Every month, there comes a dreaded moment where we open our utility apps, squint our eyes, and pray the number on the screen isn’t too heart-stopping. When you see a bill for RM200, you might wonder: is this normal? Am I paying too much for my electric bill? Is my RM36 water bill considered murah or not?
It’s hard to know if your spending is reasonable when you don’t know what everyone else is paying. As a rough comparison, we collected utility bill data from 50 Malaysians, split roughly equally between people living in high-rise homes and those living in landed houses.
Before we dive into the numbers, we also have some good news for your wallet. If you’re currently stressing over your bills, Pos Malaysia and PayNet are currently running the “Scan and Tap To Win A Year of FREE Bills!” campaign that could potentially pay your bills for an entire year. (Yes, really. We’ll get to the juicy details at the end!)
First, let’s look at the data we gathered:
- The Sample: 50 Malaysians (Half living in high-rises, half in landed properties).
- Average Household Size: 2.68 people (2.72 for high-rises; 2.63 for landed).
So, how do your bills stack up against our respondents? Let’s find out.
1. Our surveyed households paid an average electricity bill of RM271.42
Across the 50 households we looked at, the average electricity bill came up to RM271.42. But there was a small surprise when we split the numbers according to where people lived.
People living in high-rise buildings paid an average of RM259.78, while landed house residents paid just 9% more, at around RM283.06.
At first, this seemed a little suspicious. Why is the gap so small? After all, a typical condo unit might be somewhere around 700–1,500 sq ft, while a standard double-storey landed house can be around double the size. So naturally, you might expect the bigger house to have a significantly higher electricity bill.
But our data suggests that the size of your house isn’t necessarily the biggest factor. Instead, it all came down to one specific appliance, and it’s something that high-rise dwellers actually tend to use more often than those in landed homes.
2. Want to keep your electricity bill low? The secret is the aircond
Unsurprisingly, in a hot and humid country like Malaysia, the single biggest difference in your electricity bill comes down to your air-conditioning habits.
Here is how aircond usage drastically alters your monthly electricity bill:
- The 24/7 chillers: Those who leave their aircond running almost all day and night spend a whopping RM587.50 on average.
- The night-time-only users: Those who only turn it on for a couple of hours a day (usually to sleep) spend around RM258.50.
- The only fan loyalists: Everyone else who rarely touches the aircond remote spends around RM95.00.
Wow, almost RM600 a month just for electricity is a lot of money. But hey, if your total monthly bills are creeping up to that amount, don’t sweat it. The Pos Malaysia and PayNet “Scan and Tap To Win A Year of FREE Bills!” we mentioned earlier has a grand prize that covers up to RM1,750 per month in free utility bills for a year!
Yep, that’s potentially RM21,000 worth of utility bills for each grand-prize winner. And the best part is, all you need to do is pay using either DuitNow QR or MyDebit when you run certain errands like paying bills, purchasing motor insurance online or at the counter, renewing your motor license, and more at Pos Malaysia!
3. Can the “Time-of-Use” (ToU) tariff save you money?
Here’s another potentially useful trick for households looking to reduce their electricity costs: Time-of-Use (ToU).
ToU is an optional TNB electricity pricing scheme where electricity costs vary according to when you use it. Under the current structure:
- Weekdays from 2pm to 10pm are peak hours
- Weekdays from 10pm to 2pm, as well as weekends and selected public holidays, fall under the off-peak period.
In our data, people who had activated ToU reported an average electricity bill of RM231.50, compared with RM271.13 among those who hadn’t. That’s a difference of almost RM40.
But before you rush off to activate ToU, there’s an important catch: we can’t say from our data alone that ToU caused these households to have lower bills.
It depends heavily on your lifestyle.
ToU can make sense for people who naturally use more electricity outside peak hours, for example, EV owners who charge overnight, office workers who aren’t home during weekday peak periods, households that do most of their laundry and other heavy chores on weekends, or solar-panel owners whose systems help power the home during the afternoon.
But if you work from home, have someone at home during the day, or regularly run your aircond, oven and washing machine during weekday afternoons and evenings, the peak-period pricing could work against you.
Basically, ToU isn’t a magic “make bill cheaper” button. It’s more like: if your lifestyle matches the cheaper hours, you may benefit.
4. The average water bill is RM53.12 (and condos have it worse)
Unlike electricity, if you live in a landed house, your water bill is actually lower than a condo dweller’s.
Our data showed that landed house dwellers spend an average of RM41.34 on water per month, while high-rise dwellers spend RM58.78. This means that our high-rise dwellers are paying 42% more!
Why the huge gap?
Well, the answer isn’t necessarily that condo residents shower more. It all comes down to how you are billed.
For landed homes with individual meters, the household is generally billed directly by the state water operator under domestic tariff structures. In Selangor for example, domestic water is charged using a tiered rate, with the first 20 cubic metres priced at RM0.65 per cubic metre and a minimum monthly charge of RM6.50.
Some condominiums, however, use a bulk meter for the entire building. In these cases, the building’s Joint Management Body (JMB) may be billed by the water operator, while individual residents are subsequently charged based on their unit’s sub-meter. That can mean residents don’t necessarily benefit from the same cheap lower-tier domestic rates. In fact, it is common for JMBs to impose a flat minimum charge of around RM36 per month, even if you barely use a drop of water.
And there’s another possible complication: some condos may be registered under a commercial title and therefore be subject to commercial water tariffs, which can be more expensive than residential rates.
The good news is that not every condo gets the short end of the stick. If your building has migrated to individual meters, you may instead get billed directly by the water operator at the exact same cheap domestic rate as a landed house.
And if your bills are still painful… Pos Malaysia and PayNet might potentially help pay them
Whether your bills are safely under RM100 or aggressively pushing RM600, paying them is still a pain in the wallet. But what if you don’t have to pay them at all for the next 12 months?
From 27 July to 31 October 2026, Pos Malaysia and PayNet are running the “Scan and Tap To Win A Year of FREE Bills!” campaign. They are on a mission to turn your everyday errands into rewarding, cashless moments. By making a simple behaviour switch and opting for payments through DuitNow QR and MyDebit, you stand a chance to win a share of over RM200,000 worth of prizes!
Here is what is up for grabs:
- Grand Prize: 6x winners of Free Utility Bills for One Year (capped at RM1,750 per month!)
- Monthly Rewards: 150x winners of RM350 cash vouchers.
- Consolation Rewards: 180x winners of RM150 cash vouchers.
Wowza, there’s over 300 prizes to be won! So how can I join?
Fabulous news: entries are completely automatic if you do your business either through online transactions or at the Pos Malaysia counters in person (just be sure to give your details to the person behind the counter after the transaction). If you use one of the Pos Automated Machines (PAM) though, you’ll have to scan the campaign’s QR code and fill out your entry form ya, so don’t forget to do that.
Best of all, you don’t just have to pay bills to enter. You can do practically any of your regular errands at Pos Malaysia, including:
- Renewing your road tax, motor insurance or driving license
- Paying for your Insurance or Takaful
- Shipping parcels (domestic or international)
- Make ASNB deposits
- Buying a Kit Kifayah
- And yes, settling those TNB, water bills, internet or postpaid!
All you need to do to join is:
- Spend a minimum of RM100 at any Pos Malaysia outlet (including Post Offices; Pos Laju Outlets, Service Centres, and Kiosks; Pos-On-Wheels, Pos Automated Machine, and Pos Malaysia Online Platform for motor insurance)
- Pay using DuitNow QR or MyDebit.
- If you’re using a Pos Automated Machine, scan the campaign QR code and fill up the form.
- If you’re doing business at the counter in-person, give your details to the person behind the counter.
- If you’re doing your business online, you’ll automatically be entered into the contest.
- Make sure you keep your receipts!
Want to increase your chances? You can score bonus entries for specific transactions! Purchasing motor insurance (minimum RM500) at the Pos Malaysia counter or online will net you 6 bonus entries, while international shipping transactions (minimum RM150) will give you 2 bonus entries.
With DuitNow QR and MyDebit, you can now have a faster, safer, and more rewarding experience when you pay your bills. So the next time you step into Pos Malaysia to run your errands, whip out that phone or bank card. Just scan or tap, and you might just be living bill-free for an entire year!