Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarawak and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarawak: $933 a month against $1,041 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sarawak
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Sarawak Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Sarawak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sarawak 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 Sarawak and in Petaling Jaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $933 per month in Sarawak vs $1,041 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sarawak $933
Petaling Jaya $1,041

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in Sarawak vs $1,503 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sarawak $1,391
Petaling Jaya $1,503

A family of three spends $1,849 per month in Sarawak vs $1,966 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sarawak $1,849
Petaling Jaya $1,966

Sarawak is about 10% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sarawak and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Sarawak 31% lower, Petaling Jaya 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 MYR 14.88

$3.71 MYR 15.12

-1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.77 MYR 80.6

$24.12 MYR 98.4

-18.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.75 MYR 19.38

$5.01 MYR 20.45

-5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.88 MYR 11.74

$3.02 MYR 12.31

-4.64%

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

$0.81 MYR 3.29

$0.93 MYR 3.78

-12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.61

$0.42 MYR 1.71

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 MYR 14.68

$3.25 MYR 13.26

10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.81

$5.88 MYR 23.99

-21.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 MYR 7.58

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$1.06 MYR 4.32

-1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.04

$1.43 MYR 5.84

3.50%

Eggs

$2.04 MYR 8.32

$1.77 MYR 7.24

15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 MYR 56.5

$9.89 MYR 40.34

39.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 MYR 17.54

$3.17 MYR 12.94

35.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 MYR 38.47

$9.75 MYR 39.76

-3.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MYR 12.83

$3.45 MYR 14.07

-8.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.97

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-7.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 10.22

$2.65 MYR 10.82

-5.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.55

$1.76 MYR 7.20

-8.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.18

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$2.04 MYR 8.32

-43.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 MYR 4.79

$1.49 MYR 6.06

-21.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.18

$0.56 MYR 2.29

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MYR 18.52

$4.56 MYR 18.59

-0.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 MYR 78.0

$19.30 MYR 78.7

-0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.01

$2.64 MYR 10.77

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$4.65 MYR 18.99

-3.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$1.24 MYR 5.05

-42.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 MYR 49.57

$12.20 MYR 49.75

-0.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$1.20 MYR 4.91

4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.07

$0.39 MYR 1.57

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 MYR 29.41

$9.00 MYR 36.73

-19.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$0.87 MYR 3.54

-5.75%

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

$42.2K MYR 172.1K

$45.0K MYR 183.4K

-6.15%

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

$34.8K MYR 141.8K

$35.8K MYR 146.2K

-2.99%

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

$48.56 MYR 198

$49.02 MYR 200

-0.94%

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

$9.65 MYR 39.38

$8.43 MYR 34.38

14.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.71 MYR 113

$27.13 MYR 111

2.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.76 MYR 166

$51.4 MYR 210

-20.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.10 MYR 28.98

$3.08 MYR 12.57

130.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 20.05

$5.02 MYR 20.46

-1.99%

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

$190 MYR 775

$276 MYR 1,126

-31.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,067 MYR 28.8K

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

-32.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MYR 232

$52.1 MYR 213

8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.52 MYR 141

$29.86 MYR 122

15.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 MYR 325

$76.6 MYR 312

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 MYR 310

$85.4 MYR 348

-11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 MYR 1,674

$490 MYR 1,999

-16.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 MYR 1,219

$402 MYR 1,638

-25.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MYR 2,742

$854 MYR 3,484

-21.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MYR 1,946

$565 MYR 2,306

-15.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,042 MYR 8,329

$3,125 MYR 12.7K

-34.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 MYR 4,381

$950 MYR 3,876

13.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 MYR 1,381

$1,767 MYR 7,210

-80.85%

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 Sarawak: October 18, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarawak

$299 32%

Petaling Jaya

$401 38.6% 34.4% $103

Groceries & Markets

Sarawak

$258 27.6%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.9% 3.4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sarawak

$111 11.9%

Petaling Jaya

$110 10.6% 1.2% $1.3

Eating Out

Sarawak

$110 11.8%

Petaling Jaya

$114 11% 3.9% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarawak

$86 9.2%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 1.6% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sarawak

$51 5.4%

Petaling Jaya

$61 5.9% 21.4% $11

Getting Around

Sarawak

$19 2%

Petaling Jaya

$20 2% 8.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $410 in Sarawak versus $490 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 422% 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 $20.00 in Sarawak versus $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sarawak vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sarawak

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

Same time as Sarawak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

💱 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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Between locations

Sarawak Petaling Jaya 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sarawak
Petaling Jaya

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

Sarawak vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 12% more than Sarawak, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,399 per month in Sarawak and $1,561 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sarawak, 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 Sarawak. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Sarawak and $276 in Petaling Jaya. 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 Sarawak, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,041. In Sarawak 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. Sarawak costs $933 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 Sarawak. 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.