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

😐 Solo nomad: Butterworth is 3.6% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Butterworth is 17.8% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 6.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 MYR 12.32

$3.11 MYR 12.61

-2.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.40 MYR 86.9

$21.15 MYR 85.9

1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.80

$4.33 MYR 17.57

6.93%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MYR 11.91

$2.86 MYR 11.63

2.45%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.95

$0.73 MYR 2.96

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 MYR 1.35

$0.36 MYR 1.48

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.30 MYR 17.47

$4.29 MYR 17.41

0.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.72

$4.37 MYR 17.73

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.40

$1.88 MYR 7.63

-3.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 MYR 4.03

$1.00 MYR 4.06

-1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.70

$1.99 MYR 8.07

-17.09%

Eggs

$2.06 MYR 8.37

$2.05 MYR 8.33

0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 MYR 58.4

$16.99 MYR 69.0

-15.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 MYR 18.93

$5.18 MYR 21.02

-10.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 38.98

$14.97 MYR 60.8

-35.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 11.29

$2.77 MYR 11.26

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.06

$1.44 MYR 5.87

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 MYR 11.00

$2.70 MYR 10.96

0.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.18

$2.09 MYR 8.47

-27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.60

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.22 MYR 4.97

-1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.85

$0.95 MYR 3.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.96

$0.45 MYR 1.82

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.58

$4.22 MYR 17.12

2.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 76.1

$19.31 MYR 78.4

-2.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 MYR 10.79

$2.62 MYR 10.63

1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.86

$3.50 MYR 14.21

-2.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.81

$0.46 MYR 1.85

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.60 MYR 47.11

$17.42 MYR 70.7

-33.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 MYR 2.95

$0.70 MYR 2.83

4.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MYR 2.16

$0.50 MYR 2.03

6.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 MYR 18.94

$7.23 MYR 29.33

-35.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.87

$0.46 MYR 1.88

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

$33.1K MYR 134.5K

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

-2.19%

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

$27.4K MYR 111.1K

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

-1.08%

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

$38.24 MYR 155

$38.60 MYR 157

-0.93%

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

$10.06 MYR 40.86

$10.03 MYR 40.71

0.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.34 MYR 103

$30.91 MYR 125

-18.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.51 MYR 152

$32.64 MYR 133

14.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.96 MYR 24.18

$5.52 MYR 22.40

7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MYR 20.37

$4.90 MYR 19.88

2.45%

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

$234 MYR 949

$238 MYR 968

-1.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,297 MYR 25.6K

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

2.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 MYR 225

$55.6 MYR 226

-0.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.79 MYR 117

$29.29 MYR 119

-1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 MYR 246

$60.4 MYR 245

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.2 MYR 212

$52.8 MYR 214

-1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 MYR 1,553

$380 MYR 1,543

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 MYR 1,111

$227 MYR 920

20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 MYR 2,666

$649 MYR 2,636

1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 MYR 1,901

$520 MYR 2,113

-10.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,588 MYR 6,446

$2,235 MYR 9,072

-28.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$951 MYR 3,861

$1,156 MYR 4,693

-17.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$957 MYR 3,884

$988 MYR 4,012

-3.21%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Penang: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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