Cost of living comparison

compared to

Bukit Mertajam vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Bukit Mertajam is 14.2% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants: pay 33.3% less in Bukit Mertajam
Groceries: pay 3.8% more in Bukit Mertajam
Transportation: pay 94.1% more in Bukit Mertajam
Housing: pay 18.9% less in Bukit Mertajam
Childcare: pay 44.5% less in Bukit Mertajam
Entertainment and Sports: pay 24.9% more in Bukit Mertajam
Clothing: pay 73.1% more in Bukit Mertajam

The cost of transportation, clothing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Bukit Mertajam are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, and housing are lower in Bukit Mertajam. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Bukit Mertajam.

Bukit Mertajam vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Bukit Mertajam instead of Manila, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 33.3% less for restaurants

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.02 ₱355.03	$1.90 MYR7.79	-68.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.30 ₱253.60	$3.79 MYR15.59	-11.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.97 ₱57.27	$0.71 MYR2.92	-26.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.50 ₱29.69	$0.37 MYR1.53	-26.1%
Average			-33.3%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of restaurants

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pay 3.8% more for groceries

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Bread 1 loaf	$1.33 ₱78.64	$1.13 MYR4.63	-15.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$4.28 ₱252.12	$11.26 MYR46.27	+163.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.32 ₱431.63	$6.28 MYR25.81	-14.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.21 ₱130.51	$1.88 MYR7.72	-15.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.28 ₱134.63	$2.23 MYR9.17	-2.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.52 ₱89.37	$1.80 MYR7.40	+18.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.82 ₱48.49	$0.80 MYR3.27	-3.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.64 ₱96.51	$1.54 MYR6.33	-5.9%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.02 ₱60.36	$1.18 MYR4.86	+15.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.17 ₱68.98	$0.79 MYR3.24	-32.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.37 ₱81.04	$0.47 MYR1.91	-66.1%
Average			+3.8%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of groceries

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pay 94.1% more for transportation

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.18 ₱246.46	$1.84 MYR7.58	-55.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$13.76 ₱811.51	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$25,288.58 ₱1,491,141.28	$43,905.21 MYR180,494.33	+73.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.92 ₱172.44	$10.66 MYR43.84	+264.6%
Average			+94.1%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of transportation

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pay 18.9% less for housing

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$27.10 ₱1,598.07	$28.53 MYR117.29	+5.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$512.96 ₱30,246.98	??
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$251.74 ₱14,843.72	??
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.49 ₱5,925.44	$57.19 MYR235.12	-43.1%
Average			-18.9%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of housing

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pay 44.5% less for childcare

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$138.58 ₱8,171.41	$118.48 MYR487.09	-14.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$17,035.39 ₱1,004,491.60	$4,344.39 MYR17,859.79	-74.5%
Average			-44.5%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of childcare

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pay 24.9% more for entertainment and sports

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.46 ₱86.22	$3.08 MYR12.66	+110.7%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.59 ₱152.56	$2.21 MYR9.09	-14.5%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.27 ₱192.73	$4.27 MYR17.54	+30.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$42.13 ₱2,484.39	??
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.48 ₱441.26	$5.45 MYR22.41	-27.2%
Average			+24.9%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 73.1% more for clothing

	Manila	Bukit Mertajam
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$49.23 ₱2,902.69	$110.58 MYR454.61	+124.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$29.70 ₱1,751.10	$63.90 MYR262.70	+115.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$80.85 ₱4,767.52	$75.75 MYR311.41	-6.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$49.70 ₱2,930.32	$78.99 MYR324.72	+58.9%
Average			+73.1%

Manila vs. Bukit Mertajam - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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