Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Kangar, Perlis

For one person, living is cheaper in Kangar, Perlis: $910 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kangar, Perlis
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Kangar, Perlis Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Kangar, Perlis

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $910 in Kangar, Perlis, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Kangar, Perlis $910

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,427 in Kangar, Perlis, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Kangar, Perlis $1,427

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,944 in Kangar, Perlis, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Kangar, Perlis $1,944

Petaling Jaya costs about 16% more than Kangar, Perlis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Petaling Jaya and Kangar, Perlis are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Kangar, Perlis 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.47

$3.59 MYR 14.55

-0.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 98.9

$20.29 MYR 82.3

20.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.66

$5.02 MYR 20.37

-3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.47

$2.59 MYR 10.51

18.92%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.70 MYR 2.84

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.47 MYR 1.90

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$4.37 MYR 17.73

-24.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.07

$4.62 MYR 18.73

23.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$1.84 MYR 7.47

4.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.19

$1.06 MYR 4.29

-2.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$1.40 MYR 5.66

2.86%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.17

$2.23 MYR 9.02

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.36

$15.65 MYR 63.4

-37.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.30

$5.01 MYR 20.30

-34.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.45

$9.38 MYR 38.03

3.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.22

$2.84 MYR 11.50

23.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.53

$1.82 MYR 7.38

2.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.08

$2.65 MYR 10.76

3.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.40

$1.34 MYR 5.42

36.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.70

$1.06 MYR 4.31

102.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.45 MYR 5.87

39.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$1.12 MYR 4.53

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.50 MYR 2.01

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.50

$4.93 MYR 20.00

-7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.6

$21.61 MYR 87.6

-10.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.69

$2.81 MYR 11.38

-6.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$4.47 MYR 18.13

0.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.78 MYR 3.16

60.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.5

$11.74 MYR 47.60

6.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.24 MYR 5.01

-4.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.60 MYR 2.43

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.47

$7.61 MYR 30.83

14.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.80 MYR 3.26

8.75%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

$50.2K MYR 203.7K

-8.70%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

$37.5K MYR 151.9K

-5.74%

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

$49.61 MYR 201

$49.46 MYR 201

0.30%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.16

$9.52 MYR 38.59

-14.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$30.47 MYR 124

-10.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 164

$32.44 MYR 132

24.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.28

$7.31 MYR 29.62

-58.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$4.44 MYR 17.98

12.61%

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

$273 MYR 1,106

$208 MYR 842

31.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

$7,103 MYR 28.8K

48.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 209

$59.7 MYR 242

-13.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 119

$38.71 MYR 157

-23.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 316

$75.9 MYR 308

2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 353

$84.9 MYR 344

2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,073

$442 MYR 1,792

15.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,729

$264 MYR 1,072

61.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,894

$764 MYR 3,098

25.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,835

$547 MYR 2,219

27.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

$1,900 MYR 7,703

65.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,958

$1,131 MYR 4,586

-13.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,079

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 Kangar, Perlis: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Kangar, Perlis

$264 29% 38% $162

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Kangar, Perlis

$269 29.5% 7.8% $19

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Kangar, Perlis

$111 12.2% 1.9% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Kangar, Perlis

$117 12.8% 5.3% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Kangar, Perlis

$89 9.8% 5% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Kangar, Perlis

$41 4.5% 18.1% $9.1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Kangar, Perlis

$19 2.1% 6.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $442 in Kangar, Perlis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $20 in Kangar, Perlis. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $269 in Kangar, Perlis – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Kangar, Perlis

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

284,853

💱 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 Kangar, Perlis 400 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 Kangar, Perlis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, $910 in Kangar, Perlis – Kangar, Perlis comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,365 in Kangar, Perlis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kangar, Perlis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya and $20 in Kangar, Perlis. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $910 in Kangar, Perlis. That makes Kangar, Perlis about 14% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $910 in Kangar, Perlis, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kangar, Perlis – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.