Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Ulu Tiram

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulu Tiram: $938 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Ulu Tiram
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Ulu Tiram Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Ulu Tiram

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Ulu Tiram

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $938 in Ulu Tiram, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Ulu Tiram $938

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,412 in Ulu Tiram, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Ulu Tiram $1,412

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,885 in Ulu Tiram, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Ulu Tiram $1,885

Petaling Jaya costs about 12% more than Ulu Tiram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petaling Jaya and Ulu Tiram are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Ulu Tiram 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.53

$3.58 MYR 14.59

-0.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.3

$19.21 MYR 78.2

26.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.74

$4.97 MYR 20.24

-2.41%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.52

$2.92 MYR 11.90

5.48%

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

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.85 MYR 3.44

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.66

$0.41 MYR 1.67

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.37

$4.50 MYR 18.30

-27.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.17

$6.40 MYR 26.03

-11.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.86

$1.73 MYR 7.02

11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.04 MYR 4.23

-0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.48 MYR 6.03

-2.70%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.20

$1.80 MYR 7.33

-1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.52

$9.62 MYR 39.17

0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.35

$4.23 MYR 17.21

-22.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.62

$9.57 MYR 38.95

1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.28

$3.30 MYR 13.44

6.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.56

$1.69 MYR 6.90

10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.12

$2.76 MYR 11.25

-1.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.43

$1.64 MYR 6.68

11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.74

$1.45 MYR 5.92

48.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.22

$1.67 MYR 6.78

20.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.39 MYR 5.65

4.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.13

$0.56 MYR 2.29

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.58

$4.30 MYR 17.48

6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 78.9

$17.28 MYR 70.3

12.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.74

$2.96 MYR 12.04

-10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.22

$3.11 MYR 12.65

44.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.80 MYR 3.25

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$13.32 MYR 54.2

-6.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.84

$0.94 MYR 3.84

26.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.38 MYR 1.55

-7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.62

$8.77 MYR 35.71

-0.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.86 MYR 3.51

1.16%

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

$45.9K MYR 186.7K

$43.8K MYR 178.3K

4.71%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

-0.51%

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

$49.61 MYR 202

$53.5 MYR 218

-7.24%

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

$8.18 MYR 33.30

$8.46 MYR 34.42

-3.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$28.46 MYR 116

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$37.15 MYR 151

8.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.33

$6.93 MYR 28.19

-56.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

$4.80 MYR 19.53

4.17%

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

$273 MYR 1,110

$241 MYR 980

13.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

$4,550 MYR 18.5K

131.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$55.0 MYR 224

-6.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$16.99 MYR 69.2

73.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$78.7 MYR 320

-0.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$87.0 MYR 354

0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,082

$453 MYR 1,844

12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,736

$315 MYR 1,282

35.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,910

$709 MYR 2,887

35.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,846

$547 MYR 2,227

27.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$2,005 MYR 8,161

56.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,974

$1,196 MYR 4,867

-18.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,108

$869 MYR 3,535

101.04%

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 Ulu Tiram: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Ulu Tiram

$315 33.6% 26.1% $112

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Ulu Tiram

$241 25.7% 3.4% $8.4

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Ulu Tiram

$119 12.7% 5.4% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Ulu Tiram

$107 11.4% 3.4% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Ulu Tiram

$90 9.6% 6.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Ulu Tiram

$47 5% 7.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Ulu Tiram

$19 2.1% 5.2% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $453 in Ulu Tiram. 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 2 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 Ulu Tiram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $241 – making Ulu Tiram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Ulu Tiram

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

75,350

💱 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 Ulu Tiram 290 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 Ulu Tiram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 12% more than Ulu Tiram, 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 $1,408 in Ulu Tiram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulu Tiram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $453 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Petaling Jaya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Petaling Jaya and $241 in Ulu Tiram. 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 $938 in Ulu Tiram. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ulu Tiram – 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 Ulu Tiram. 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.