Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Johor Bahru

For one person, living costs are similar in Petaling Jaya and in Johor Bahru: $1,056 and $1,080 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Johor Bahru
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Johor Bahru Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Johor Bahru

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Johor Bahru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,080 in Johor Bahru.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Johor Bahru $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,569 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,611 in Johor Bahru.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Johor Bahru $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,082 in Petaling Jaya versus $2,141 in Johor Bahru.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Johor Bahru $2,141

Monthly costs are close between Petaling Jaya and Johor Bahru; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Johor Bahru 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.54

$3.57 MYR 14.53

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.4

$18.54 MYR 75.5

31.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.75

$5.03 MYR 20.49

-3.58%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.53

$3.00 MYR 12.21

2.67%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.85 MYR 3.45

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.56 MYR 2.30

-26.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$4.54 MYR 18.50

-27.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.19

$6.27 MYR 25.53

-9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.70 MYR 6.92

13.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.05 MYR 4.28

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.42 MYR 5.77

1.41%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$1.73 MYR 7.04

2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.55

$18.23 MYR 74.3

-46.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$4.57 MYR 18.62

-28.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.65

$10.51 MYR 42.80

-7.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.29

$3.28 MYR 13.38

7.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.57

$1.74 MYR 7.09

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.13

$3.91 MYR 15.94

-30.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.44

$1.64 MYR 6.68

11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.75

$1.41 MYR 5.73

52.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.23

$1.65 MYR 6.71

22.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.37 MYR 5.56

5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.14

$0.56 MYR 2.26

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$4.19 MYR 17.06

8.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 79.0

$14.20 MYR 57.9

36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.75

$2.92 MYR 11.91

-9.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.23

$3.03 MYR 12.33

47.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.70 MYR 2.83

78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$12.36 MYR 50.4

0.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.94 MYR 3.84

26.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.75 MYR 3.07

-53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.65

$9.95 MYR 40.54

-12.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.83 MYR 3.37

4.82%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

$43.9K MYR 178.7K

4.56%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

$35.7K MYR 145.6K

-1.14%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$52.7 MYR 215

-5.81%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.33

$11.01 MYR 44.86

-25.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$28.28 MYR 115

-3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$41.28 MYR 168

-2.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.34

$5.80 MYR 23.61

-47.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.38

$4.81 MYR 19.61

3.95%

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

$273 MYR 1,111

$239 MYR 975

14.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$4,518 MYR 18.4K

132.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$54.6 MYR 222

-5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$16.53 MYR 67.3

78.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$81.3 MYR 331

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$98.3 MYR 400

-11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,084

$523 MYR 2,132

-2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,737

$416 MYR 1,693

2.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,913

$983 MYR 4,004

-2.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,849

$707 MYR 2,881

-1.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$2,002 MYR 8,154

57.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,978

$1,214 MYR 4,944

-19.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,114

$1,076 MYR 4,382

62.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.06

11.08%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johor Bahru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Johor Bahru

$416 38.5% 2.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Johor Bahru

$269 24.9% 7.7% $19

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Johor Bahru

$120 11.2% 6.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Johor Bahru

$113 10.4% 1.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Johor Bahru

$92 8.5% 8% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Johor Bahru

$51 4.7% 1% $0.5

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Johor Bahru

$20 1.8% 2.7% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Petaling Jaya and $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Petaling Jaya vs $19 in Johor Bahru. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $269, with Petaling Jaya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Johor Bahru

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

858,118

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Petaling Jaya Johor Bahru 300 km

From you

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 Johor Bahru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 62% 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 $523 in Johor Bahru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $273 in Petaling Jaya versus $239 in Johor Bahru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Johor Bahru. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Petaling Jaya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Petaling Jaya and Johor Bahru are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.