Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Penang

😐 Solo nomad: Butterworth is 6.5% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 1.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Butterworth is 7.4% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 6.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.08 MYR 13.01

$2.97 MYR 12.54

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.52 MYR 90.7

$20.84 MYR 87.9

3.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 MYR 20.38

$4.34 MYR 18.32

11.29%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MYR 12.42

$2.84 MYR 11.97

3.87%

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

$0.69 MYR 2.92

$0.69 MYR 2.89

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.55

$0.36 MYR 1.52

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 MYR 17.36

$4.23 MYR 17.84

-2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 MYR 19.03

$4.41 MYR 18.6

2.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.67

$1.82 MYR 7.65

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.35

$0.99 MYR 4.18

4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 7.26

$2.04 MYR 8.62

-15.69%

Eggs

$2.06 MYR 8.67

$2.05 MYR 8.63

0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 MYR 62.3

$17.11 MYR 72.2

-13.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 MYR 20.07

$5.23 MYR 22.05

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 MYR 41.79

$14.77 MYR 62.3

-32.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MYR 11.85

$2.91 MYR 12.25

-3.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 6.06

$1.46 MYR 6.18

-1.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 MYR 11.35

$2.59 MYR 10.92

3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 MYR 6.35

$2.11 MYR 8.88

-28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 5

$1.18 MYR 4.98

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.96

$1.21 MYR 5.1

-2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MYR 4.05

$0.91 MYR 3.82

5.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 18.07

$4.2 MYR 17.73

2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.51 MYR 61.2

$14.1 MYR 59.5

2.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 MYR 11.35

$2.71 MYR 11.44

-0.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 MYR 14.42

$3.47 MYR 14.65

-1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.88

$0.49 MYR 2.05

38.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.73 MYR 49.48

$17.98 MYR 75.8

-34.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 MYR 2.89

$0.72 MYR 3.04

-5.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MYR 2.25

$0.5 MYR 2.1

6.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 MYR 19.68

$7 MYR 29.53

-33.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.5 MYR 2.11

$0.46 MYR 1.96

8.70%

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

$34.1K MYR 143.9K

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

1.58%

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

$27.6K MYR 116.3K

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

1.77%

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

$38.73 MYR 163

$39.21 MYR 165

-1.22%

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

$10.33 MYR 43.57

$10.33 MYR 43.55

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 MYR 109

$31.17 MYR 131

-17.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.76 MYR 155

$32.59 MYR 137

12.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 MYR 24.67

$5.59 MYR 23.59

4.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 MYR 20.6

$5.01 MYR 21.15

-2.40%

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

$236 MYR 997

$241 MYR 1,014

-1.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,153 MYR 25.9K

$6,174 MYR 26K

-0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55 MYR 232

$55.3 MYR 233

-0.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.05 MYR 123

$28.42 MYR 120

2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 MYR 258

0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.7 MYR 222

$53.6 MYR 226

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 MYR 1,647

$388 MYR 1,637

0.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 MYR 1,128

$230 MYR 968

16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 MYR 2,757

$640 MYR 2,700

2.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 2,027

$522 MYR 2,201

-7.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,596 MYR 6,729

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

-34.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,068 MYR 4,502

$1,481 MYR 6,247

-27.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 MYR 3,965

$1,101 MYR 4,643

-14.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

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

Last update for Butterworth: October 29, 2025

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

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