Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Muar

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
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Muar Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,056 in Petaling Jaya versus $951 in Muar.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Muar $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,569 in Petaling Jaya versus $1,505 in Muar.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Muar $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,082 in Petaling Jaya versus $2,059 in Muar.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Muar $2,059

Living in Petaling Jaya is roughly 11% more expensive than in Muar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Muar 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.53

$4.82 MYR 19.63

-25.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.3

$29.01 MYR 118

-15.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.74

$3.88 MYR 15.79

25.00%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.52

$3.05 MYR 12.41

0.98%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.76 MYR 3.11

11.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.46 MYR 1.87

-10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.37

$4.44 MYR 18.06

-26.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.17

$6.27 MYR 25.52

-9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-9.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.07 MYR 4.35

-3.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-22.16%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.20

$2.44 MYR 9.92

-27.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.52

$14.25 MYR 58.0

-31.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.35

$4.44 MYR 18.09

-26.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.62

$9.95 MYR 40.50

-2.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.28

$3.36 MYR 13.69

4.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.85 MYR 7.51

0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$2.25 MYR 9.15

21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$1.51 MYR 6.16

21.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.74

$1.22 MYR 4.95

76.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.37 MYR 5.57

47.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.16 MYR 4.72

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.71 MYR 2.90

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$4.45 MYR 18.11

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.9

$19.48 MYR 79.3

-0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.74

$3.48 MYR 14.18

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.22

$4.99 MYR 20.33

-10.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.64 MYR 2.62

95.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$10.62 MYR 43.24

17.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$1.19 MYR 4.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.25 MYR 5.07

-72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.62

$4.87 MYR 19.84

79.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.81 MYR 3.30

7.41%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.7K

$44.4K MYR 180.8K

3.25%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$34.9K MYR 141.9K

1.31%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$62.0 MYR 253

-20.02%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.30

$8.88 MYR 36.16

-7.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$26.21 MYR 107

4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$37.02 MYR 151

9.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$5.79 MYR 23.55

-47.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

$4.85 MYR 19.74

3.09%

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

$273 MYR 1,110

$240 MYR 976

13.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

-21.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$72.2 MYR 294

-28.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$41.83 MYR 170

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$84.3 MYR 343

-7.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$96.3 MYR 392

-9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,082

$445 MYR 1,810

15.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,736

$253 MYR 1,028

68.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,910

$617 MYR 2,510

55.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,846

$518 MYR 2,108

35.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$2,001 MYR 8,144

57.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,974

$1,229 MYR 5,001

-20.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,108

$603 MYR 2,454

189.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.17

8.15%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Muar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Muar

$253 26.6% 40.8% $174

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Muar

$274 28.9% 10% $25

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Muar

$126 13.3% 12% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Muar

$133 14% 19.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Muar

$97 10.2% 14.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Muar

$47 4.9% 7.4% $3.7

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Muar

$21 2.2% 0.9% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $511 in Petaling Jaya and $445 in Muar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Petaling Jaya pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Petaling Jaya vs $29 in Muar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $274 per month, with Petaling Jaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Muar

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

314,776

💱 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

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Petaling Jaya Muar 160 km

From you

Petaling Jaya
Muar

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 Muar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $951 in Muar, so Muar is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Petaling Jaya is about 2.9 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: $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $445 in Muar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Muar runs roughly 15% less than in Petaling Jaya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $273 in Petaling Jaya versus $240 in Muar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Muar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Muar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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