
$1.03 MYR 4.05
-8.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.78 MYR 7.02
$1.29 MYR 5.09
37.98%
Eggs
$2.25 MYR 8.86
$1.85 MYR 7.28
21.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 MYR 41.55
$12.98 MYR 51.2
-18.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.55 MYR 13.99
$5.13 MYR 20.22
-30.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.89 MYR 31.10
$7.73 MYR 30.44
2.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 MYR 10.98
$2.87 MYR 11.30
-2.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 MYR 6.59
$1.72 MYR 6.78
-2.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.45 MYR 9.64
$2.98 MYR 11.74
-17.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.20 MYR 4.73
$2.02 MYR 7.94
-40.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 MYR 4.65
$1.44 MYR 5.66
-18.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 MYR 5.24
$1.34 MYR 5.28
-0.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 MYR 3.76
$1.58 MYR 6.23
-39.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 MYR 2.30
$0.42 MYR 1.65
38.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MYR 16.79
$4.19 MYR 16.51
1.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.10 MYR 79.2
$17.62 MYR 69.4
14.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 MYR 10.49
$3.46 MYR 13.61
-23.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 MYR 15.43
$4.26 MYR 16.79
-7.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 MYR 3.01
$0.69 MYR 2.73
11.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.59 MYR 45.67
$11.96 MYR 47.13
-3.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 MYR 4.04
$1.15 MYR 4.55
-10.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 MYR 1.39
$1.13 MYR 4.46
-69.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.50 MYR 37.41
$4.42 MYR 17.43
114.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.46 MYR 1.82
$0.50 MYR 1.97
-8.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.5K MYR 124.2K
$43.9K MYR 173.1K
-28.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K MYR 111.8K
$31.2K MYR 122.8K
-8.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.92 MYR 161
$64.2 MYR 253
-36.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.19 MYR 36.19
$9.34 MYR 36.80
-1.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.78 MYR 89.7
$28.58 MYR 113
-20.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.50 MYR 144
$23.38 MYR 92.1
56.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.22 MYR 28.44
$5.93 MYR 23.36
21.75%
Cinema Ticket
$4.93 MYR 19.44
$3.11 MYR 12.26
58.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$211 MYR 830
$117 MYR 461
80.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,077 MYR 31.8K
$2,325 MYR 9,160
247.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.40 MYR 195
$59.6 MYR 235
-17.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.58 MYR 136
$27.28 MYR 108
26.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$53.3 MYR 210
$76.0 MYR 299
-29.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.25 MYR 190
$52.2 MYR 206
-7.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$465 MYR 1,830
$381 MYR 1,503
21.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$339 MYR 1,335
$270 MYR 1,065
25.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$829 MYR 3,266
$637 MYR 2,509
30.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$545 MYR 2,149
$478 MYR 1,883
14.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,253 MYR 12.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 MYR 3,164
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Petaling Jaya
Ipoh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,811 MYR 7,133
$973 MYR 3,832
86.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
3.96
13.38%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: March 1, 2026

Last update for Ipoh: March 1, 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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