Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $975 a month against $1,041 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $790 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,041

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,041 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $975 in Serdang, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,041
Serdang $975

A couple spends around $1,503 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,441 in Serdang, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,503
Serdang $1,441

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,906 in Serdang, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,966
Serdang $1,906

Petaling Jaya costs about 7% more than Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petaling Jaya and Serdang are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 23% lower, Serdang 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 MYR 15.12

$2.48 MYR 10.13

49.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.12 MYR 98.4

$16.85 MYR 68.8

43.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 MYR 20.45

$3.76 MYR 15.33

33.24%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 12.31

$1.94 MYR 7.92

55.67%

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

$0.93 MYR 3.78

$0.84 MYR 3.43

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.47 MYR 1.94

-10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MYR 13.26

$4.39 MYR 17.92

-25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 MYR 23.99

$6.21 MYR 25.34

-5.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.58

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-8.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-5.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-25.91%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.24

$2.54 MYR 10.37

-30.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 MYR 40.34

$13.78 MYR 56.2

-28.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.94

$4.54 MYR 18.50

-30.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.75 MYR 39.76

$9.91 MYR 40.41

-1.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 14.07

$3.33 MYR 13.57

3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 MYR 7.55

$1.86 MYR 7.60

-0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.82

$2.25 MYR 9.20

17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.20

$1.61 MYR 6.58

9.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.71

$1.28 MYR 5.24

66.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 MYR 8.32

$1.34 MYR 5.46

52.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MYR 6.06

$1.12 MYR 4.57

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$0.72 MYR 2.95

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$4.31 MYR 17.59

5.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.30 MYR 78.7

$19.36 MYR 79.0

-0.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.77

$3.47 MYR 14.17

-23.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 MYR 18.99

$4.88 MYR 19.89

-4.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 MYR 5.05

$0.76 MYR 3.10

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.20 MYR 49.75

$12.22 MYR 49.86

-0.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.20 MYR 4.88

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 MYR 1.57

$1.24 MYR 5.07

-68.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.00 MYR 36.73

$4.77 MYR 19.45

88.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.82 MYR 3.36

6.10%

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

$45.0K MYR 183.4K

$41.2K MYR 168.1K

9.12%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.2K

$35.2K MYR 143.7K

1.71%

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

$49.02 MYR 200

$63.2 MYR 258

-22.45%

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

$8.43 MYR 34.38

$8.89 MYR 36.28

-5.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.13 MYR 111

$26.10 MYR 106

3.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MYR 210

$40.33 MYR 165

27.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.08 MYR 12.57

$7.11 MYR 29.00

-56.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MYR 20.46

$5.09 MYR 20.74

-1.38%

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

$276 MYR 1,126

$297 MYR 1,210

-6.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

$13.2K MYR 54.0K

-20.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 MYR 213

$72.7 MYR 297

-28.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.86 MYR 122

$41.98 MYR 171

-28.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 MYR 312

$87.4 MYR 356

-12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.4 MYR 348

$96.0 MYR 392

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 MYR 1,999

$409 MYR 1,669

19.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 MYR 1,638

$302 MYR 1,231

33.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$854 MYR 3,484

$682 MYR 2,783

25.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 MYR 2,306

$479 MYR 1,954

18.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,125 MYR 12.7K

$2,055 MYR 8,382

52.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$950 MYR 3,876

$1,069 MYR 4,360

-11.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,767 MYR 7,210

$989 MYR 4,035

78.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.18

7.89%

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

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 19, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$401 38.6%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 24.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.9%

Serdang

$274 28.1% 10% $25

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$114 11%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 17.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$110 10.6%

Serdang

$134 13.8% 22.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Serdang

$98 10.1% 16.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$61 5.9%

Serdang

$51 5.2% 17.8% $11

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 2%

Serdang

$23 2.3% 11.8% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $490 in Petaling Jaya versus $409 in Serdang. 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 79% higher in Petaling Jaya, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Petaling Jaya versus $17.00 in Serdang. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $274 in Serdang – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

130,252

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Petaling Jaya Serdang 10 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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 7% more than Serdang, 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 $1,561 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,462 in Serdang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Serdang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 0% less in Serdang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $276 per month in Petaling Jaya and $297 in Serdang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Serdang, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,041. In Serdang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Petaling Jaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Serdang costs $975 versus $1,041 in Petaling Jaya. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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