Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Sibu

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $905 in Sibu, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Sibu $905

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,406 in Sibu, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Sibu $1,406

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,906 in Sibu, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Sibu $1,906

Petaling Jaya costs about 17% more than Sibu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Petaling Jaya and Sibu are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Sibu 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.47

$2.26 MYR 9.14

57.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 98.9

$19.22 MYR 77.9

26.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.66

$4.23 MYR 17.14

14.66%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.47

$2.30 MYR 9.31

33.91%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.44

$0.61 MYR 2.48

39.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.23 MYR 0.93

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$2.86 MYR 11.60

14.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.07

$4.46 MYR 18.08

27.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.83

$1.76 MYR 7.14

9.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.19

$0.87 MYR 3.54

18.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.84

$1.33 MYR 5.37

8.27%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.17

$2.18 MYR 8.82

-18.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.36

$13.35 MYR 54.1

-27.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.30

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.45

$9.92 MYR 40.23

-1.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.22

$2.86 MYR 11.60

22.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.53

$1.81 MYR 7.35

2.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.08

$2.36 MYR 9.58

15.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.40

$1.69 MYR 6.86

8.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.70

$1.38 MYR 5.59

55.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.19

$1.33 MYR 5.40

51.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$1.06 MYR 4.28

36.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.56 MYR 2.28

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.50

$4.48 MYR 18.18

1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.6

$19.27 MYR 78.1

0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.69

$3.02 MYR 12.23

-12.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$4.61 MYR 18.71

-2.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.07

$0.79 MYR 3.21

58.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.5

$11.49 MYR 46.59

8.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.82

$1.04 MYR 4.24

14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.61 MYR 2.48

-42.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.47

$7.27 MYR 29.47

20.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.87 MYR 3.51

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

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

0.77%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

-2.29%

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

$49.61 MYR 201

$48.91 MYR 198

1.43%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.16

$7.37 MYR 29.86

10.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$26.21 MYR 106

4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 164

$27.13 MYR 110

48.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.28

$6.38 MYR 25.88

-52.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.28

$3.72 MYR 15.10

34.41%

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

$273 MYR 1,106

$243 MYR 984

12.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

52.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 209

$56.1 MYR 228

-8.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 119

$36.43 MYR 148

-19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 316

$69.2 MYR 281

12.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 353

$78.2 MYR 317

11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,073

$390 MYR 1,579

31.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,729

$318 MYR 1,288

34.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,894

$698 MYR 2,828

37.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,835

$630 MYR 2,552

11.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

$2,136 MYR 8,660

47.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,958

$1,165 MYR 4,723

-16.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,079

$487 MYR 1,974

258.63%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Sibu

$318 35.1% 25.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Sibu

$258 28.6% 3.6% $9

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Sibu

$85 9.4% 24.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Sibu

$108 11.9% 2.6% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Sibu

$82 9.1% 3.1% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Sibu

$35 3.8% 31.4% $16

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Sibu

$19 2.1% 8.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $390 in Sibu. 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 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $19 in Sibu. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $258 in Sibu – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Sibu

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

198,239

💱 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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Between locations

Petaling Jaya Sibu 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Petaling Jaya
Sibu

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 Sibu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 17% more than Sibu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,357 in Sibu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Sibu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Petaling Jaya and $243 in Sibu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $905 in Sibu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sibu – 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 Sibu. 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.