Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bukit Mertajam and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Bukit Mertajam: $621 a month against $913 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bukit Mertajam
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Bukit Mertajam Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$621

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bukit Mertajam 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 Bukit Mertajam and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Bukit Mertajam versus $913 in Penang.

Bukit Mertajam $621
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $976 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,403 in Penang.

Bukit Mertajam $976
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,331 in Bukit Mertajam versus $1,894 in Penang.

Bukit Mertajam $1,331
Penang $1,894

Living in Bukit Mertajam costs roughly 32% less than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bukit Mertajam 54% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 MYR 7.79

$3.73 MYR 15.17

-48.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.97 MYR 85.4

$19.91 MYR 81.1

5.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.98 MYR 16.21

$4.78 MYR 19.45

-16.74%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MYR 12.77

$2.98 MYR 12.13

5.37%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.82

$0.75 MYR 3.06

-8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.85

$0.37 MYR 1.50

21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 MYR 18.35

$4.06 MYR 16.53

11.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 MYR 25.48

$4.38 MYR 17.81

42.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MYR 6.76

$1.86 MYR 7.59

-10.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 MYR 4.56

$1.08 MYR 4.40

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MYR 7.94

$1.76 MYR 7.18

10.80%

Eggs

$2.55 MYR 10.37

$2.22 MYR 9.03

14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.83 MYR 56.3

$13.46 MYR 54.8

2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 MYR 17.96

$4.45 MYR 18.12

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 MYR 40.64

$8.70 MYR 35.42

14.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 MYR 13.79

$2.92 MYR 11.88

16.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.16

$1.65 MYR 6.71

6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.21

$2.61 MYR 10.62

-13.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 MYR 6.31

$1.40 MYR 5.69

10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$1.05 MYR 4.28

20.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.60

$1.12 MYR 4.55

23.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.55

$1.10 MYR 4.47

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.72

$0.59 MYR 2.39

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MYR 18.11

$4.69 MYR 19.07

-5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.54 MYR 79.5

$19.31 MYR 78.6

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 MYR 13.91

$3.00 MYR 12.23

14.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 MYR 20.70

$5.41 MYR 22.01

-6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 MYR 2.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.03 MYR 48.96

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.03

$1.66 MYR 6.77

-25.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 MYR 4.86

$0.38 MYR 1.54

213.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 MYR 20.16

$7.47 MYR 30.41

-33.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 MYR 3.31

$0.95 MYR 3.85

-14.74%

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

$43.9K MYR 178.5K

$44.2K MYR 179.9K

-0.75%

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

$35.5K MYR 144.5K

$35.8K MYR 145.6K

-0.70%

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

$63.1 MYR 257

$36.68 MYR 149

71.97%

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

$8.54 MYR 34.76

$9.56 MYR 38.90

-10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.67 MYR 109

$29.49 MYR 120

-9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 MYR 160

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.85 MYR 19.76

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.36

$4.78 MYR 19.45

4.60%

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

$249 MYR 1,013

$398 MYR 1,619

-37.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K MYR 53.5K

$10.6K MYR 43.2K

23.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 MYR 287

$60.9 MYR 248

15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MYR 168

$35.45 MYR 144

16.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 MYR 353

$83.6 MYR 340

3.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 MYR 387

$70.2 MYR 286

35.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 MYR 1,661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 MYR 1,169

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 MYR 2,839

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 MYR 2,174

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,117 MYR 8,615

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,261 MYR 5,132

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 MYR 2,330

$931 MYR 3,791

-38.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.04

3.22%

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

Last update for Bukit Mertajam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bukit Mertajam

$269 43.3%

Penang

$257 28.2% 4.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bukit Mertajam

$132 21.3%

Penang

$113 12.3% 14.8% $20

Eating Out

Bukit Mertajam

$105 16.8%

Penang

$113 12.4% 8.5% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bukit Mertajam

$98 15.8%

Penang

$76 8.3% 23% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bukit Mertajam

$10 * 1.6%

Penang

$49 5.3% 387% $39

Getting Around

Bukit Mertajam

$7.2 * 1.2%

Penang

$18 1.9% 144% $10

Accommodation & Living

Bukit Mertajam

- * 0%

Penang

$287 31.5%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Penang pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $21 in Bukit Mertajam vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $257 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bukit Mertajam

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

Same time as Bukit Mertajam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

212,329

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bukit Mertajam Penang 23 km

From you

Bukit Mertajam
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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

Bukit Mertajam vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $621 in Bukit Mertajam and $913 in Penang, so Bukit Mertajam is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Bukit Mertajam. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Penang pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $621 per month in Bukit Mertajam versus $913 in Penang – Bukit Mertajam is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bukit Mertajam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Bukit Mertajam and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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