Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living costs are similar in Selangor and in Petaling Jaya: $1,020 and $1,037 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Selangor vs $1,037 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Selangor $1,020
Petaling Jaya $1,037

A couple spends around $1,469 per month in Selangor vs $1,499 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Selangor $1,469
Petaling Jaya $1,499

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Selangor vs $1,962 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Selangor $1,918
Petaling Jaya $1,962

Selangor is about 2% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Selangor and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Selangor 24% lower, Petaling Jaya 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$3.58 MYR 14.62

20.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$24.22 MYR 98.8

-20.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$4.76 MYR 19.40

-15.13%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$2.99 MYR 12.21

-24.41%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$0.93 MYR 3.80

-16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.44 MYR 1.81

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$3.32 MYR 13.54

33.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$5.64 MYR 23.01

-12.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.85 MYR 7.53

4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$1.02 MYR 4.16

2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.48 MYR 6.02

3.38%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$1.83 MYR 7.48

4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$9.93 MYR 40.53

43.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$3.29 MYR 13.42

32.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$9.51 MYR 38.81

0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.71 MYR 11.07

-13.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-12.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$2.15 MYR 8.79

-37.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.97 MYR 8.02

-47.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.49 MYR 6.08

-25.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.56 MYR 2.27

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$4.62 MYR 18.86

-2.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$19.26 MYR 78.6

1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$2.62 MYR 10.69

37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$4.68 MYR 19.09

3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-0.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$12.34 MYR 50.3

-0.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.23 MYR 5.02

0.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.38 MYR 1.55

228.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$8.76 MYR 35.75

-50.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$0.80 MYR 3.26

-8.75%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$41.7K MYR 170.2K

0.43%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$32.1K MYR 130.8K

9.93%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$49.70 MYR 203

27.48%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$7.99 MYR 32.61

6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$26.77 MYR 109

-2.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$52.5 MYR 214

-21.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$3.03 MYR 12.37

126.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$4.93 MYR 20.12

2.43%

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

$122 MYR 499

$273 MYR 1,114

-55.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

-31.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$51.7 MYR 211

36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$30.02 MYR 122

37.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$78.4 MYR 320

-1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$86.4 MYR 353

-4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$482 MYR 1,966

5.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$397 MYR 1,620

-12.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$832 MYR 3,394

5.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$559 MYR 2,281

-13.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$3,184 MYR 13.0K

-50.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$978 MYR 3,990

-27.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$1,707 MYR 6,964

-40.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.51

-12.20%

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

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Selangor

$346 34%

Petaling Jaya

$397 38.3% 14.7% $51

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Petaling Jaya

$249 24.1% 6.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.7% 9.5% $12

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Petaling Jaya

$112 10.8% 1.1% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Petaling Jaya

$84 8.2% 13.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Petaling Jaya

$62 6% 21.9% $11

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Petaling Jaya

$20 2% 17.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Selangor versus $482 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 68% 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 $19.00 in Selangor versus $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Selangor vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

Same time as Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

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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Selangor Petaling Jaya 51 km

From you

Selangor
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

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

Petaling Jaya costs about 2% more than Selangor, 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 $1,529 per month in Selangor and $1,556 in Petaling Jaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $122 per month in Selangor and $273 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 Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,037. In Selangor 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. Selangor costs $1,020 versus $1,037 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 Selangor. 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.