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

🙂 Solo nomad: Petaling Jaya is 24.9% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 4.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Petaling Jaya is 11.8% cheaper than Kota Kinabalu without rent, and 4.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 MYR 13.65

$3.52 MYR 13.92

-1.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.09 MYR 75.4

$19.10 MYR 75.5

-0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.58 MYR 18.09

$4.79 MYR 18.93

-4.38%

Cappuccino

$2.82 MYR 11.12

$2.67 MYR 10.53

5.62%

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

$0.67 MYR 2.63

$0.68 MYR 2.69

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.55

$0.39 MYR 1.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 MYR 13.61

$2.33 MYR 9.22

47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 MYR 20.59

$3.47 MYR 13.72

50.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.40

$1.68 MYR 6.63

11.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.04

$1.25 MYR 4.94

-18.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 MYR 7.06

$1.68 MYR 6.62

6.55%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.93

$2.91 MYR 11.50

-22.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 MYR 41.33

$25.95 MYR 102

-59.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 MYR 13.39

$3.64 MYR 14.36

-6.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 MYR 32.47

$7.09 MYR 28.01

15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.40

$2.66 MYR 10.52

-1.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.65

$1.13 MYR 4.47

48.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 MYR 9.75

$3.24 MYR 12.82

-23.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.91

$1.97 MYR 7.78

-37.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 MYR 4.50

$1.52 MYR 5.99

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.30

$1.71 MYR 6.74

-21.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.76

$1.13 MYR 4.45

-15.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.45

$0.47 MYR 1.85

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.20

$4.02 MYR 15.88

8.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.85 MYR 78.4

$27.13 MYR 107

-26.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 MYR 10.64

$1.91 MYR 7.55

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 MYR 15.52

$1.63 MYR 6.44

141.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 2.98

$1.51 MYR 5.97

-50.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.61 MYR 45.86

$40.65 MYR 161

-71.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 MYR 3.89

$1.87 MYR 7.37

-47.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 MYR 1.29

$0.44 MYR 1.72

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.45 MYR 37.35

$6.00 MYR 23.69

57.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.85

$0.46 MYR 1.83

2.17%

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

$31.1K MYR 122.7K

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

4.84%

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

$28.0K MYR 110.5K

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

-0.26%

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

$40.62 MYR 160

$51.2 MYR 202

-20.62%

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

$9.08 MYR 35.87

$9.14 MYR 36.11

-0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.14 MYR 91.4

$32.66 MYR 129

-29.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.14 MYR 147

$43.05 MYR 170

-13.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.19 MYR 28.39

$2.87 MYR 11.33

150.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MYR 19.47

$4.76 MYR 18.80

3.57%

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

$211 MYR 833

$133 MYR 524

58.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,152 MYR 32.2K

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

83.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 MYR 196

$59.0 MYR 233

-15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 MYR 138

$22.78 MYR 90.0

52.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.7 MYR 216

$71.1 MYR 281

-23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.12 MYR 194

$94.6 MYR 374

-48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 MYR 1,798

$378 MYR 1,492

20.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 MYR 1,371

$162 MYR 641

114.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 MYR 3,271

$645 MYR 2,548

28.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 MYR 2,118

$369 MYR 1,456

45.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,238 MYR 12.8K

$1,893 MYR 7,478

71.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$217 MYR 856

$1,130 MYR 4,463

-80.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,792 MYR 7,079

$612 MYR 2,417

192.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

3.8

18.16%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: April 13, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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