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

🙂 Solo nomad: Butterworth is 1.7% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 1% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Butterworth is 6.7% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.13 MYR 12.36

$3.07 MYR 12.13

1.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.92 MYR 82.6

$21.19 MYR 83.7

-1.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 18.85

$4.20 MYR 16.58

13.57%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MYR 11.72

$2.96 MYR 11.71

0.34%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.87

$0.74 MYR 2.93

-1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.42

$0.37 MYR 1.45

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 MYR 16.50

$4.49 MYR 17.73

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.35

$4.40 MYR 17.40

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MYR 7.14

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-4.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.06

$0.99 MYR 3.92

4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.62

$2.05 MYR 8.11

-18.05%

Eggs

$2.15 MYR 8.50

$2.15 MYR 8.48

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 MYR 57.4

$17.37 MYR 68.6

-16.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 MYR 18.86

$5.00 MYR 19.74

-4.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 MYR 37.16

$14.88 MYR 58.8

-36.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 11.36

$2.78 MYR 10.96

3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.73

$1.47 MYR 5.80

-1.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 MYR 10.31

$2.58 MYR 10.21

1.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.06

$2.19 MYR 8.66

-30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.66

$1.14 MYR 4.50

3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 MYR 4.61

$1.20 MYR 4.75

-2.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 MYR 3.75

$0.89 MYR 3.53

6.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.81

$0.49 MYR 1.93

-6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MYR 16.88

$4.35 MYR 17.18

-1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.85 MYR 74.4

$19.52 MYR 77.1

-3.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 MYR 10.66

$2.62 MYR 10.34

3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 MYR 13.81

$3.48 MYR 13.75

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.67

$0.46 MYR 1.80

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.60 MYR 45.84

$17.36 MYR 68.6

-33.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 MYR 2.75

$0.68 MYR 2.68

2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 1.97

$0.50 MYR 1.98

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 MYR 18.40

$7.19 MYR 28.39

-35.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.82

$0.49 MYR 1.96

-6.12%

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

$33.5K MYR 132.2K

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

-1.46%

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

$27.1K MYR 107.0K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

-2.76%

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

$39.04 MYR 154

$39.37 MYR 156

-0.84%

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

$10.18 MYR 40.21

$10.01 MYR 39.54

1.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.07 MYR 103

$31.45 MYR 124

-17.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 MYR 145

$33.02 MYR 130

11.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 MYR 22.92

$5.53 MYR 21.84

4.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 MYR 19.44

$4.81 MYR 19.01

2.29%

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

$239 MYR 944

$237 MYR 937

0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,196 MYR 24.5K

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

-0.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 MYR 221

$54.3 MYR 214

2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.37 MYR 116

$29.00 MYR 115

1.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 MYR 245

$62.5 MYR 247

-0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.3 MYR 206

$52.4 MYR 207

-0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 MYR 1,507

$394 MYR 1,556

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 MYR 1,085

$230 MYR 910

19.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$632 MYR 2,497

$641 MYR 2,531

-1.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MYR 1,877

$517 MYR 2,042

-8.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,531 MYR 6,046

$2,335 MYR 9,224

-34.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$963 MYR 3,802

$1,191 MYR 4,703

-19.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$994 MYR 3,928

$974 MYR 3,849

2.05%

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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Penang: March 2, 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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