Pendapatan isi rumah itu rendah.

The sentence is:

• Pendapatan isi rumah itu = the subject noun phrase
• rendah = the predicate adjective

So the pattern is basically noun phrase + adjective.

Malay often does not use a present-tense to be before adjectives, so rendah by itself means is low here.

In Malay, a present-tense copula is often left out, especially before adjectives.

So:

• Pendapatan isi rumah itu rendah = The household income is low

Malay does not need a separate word for is in this kind of sentence.

A word like adalah can appear in some formal styles, but it is usually not needed here.

Isi rumah is a fixed expression meaning household.

Even though isi can mean contents in other contexts, isi rumah here does not mean the physical contents of a house. It means the people in a home considered as one family/unit, especially in official, economic, or statistical language.

So pendapatan isi rumah means household income.

Yes. Malay often links nouns together without using of or an apostrophe.

So:

• pendapatan = income
• isi rumah = household

Together, pendapatan isi rumah means:

• household income
• or more literally, income of the household

This kind of noun+noun structure is very common in Malay.

Itu usually means that, but in real sentences it can also make a noun phrase feel specific or already known, which English may sometimes translate as the.

So pendapatan isi rumah itu can be understood as:

• that household income
• the household income
• in some contexts, that household’s income

The exact English choice depends on context.

A very common learner question — and the short answer is: it can feel like it applies to the whole noun phrase.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come at the end of the noun phrase. So in pendapatan isi rumah itu, itu is placed after the whole expression.

Depending on context, English might interpret it as:

• the household income
• that household income
• or that household’s income

So it is best not to think of itu as attaching in a rigid English-style way.

Because rendah means low, and it is the natural word for things like:

• income
• prices
• scores
• rates
• levels

So pendapatan ... rendah = income is low.

Sedikit means a little / few / not much, which is more about small quantity than low level. It is usually not the best choice here.

Yes, you can say:

• Pendapatan isi rumah rendah

That would sound more general or less tied to a specific known referent. Adding itu makes the noun phrase more specific.

So:

• Pendapatan isi rumah rendah = household income is low / household incomes are low
• Pendapatan isi rumah itu rendah = that/the household income is low

The best translation depends on context.

Yes, it sounds quite natural in formal, academic, economic, government, or news contexts.

Pendapatan isi rumah is especially common in discussions of:

• income statistics
• living standards
• poverty
• census data

In casual everyday speech, people may still understand it, but it has a slightly more official/statistical feel than very casual wording.