Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Petaling Jaya: $1,056 a month against $1,145 in Selangor, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Selangor despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,145

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,145 in Selangor, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Selangor $1,145

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,656 in Selangor, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Selangor $1,656

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $2,168 in Selangor, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Selangor $2,168

Petaling Jaya is about 8% cheaper than Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petaling Jaya and Selangor are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Selangor 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.47

$4.23 MYR 17.14

-15.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 98.9

$19.90 MYR 80.7

22.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.66

$3.87 MYR 15.67

25.32%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.47

$2.20 MYR 8.91

40.00%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.88 MYR 3.58

-3.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.47 MYR 1.91

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$4.51 MYR 18.29

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.07

$5.12 MYR 20.75

11.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$1.83 MYR 7.43

5.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.19

$1.05 MYR 4.25

-1.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$1.48 MYR 6.02

-2.70%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.17

$1.88 MYR 7.64

-5.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.36

$23.03 MYR 93.4

-57.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.30

$4.96 MYR 20.11

-33.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.45

$10.94 MYR 44.35

-11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.22

$4.13 MYR 16.73

-15.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.53

$1.77 MYR 7.16

5.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.08

$3.45 MYR 14.01

-20.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.40

$2.68 MYR 10.86

-31.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.70

$1.75 MYR 7.09

22.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.07 MYR 4.34

88.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$1.11 MYR 4.50

30.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.50

$4.28 MYR 17.36

6.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.6

$31.12 MYR 126

-37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.69

$4.60 MYR 18.64

-42.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$5.64 MYR 22.86

-20.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.76 MYR 3.09

64.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.5

$12.37 MYR 50.2

0.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.19 MYR 4.84

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$1.25 MYR 5.06

-72.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.47

$4.37 MYR 17.70

100.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.75 MYR 3.03

16.00%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

$46.2K MYR 187.4K

-0.78%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

$36.0K MYR 145.9K

-1.87%

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

$49.61 MYR 201

$76.2 MYR 309

-34.89%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.16

$10.68 MYR 43.31

-23.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$30.89 MYR 125

-11.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 164

$39.74 MYR 161

1.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.28

$7.00 MYR 28.39

-56.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$5.92 MYR 24.00

-15.54%

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

$273 MYR 1,106

$121 MYR 489

126.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

$7,093 MYR 28.8K

48.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 209

$116 MYR 469

-55.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 119

$65.8 MYR 267

-55.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 316

$78.7 MYR 319

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 353

$82.0 MYR 332

6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,073

$510 MYR 2,067

0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,729

$346 MYR 1,402

23.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,894

$894 MYR 3,625

7.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,835

$485 MYR 1,966

44.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

$1,787 MYR 7,245

75.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,958

$1,015 MYR 4,113

-3.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,079

$1,048 MYR 4,250

66.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

3.96

13.89%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Selangor: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Selangor

$346 30.2% 18.9% $81

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Selangor

$343 29.9% 37.4% $93

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Selangor

$110 9.6% 2.5% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Selangor

$154 13.5% 38.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Selangor

$118 10.3% 38.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Selangor

$52 4.5% 2.3% $1.1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Selangor

$23 2% 11.9% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $510 in Selangor. 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 67% higher in Petaling Jaya, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $20 in Selangor. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $343 in Selangor – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

281,717

💱 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 Selangor 51 km

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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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Selangor costs about 8% more than Petaling Jaya, 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 $1,717 in Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $511 in Petaling Jaya and $510 in Selangor. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $1,145 in Selangor. That makes Petaling Jaya about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Petaling Jaya and $121 in Selangor. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $1,145 in Selangor. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Petaling Jaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,056 in Petaling Jaya to $1,145 in Selangor. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.