Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setia Alam and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Setia Alam: $913 a month against $1,037 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Setia Alam
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Setia Alam Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Setia Alam vs $1,037 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Setia Alam $913
Petaling Jaya $1,037

A couple spends around $1,358 per month in Setia Alam vs $1,499 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Setia Alam $1,358
Petaling Jaya $1,499

A family of three spends $1,803 per month in Setia Alam vs $1,962 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Setia Alam $1,803
Petaling Jaya $1,962

Setia Alam is about 12% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Setia Alam and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Setia Alam 32% lower, Petaling Jaya 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$3.58 MYR 14.62

34.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 MYR 100

$24.22 MYR 98.8

1.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 MYR 20.22

$4.76 MYR 19.40

4.20%

Cappuccino

$2.76 MYR 11.27

$2.99 MYR 12.21

-7.69%

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

$0.79 MYR 3.23

$0.93 MYR 3.80

-15.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.44 MYR 1.81

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.63

$3.32 MYR 13.54

30.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MYR 24.50

$5.64 MYR 23.01

6.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MYR 6.09

$1.85 MYR 7.53

-19.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MYR 2.92

$1.02 MYR 4.16

-29.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 MYR 2.42

$1.48 MYR 6.02

-60.14%

Eggs

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.83 MYR 7.48

-34.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.82 MYR 56.4

$9.93 MYR 40.53

39.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$3.29 MYR 13.42

-26.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.41 MYR 9.83

$9.51 MYR 38.81

-74.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.04

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-64.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.47

$1.89 MYR 7.70

-3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.11

$2.71 MYR 11.07

-53.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.91

$1.82 MYR 7.44

-34.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 MYR 2.89

$2.15 MYR 8.79

-66.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 MYR 3.03

$1.97 MYR 8.02

-62.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.87

$1.49 MYR 6.08

-53.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 MYR 2.95

$0.56 MYR 2.27

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MYR 17.64

$4.62 MYR 18.86

-6.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.60 MYR 80.0

$19.26 MYR 78.6

1.77%

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 19.84

$4.68 MYR 19.09

3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.08

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-36.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.31 MYR 50.2

$12.34 MYR 50.3

-0.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.23 MYR 5.02

0.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$0.38 MYR 1.55

215.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 MYR 19.49

$8.76 MYR 35.75

-45.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.80 MYR 3.26

-40.00%

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

$39.2K MYR 159.9K

$41.7K MYR 170.2K

-6.10%

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

$33.0K MYR 134.7K

$32.1K MYR 130.8K

3.00%

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

$61.2 MYR 250

$49.70 MYR 203

23.08%

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

$8.52 MYR 34.77

$7.99 MYR 32.61

6.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MYR 106

$26.77 MYR 109

-2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.73 MYR 203

$52.5 MYR 214

-5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.97 MYR 28.44

$3.03 MYR 12.37

130.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MYR 20.82

$4.93 MYR 20.12

3.45%

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

$135 MYR 551

$273 MYR 1,114

-50.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,885 MYR 32.2K

$10.5K MYR 42.8K

-24.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 MYR 296

$51.7 MYR 211

40.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.31 MYR 111

$30.02 MYR 122

-9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.8 MYR 220

$78.4 MYR 320

-31.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.56 MYR 149

$86.4 MYR 353

-57.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 MYR 2,160

$482 MYR 1,966

9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 MYR 1,319

$397 MYR 1,620

-18.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 MYR 3,562

$832 MYR 3,394

4.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 MYR 2,238

$559 MYR 2,281

-1.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,992 MYR 8,128

$3,184 MYR 13.0K

-37.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,102 MYR 4,498

$978 MYR 3,990

12.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,143 MYR 4,663

$1,707 MYR 6,964

-33.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

-11.31%

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

Last update for Setia Alam: October 10, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setia Alam

$323 35.4%

Petaling Jaya

$397 38.3% 22.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Setia Alam

$200 21.9%

Petaling Jaya

$249 24.1% 24.6% $49

Eating Out

Setia Alam

$125 13.7%

Petaling Jaya

$112 10.8% 10.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setia Alam

$96 10.5%

Petaling Jaya

$84 8.2% 11.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Setia Alam

$86 9.4%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.7% 29.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Setia Alam

$60 6.6%

Petaling Jaya

$62 6% 4.1% $2.5

Getting Around

Setia Alam

$23 2.5%

Petaling Jaya

$20 2% 10% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Setia Alam 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 49% 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 $25.00 in Setia Alam versus $24.00 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Setia Alam vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Setia Alam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Setia Alam

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

Same time as Setia Alam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

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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Setia Alam Petaling Jaya 20 km

From you

Setia Alam
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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

Setia Alam vs Petaling Jaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 14% more than Setia Alam, 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 $1,369 per month in Setia Alam 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 Setia Alam, 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 Setia Alam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Setia Alam and $273 in Petaling Jaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Setia Alam, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Petaling Jaya at $1,037. In Setia Alam 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. Setia Alam costs $913 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 Setia Alam. 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.