Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Kota Bharu Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Kota Bharu

😐 Solo nomad: Petaling Jaya is 22.8% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 40.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 28.6% more expensive than Kota Bharu without rent, and 14.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.47 MYR 14.63
$1.82 MYR 7.66
90.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.92 MYR 79.8
$21.31 MYR 89.9
-11.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.6 MYR 19.4
$4.21 MYR 17.76
9.26%
Cappuccino
$2.72 MYR 11.47
$2.32 MYR 9.79
17.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 MYR 3.07
$0.45 MYR 1.9
62.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 MYR 1.66
$0.27 MYR 1.15
44.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.47 MYR 14.62
$4.27 MYR 18.02
-18.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.92 MYR 20.75
$4.17 MYR 17.58
17.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 MYR 7.89
$1.57 MYR 6.62
19.11%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 MYR 4.01
$0.76 MYR 3.19
25.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 MYR 7.24
$0.83 MYR 3.51
107.23%
Eggs
$2.18 MYR 9.18
$1.55 MYR 6.55
40.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.64 MYR 44.87
$15.17 MYR 64
-29.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.39 MYR 14.3
$2.95 MYR 12.43
14.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.19 MYR 34.54
$6.19 MYR 26.11
32.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 MYR 11.76
$1.4 MYR 5.88
99.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 MYR 7.37
$1.43 MYR 6.04
22.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.53 MYR 10.68
$1.38 MYR 5.8
83.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.25 MYR 5.27
$0.9 MYR 3.8
38.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 MYR 4.75
$0.83 MYR 3.5
36.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.4 MYR 5.89
$1.16 MYR 4.89
20.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 MYR 4.04
$0.92 MYR 3.86
4.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 MYR 2.45
$0.4 MYR 1.71
45.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MYR 18.01
$3.07 MYR 12.97
39.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.88 MYR 79.6
$14.59 MYR 61.5
29.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.68 MYR 11.31
$1.4 MYR 5.9
91.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 MYR 16.16
$3.43 MYR 14.45
11.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.71 MYR 2.99
$0.74 MYR 3.12
-4.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.75 MYR 49.57
$11.63 MYR 49.04
1.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 MYR 4.33
$0.69 MYR 2.91
49.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 MYR 1.49
$0.54 MYR 2.26
-35.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.36 MYR 39.46
$3.64 MYR 15.35
157.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.49 MYR 2.07
$0.5 MYR 2.11
-2.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.3K MYR 132.2K
$31K MYR 130.6K
1.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28K MYR 118.2K
$27.2K MYR 114.8K
2.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.58 MYR 175
$38.1 MYR 161
9.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.89 MYR 37.47
$8.15 MYR 34.38
9.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.97 MYR 96.9
$26.59 MYR 112
-13.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.26 MYR 157
$36.56 MYR 154
1.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.23 MYR 30.5
$5.77 MYR 24.33
25.30%
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 MYR 21.43
$4.26 MYR 17.98
19.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$210 MYR 887
$116 MYR 489
81.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,001 MYR 33.7K
$6,301 MYR 26.6K
26.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.01 MYR 207
$53.4 MYR 225
-8.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.16 MYR 144
$18.9 MYR 79.7
80.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$55.2 MYR 233
$61.7 MYR 260
-10.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.06 MYR 203
$51.8 MYR 219
-7.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 MYR 1,917
$264 MYR 1,114
72.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$349 MYR 1,471
$141 MYR 595
147.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$823 MYR 3,471
$845 MYR 3,565
-2.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$542 MYR 2,287
$478 MYR 2,015
13.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,404 MYR 10.1K
$1,767 MYR 7,450
36.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$821 MYR 3,463
$1,061 MYR 4,474
-22.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Petaling Jaya
Kota Bharu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,668 MYR 7,036
$325 MYR 1,371
413.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.49
4.16
7.93%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 27, 2025

Last update for Kota Bharu: October 28, 2025

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