Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $609 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $609 in Malacca, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Malacca $609

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $970 in Malacca, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Malacca $970

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,330 in Malacca, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Malacca $1,330

Petaling Jaya costs about 73% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Petaling Jaya and Malacca are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Malacca 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.47

$3.23 MYR 13.11

10.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 98.9

$18.02 MYR 73.1

35.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.66

$4.80 MYR 19.46

1.04%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.47

$2.89 MYR 11.72

6.57%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.79 MYR 3.18

7.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.55 MYR 2.21

-25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$1.93 MYR 7.83

69.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.07

$2.90 MYR 11.77

96.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$1.66 MYR 6.74

16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.19

$1.05 MYR 4.27

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$1.48 MYR 5.99

-2.70%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.17

$1.68 MYR 6.81

5.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.36

$18.08 MYR 73.3

-46.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.30

$4.63 MYR 18.78

-29.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.45

$10.55 MYR 42.76

-7.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.22

$3.29 MYR 13.36

6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.53

$1.68 MYR 6.81

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.08

$2.39 MYR 9.69

14.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.40

$1.69 MYR 6.87

8.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.70

$1.41 MYR 5.70

52.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.66 MYR 6.72

21.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$1.37 MYR 5.57

5.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.55 MYR 2.25

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.50

$4.18 MYR 16.97

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.6

$14.21 MYR 57.6

36.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.69

$2.14 MYR 8.68

23.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$3.13 MYR 12.70

43.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.48 MYR 1.93

160.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.5

$12.40 MYR 50.3

0.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.02 MYR 4.13

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.71 MYR 2.87

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.47

$12.09 MYR 49.02

-27.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.51 MYR 2.07

70.59%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

$44.4K MYR 180.2K

3.23%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

$36.0K MYR 145.9K

-1.82%

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

$49.61 MYR 201

$52.4 MYR 212

-5.29%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.16

$11.33 MYR 45.93

-27.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$28.13 MYR 114

-2.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 164

$21.87 MYR 88.7

84.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.28

$11.78 MYR 47.74

-74.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$4.92 MYR 19.94

1.63%

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

$273 MYR 1,106

$237 MYR 961

15.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

$4,388 MYR 17.8K

139.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 209

$54.1 MYR 219

-4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 119

$16.83 MYR 68.2

74.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 316

$81.9 MYR 332

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 353

$96.7 MYR 392

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,073

$193 MYR 782

165.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,729

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,894

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,835

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

$1,179 MYR 4,780

166.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,958

$794 MYR 3,218

23.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,079

$416 MYR 1,686

319.82%

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 Malacca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Malacca

$258 42.4% 3.6% $9.1

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Malacca

$96 15.7% 15.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Malacca

$112 18.5% 1.4% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Malacca

$92 15.1% 7.9% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Malacca

$32 5.2% 37.1% $19

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 7.6% $1.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $193 in Malacca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Petaling Jaya are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $18 in Malacca. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $258 in Malacca – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

579,000

💱 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

On the map

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Petaling Jaya Malacca 120 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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, $609 in Malacca – Malacca comes out roughly 42% 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 $913 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $193 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $609 in Malacca. That makes Malacca about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Petaling Jaya and $237 in Malacca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $609 in Malacca, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Malacca – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Malacca. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.