Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putra Heights and Petaling Jaya

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Putra Heights
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Putra Heights Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Putra Heights

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$927

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Putra Heights and in Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Putra Heights $927
Petaling Jaya $1,056

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

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

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

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

Putra Heights is about 12% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 MYR 15.35

$3.57 MYR 14.53

5.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.15 MYR 73.9

$24.39 MYR 99.3

-25.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 MYR 19.95

$4.85 MYR 19.74

1.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.51

$3.08 MYR 12.52

-8.12%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.85 MYR 3.46

-8.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$0.41 MYR 1.66

2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.34

$3.28 MYR 13.37

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.23 MYR 25.38

$5.69 MYR 23.17

9.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 MYR 6.78

$1.93 MYR 7.86

-13.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 MYR 4.34

$1.03 MYR 4.21

3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$1.44 MYR 5.86

-0.69%

Eggs

$1.75 MYR 7.12

$1.77 MYR 7.20

-1.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.08 MYR 57.3

$9.71 MYR 39.52

45.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 18.56

$3.28 MYR 13.35

39.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 MYR 41.44

$9.73 MYR 39.62

4.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 MYR 13.49

$3.51 MYR 14.28

-5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.06

$1.86 MYR 7.56

-6.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 MYR 9.39

$2.73 MYR 11.12

-15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.09

$1.83 MYR 7.43

-18.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.00

$2.15 MYR 8.74

-42.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.53

$2.02 MYR 8.22

-32.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$1.45 MYR 5.90

-22.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.22

$0.52 MYR 2.13

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MYR 17.93

$4.56 MYR 18.58

-3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 MYR 57.8

$19.38 MYR 78.9

-26.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 MYR 12.01

$2.64 MYR 10.74

11.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.30

$4.48 MYR 18.22

-32.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.02

$1.25 MYR 5.10

-40.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.19 MYR 49.61

$12.45 MYR 50.7

-2.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.86

$1.19 MYR 4.84

-20.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 MYR 2.87

$0.35 MYR 1.44

102.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 MYR 20.33

$8.75 MYR 35.62

-42.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

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

$44.4K MYR 180.9K

$45.9K MYR 186.7K

-3.11%

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

$34.7K MYR 141.1K

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-1.88%

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

$62.9 MYR 256

$49.61 MYR 202

26.79%

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

$8.99 MYR 36.61

$8.18 MYR 33.30

9.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.85 MYR 105

$27.36 MYR 111

-5.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.32 MYR 152

$40.42 MYR 165

-7.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 MYR 23.29

$3.03 MYR 12.33

88.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MYR 20.37

$5.00 MYR 20.36

0.20%

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

$241 MYR 981

$273 MYR 1,110

-11.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,302 MYR 21.6K

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

-49.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 MYR 220

$51.6 MYR 210

4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.45 MYR 67.0

$29.45 MYR 120

-44.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 MYR 325

$78.0 MYR 318

2.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 MYR 399

$87.2 MYR 355

12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 MYR 1,716

$511 MYR 2,082

-17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 MYR 1,164

$426 MYR 1,736

-32.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 MYR 2,878

$961 MYR 3,910

-26.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 MYR 2,223

$699 MYR 2,846

-21.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,818 MYR 7,400

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

-42.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 MYR 5,031

$976 MYR 3,974

26.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 MYR 4,486

$1,746 MYR 7,108

-36.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.51

-9.98%

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

Last update for Putra Heights: October 27, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Putra Heights

$286 30.8%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 49.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Putra Heights

$246 26.5%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 1.4% $3.4

Eating Out

Putra Heights

$119 12.8%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 4.9% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Putra Heights

$112 12.1%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 0.8% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putra Heights

$98 10.5%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 12.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Putra Heights

$47 5.1%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 6.5% $3.1

Getting Around

Putra Heights

$20 2.1%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 4% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Putra Heights versus $511 in Petaling Jaya. 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 $18 in Putra Heights versus $24 in Petaling Jaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $249 – making Putra Heights the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Putra Heights

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

Same time as Putra Heights

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

771,687

💱 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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Putra Heights Petaling Jaya 14 km

From you

Putra Heights
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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

Putra Heights vs Petaling Jaya: 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 $1,390 per month in Putra Heights and $1,583 in Petaling Jaya. 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 $927 in Putra Heights and $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. That makes Putra Heights about 12% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Putra Heights and $24 in Petaling Jaya. 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.