Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Putra Heights

For one person, living is cheaper in Putra Heights: $927 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Putra Heights
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Putra Heights Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Putra Heights

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Putra Heights

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $927 in Putra Heights, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Putra Heights $927

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,421 in Putra Heights, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Putra Heights $1,421

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,915 in Putra Heights, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Putra Heights $1,915

Petaling Jaya costs about 14% more than Putra Heights, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Petaling Jaya and Putra Heights are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Putra Heights 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.53

$3.77 MYR 15.35

-5.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.3

$18.15 MYR 73.9

34.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.74

$4.90 MYR 19.95

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.52

$2.83 MYR 11.51

8.83%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.78 MYR 3.18

8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.42 MYR 1.71

-2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.37

$4.51 MYR 18.34

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.17

$6.23 MYR 25.38

-8.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.67 MYR 6.78

15.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.07 MYR 4.34

-3.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.43 MYR 5.84

0.70%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.20

$1.75 MYR 7.12

1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.52

$14.08 MYR 57.3

-31.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.35

$4.56 MYR 18.56

-28.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.62

$10.18 MYR 41.44

-4.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.28

$3.31 MYR 13.49

6.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.73 MYR 7.06

7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$2.31 MYR 9.39

18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$1.50 MYR 6.09

22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.74

$1.23 MYR 5.00

74.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.36 MYR 5.53

48.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.13 MYR 4.61

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.55 MYR 2.22

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$4.40 MYR 17.93

3.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.9

$14.20 MYR 57.8

36.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.74

$2.95 MYR 12.01

-10.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.22

$3.02 MYR 12.30

48.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.74 MYR 3.02

68.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$12.19 MYR 49.61

2.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.95 MYR 3.86

25.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.71 MYR 2.87

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.62

$4.99 MYR 20.33

75.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

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

$45.9K MYR 186.7K

$44.4K MYR 180.9K

3.21%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$34.7K MYR 141.1K

1.91%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$62.9 MYR 256

-21.13%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.30

$8.99 MYR 36.61

-9.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$25.85 MYR 105

5.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$37.32 MYR 152

8.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$5.72 MYR 23.29

-47.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

$5.01 MYR 20.37

-0.20%

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

$273 MYR 1,110

$241 MYR 981

13.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$5,302 MYR 21.6K

98.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$54.1 MYR 220

-4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$16.45 MYR 67.0

79.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$79.9 MYR 325

-2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$97.9 MYR 399

-10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,082

$422 MYR 1,716

21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,736

$286 MYR 1,164

49.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,910

$707 MYR 2,878

35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,846

$546 MYR 2,223

28.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$1,818 MYR 7,400

72.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,974

$1,236 MYR 5,031

-21.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,108

$1,102 MYR 4,486

58.44%

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 Putra Heights: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Putra Heights

$286 30.8% 33% $141

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Putra Heights

$246 26.5% 1.4% $3.4

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Putra Heights

$119 12.8% 5.1% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Putra Heights

$112 12.1% 0.9% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Putra Heights

$98 10.5% 14.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Putra Heights

$47 5.1% 6.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Putra Heights

$20 2.1% 3.9% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $422 in Putra Heights. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Petaling Jaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $18 in Putra Heights. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $246 – making Putra Heights the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Putra Heights

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

60,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Petaling Jaya Putra Heights 14 km

From you

Petaling Jaya
Putra Heights

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 Putra Heights: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 14% more than Putra Heights, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,390 in Putra Heights. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Putra Heights, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $927 in Putra Heights. That makes Putra Heights about 12% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya and $18 in Putra Heights. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Putra Heights – 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 Putra Heights. 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.