Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $922 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Penang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bintulu and in Penang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bintulu and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Bintulu versus $922 in Penang.

Bintulu $852
Penang $922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Bintulu versus $1,412 in Penang.

Bintulu $1,331
Penang $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Bintulu versus $1,901 in Penang.

Bintulu $1,810
Penang $1,901

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 8% less than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bintulu 37% lower, Penang 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 MYR 16.39

$3.77 MYR 15.38

6.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.75 MYR 76.4

$19.80 MYR 80.7

-5.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 MYR 23.38

$4.70 MYR 19.14

22.13%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$3.02 MYR 12.30

-4.30%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.78

$0.77 MYR 3.14

-11.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$0.37 MYR 1.50

2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 MYR 12.17

$4.21 MYR 17.15

-28.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.16

$4.53 MYR 18.44

14.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 MYR 8.57

$1.78 MYR 7.26

17.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$1.05 MYR 4.30

36.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$1.72 MYR 6.99

-23.26%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 8.99

$2.23 MYR 9.08

-0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 MYR 70.9

$13.81 MYR 56.3

25.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.63

$4.45 MYR 18.15

-19.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.95 MYR 24.24

$8.92 MYR 36.34

-33.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$3.03 MYR 12.33

-41.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.66 MYR 6.75

-39.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.96

$2.62 MYR 10.68

-34.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$1.41 MYR 5.75

-20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$1.07 MYR 4.35

-48.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.13 MYR 4.61

5.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$1.09 MYR 4.45

-31.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$0.54 MYR 2.20

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 MYR 16.75

$4.65 MYR 18.96

-11.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$19.43 MYR 79.2

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$2.99 MYR 12.18

1.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.15

$5.39 MYR 21.97

-62.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.14

$0.51 MYR 2.07

147.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.05 MYR 65.4

$12.16 MYR 49.54

31.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.89

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-44.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$0.40 MYR 1.63

105.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 MYR 10.21

$7.52 MYR 30.62

-66.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 MYR 2.71

$0.94 MYR 3.82

-29.79%

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

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

$44.7K MYR 182.1K

0.22%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

$36.3K MYR 147.9K

9.81%

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

$59.5 MYR 242

$37.54 MYR 153

58.47%

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

$31.54 MYR 129

$9.56 MYR 38.96

229.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.82 MYR 126

$29.23 MYR 119

5.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 MYR 279

$39.42 MYR 161

73.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.11 MYR 49.34

$4.82 MYR 19.63

151.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$4.97 MYR 20.25

-9.26%

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

$125 MYR 509

$401 MYR 1,635

-68.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

$11.5K MYR 46.8K

-34.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MYR 267

$60.9 MYR 248

7.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 MYR 144

$34.72 MYR 141

2.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 MYR 319

$82.9 MYR 338

-5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MYR 375

$69.7 MYR 284

32.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 MYR 912

$414 MYR 1,688

-45.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 MYR 636

$294 MYR 1,198

-46.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 MYR 1,933

$703 MYR 2,864

-32.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,366

$536 MYR 2,184

-37.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 MYR 7,235

$2,142 MYR 8,727

-17.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 MYR 4,776

$1,255 MYR 5,113

-6.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MYR 2,498

$927 MYR 3,776

-33.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

4.24

6.13%

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

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$235 27.6%

Penang

$258 28% 9.8% $23

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$156 18.3%

Penang

$294 31.9% 88.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Penang

$112 12.1% 8.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Penang

$76 8.3% 37.4% $46

Eating Out

Bintulu

$114 13.3%

Penang

$115 12.5% 1.3% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$78 9.1%

Penang

$49 5.4% 36.3% $28

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Penang

$18 1.9% 31.5% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Bintulu and $414 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays 51% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Bintulu vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $258 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

Same time as Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Penang 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
Penang

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

Bintulu vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Penang. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Bintulu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Bintulu versus $414 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $852 per month in Bintulu versus $922 in Penang – Bintulu is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Penang runs roughly 24% less than in Bintulu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bintulu and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bintulu wins on affordability, Penang on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.