Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sibu and Petaling Jaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibu: $905 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sibu
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Sibu Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index

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Sibu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$905

/mo nomad

Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $905 per month in Sibu vs $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sibu $905
Petaling Jaya $1,056

A couple spends around $1,406 per month in Sibu vs $1,569 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sibu $1,406
Petaling Jaya $1,569

A family of three spends $1,906 per month in Sibu vs $2,082 in Petaling Jaya, rent included.

Sibu $1,906
Petaling Jaya $2,082

Sibu is about 14% cheaper than Petaling Jaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sibu and Petaling Jaya are more affordable than the global median – Sibu 34% lower, Petaling Jaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 MYR 9.14

$3.57 MYR 14.47

-36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 MYR 77.9

$24.39 MYR 98.9

-21.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.23 MYR 17.14

$4.85 MYR 19.66

-12.78%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.31

$3.08 MYR 12.47

-25.32%

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

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.85 MYR 3.44

-28.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 MYR 0.93

$0.41 MYR 1.66

-43.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$3.28 MYR 13.31

-12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 MYR 18.08

$5.69 MYR 23.07

-21.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MYR 7.14

$1.93 MYR 7.83

-8.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$1.03 MYR 4.19

-15.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.37

$1.44 MYR 5.84

-7.64%

Eggs

$2.18 MYR 8.82

$1.77 MYR 7.17

23.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.35 MYR 54.1

$9.71 MYR 39.36

37.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$3.28 MYR 13.30

49.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 MYR 40.23

$9.73 MYR 39.45

1.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 11.60

$3.51 MYR 14.22

-18.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MYR 7.35

$1.86 MYR 7.53

-2.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 MYR 9.58

$2.73 MYR 11.08

-13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.86

$1.83 MYR 7.40

-7.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.59

$2.15 MYR 8.70

-35.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.40

$2.02 MYR 8.19

-34.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MYR 4.28

$1.45 MYR 5.87

-26.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MYR 2.28

$0.52 MYR 2.13

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MYR 18.18

$4.56 MYR 18.50

-1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.1

$19.38 MYR 78.6

-0.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.23

$2.64 MYR 10.69

14.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.71

$4.48 MYR 18.14

2.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MYR 3.21

$1.25 MYR 5.07

-36.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.49 MYR 46.59

$12.45 MYR 50.5

-7.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$1.19 MYR 4.82

-12.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 MYR 2.48

$0.35 MYR 1.44

74.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.27 MYR 29.47

$8.75 MYR 35.47

-16.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$0.87 MYR 3.53

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

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

$45.9K MYR 186.0K

-0.77%

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

$36.2K MYR 146.6K

$35.3K MYR 143.2K

2.35%

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

$48.91 MYR 198

$49.61 MYR 201

-1.41%

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

$7.37 MYR 29.86

$8.18 MYR 33.16

-9.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 MYR 106

$27.36 MYR 111

-4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.13 MYR 110

$40.42 MYR 164

-32.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.88

$3.03 MYR 12.28

110.56%

Cinema Ticket

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$5.00 MYR 20.28

-25.60%

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

$243 MYR 984

$273 MYR 1,106

-11.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,876 MYR 27.9K

$10.5K MYR 42.6K

-34.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MYR 228

$51.6 MYR 209

8.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 MYR 148

$29.45 MYR 119

23.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 MYR 281

$78.0 MYR 316

-11.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 MYR 317

$87.2 MYR 353

-10.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 MYR 1,579

$511 MYR 2,073

-23.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 MYR 1,288

$426 MYR 1,729

-25.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,828

$961 MYR 3,894

-27.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MYR 2,552

$699 MYR 2,835

-9.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 MYR 8,660

$3,144 MYR 12.7K

-32.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 MYR 4,723

$976 MYR 3,958

19.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$487 MYR 1,974

$1,746 MYR 7,079

-72.12%

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 Sibu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sibu

$318 35.1%

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4% 34.2% $109

Groceries & Markets

Sibu

$258 28.6%

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6% 3.5% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Sibu

$108 11.9%

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5% 2.6% $2.8

Eating Out

Sibu

$85 9.4%

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7% 33% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sibu

$82 9.1%

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1% 3.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sibu

$35 3.8%

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8% 45.8% $16

Getting Around

Sibu

$19 2.1%

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9% 8.8% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Sibu 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 in Petaling Jaya are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Sibu versus $24 in Petaling Jaya. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Sibu vs $249 in Petaling Jaya – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Sibu

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

Same time as Sibu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,239

771,687

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sibu Petaling Jaya 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sibu
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

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

Petaling Jaya costs about 17% more than Sibu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,357 per month in Sibu 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 Sibu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Sibu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $243 per month in Sibu and $273 in Petaling Jaya. 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 $905 in Sibu and $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sibu – 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 Sibu. 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.