Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $969 a month against $1,094 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,094 in Petaling Jaya versus $969 in Labuan.

Petaling Jaya $1,094
Labuan $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,589 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,507 in Labuan.

Petaling Jaya $1,589
Labuan $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,083 in Petaling Jaya versus $2,045 in Labuan.

Petaling Jaya $2,083
Labuan $2,045

Living in Petaling Jaya is roughly 13% more expensive than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 19% lower, Labuan 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 MYR 14.78

$5.45 MYR 22.13

-33.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 MYR 101

$24.74 MYR 100

0.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 MYR 20.29

$6.91 MYR 28.06

-27.64%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.27

$3.96 MYR 16.06

-23.74%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$1.07 MYR 4.33

-20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.81

$0.41 MYR 1.67

9.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.30

$3.82 MYR 15.53

-14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 MYR 23.21

$4.63 MYR 18.79

23.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 MYR 7.93

$1.77 MYR 7.18

10.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.36

$1.05 MYR 4.25

1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.80

$1.44 MYR 5.86

-0.69%

Eggs

$1.85 MYR 7.50

$2.26 MYR 9.17

-18.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 MYR 40.07

$16.79 MYR 68.2

-41.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 MYR 13.53

$4.54 MYR 18.42

-26.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.80 MYR 39.81

$9.39 MYR 38.14

4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.58

$3.28 MYR 13.31

9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 MYR 7.77

$1.67 MYR 6.80

14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 MYR 10.69

$2.52 MYR 10.23

4.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.07

$1.58 MYR 6.41

10.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 MYR 8.70

$1.21 MYR 4.93

76.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.30

$1.38 MYR 5.58

47.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$1.18 MYR 4.81

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.14

$0.52 MYR 2.10

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.28

$4.30 MYR 17.44

4.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 MYR 81.3

$19.07 MYR 77.5

4.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 MYR 10.85

$2.98 MYR 12.09

-10.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 MYR 18.24

$4.44 MYR 18.02

1.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 MYR 4.94

$0.70 MYR 2.84

74.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.0

$12.19 MYR 49.50

0.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 MYR 4.15

$1.20 MYR 4.88

-15.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.58 MYR 2.34

-39.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 MYR 36.70

$7.38 MYR 29.96

22.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$0.77 MYR 3.15

6.49%

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

$45.1K MYR 183.2K

$44.4K MYR 180.4K

1.56%

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

$35.0K MYR 142.3K

$35.9K MYR 145.8K

-2.43%

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

$50.3 MYR 204

$48.90 MYR 199

2.76%

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

$7.57 MYR 30.76

$9.66 MYR 39.23

-21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.54 MYR 108

$28.73 MYR 117

-7.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.38 MYR 192

$37.51 MYR 152

26.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.12 MYR 12.67

$6.74 MYR 27.35

-53.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 MYR 19.64

$4.39 MYR 17.82

10.25%

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

$280 MYR 1,137

$241 MYR 979

16.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K MYR 83.7K

$6,912 MYR 28.1K

198.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 MYR 214

$55.2 MYR 224

-4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.69 MYR 121

$34.25 MYR 139

-13.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 MYR 311

$81.9 MYR 333

-6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 MYR 355

$76.3 MYR 310

14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MYR 2,107

$409 MYR 1,661

26.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 MYR 1,850

$291 MYR 1,181

56.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 MYR 3,782

$732 MYR 2,972

27.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 MYR 2,762

$557 MYR 2,261

22.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,129 MYR 12.7K

$1,970 MYR 8,002

58.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 MYR 3,949

$1,191 MYR 4,839

-18.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,089

$362 MYR 1,471

381.99%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Labuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$456 41.7%

Labuan

$291 30% 36.2% $165

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$253 23.1%

Labuan

$268 27.6% 6% $15

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.4%

Labuan

$146 15.1% 28.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.1%

Labuan

$111 11.5% 0.6% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$84 7.7%

Labuan

$87 9% 3.5% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$57 5.2%

Labuan

$46 4.8% 18.9% $11

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.8%

Labuan

$19 2% 4.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $519 in Petaling Jaya and $409 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Petaling Jaya vs $25 in Labuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $268 per month, with Petaling Jaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

95,120

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Petaling Jaya Labuan 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Petaling Jaya
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Petaling Jaya is about 4.8 times higher, 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: $519 in Petaling Jaya versus $409 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Petaling Jaya pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Childcare runs $280 in Petaling Jaya versus $241 in Labuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Labuan wins on affordability, Petaling Jaya on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.