Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butterworth and Penang

For one person, living costs are similar in Butterworth and in Penang: $913 and $913 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Butterworth vs $913 in Penang, rent included.

Butterworth $913
Penang $913

A couple spends around $1,408 per month in Butterworth vs $1,403 in Penang, rent included.

Butterworth $1,408
Penang $1,403

A family of three spends $1,902 per month in Butterworth vs $1,894 in Penang, rent included.

Butterworth $1,902
Penang $1,894

Butterworth and Penang have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Butterworth and Penang are more affordable than the global median – Butterworth 33% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.10

$3.73 MYR 15.11

-0.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.36 MYR 78.5

$19.91 MYR 80.7

-2.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.77 MYR 19.36

$4.78 MYR 19.38

-0.21%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.71

$2.98 MYR 12.08

-3.02%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.95

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-2.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.48

$0.37 MYR 1.49

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 MYR 16.71

$4.06 MYR 16.46

1.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.75

$4.38 MYR 17.74

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 MYR 8.58

$1.86 MYR 7.56

13.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.47

$1.08 MYR 4.39

1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MYR 6.85

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-3.98%

Eggs

$2.24 MYR 9.09

$2.22 MYR 9.00

0.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.69 MYR 55.5

$13.46 MYR 54.6

1.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.49 MYR 18.19

$4.45 MYR 18.04

0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 MYR 35.03

$8.70 MYR 35.27

-0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 MYR 12.42

$2.92 MYR 11.83

4.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.92

$1.65 MYR 6.68

3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 MYR 9.04

$2.61 MYR 10.58

-14.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.96

$1.40 MYR 5.67

5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.05 MYR 4.26

0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.40

$1.12 MYR 4.53

-2.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 MYR 4.41

$1.10 MYR 4.45

-0.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 MYR 2.37

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MYR 17.69

$4.69 MYR 18.99

-7.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.00 MYR 77.0

$19.31 MYR 78.3

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 MYR 11.86

$3.00 MYR 12.18

-2.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MYR 20.18

$5.41 MYR 21.92

-7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$0.50 MYR 2.03

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.85 MYR 44.00

$12.03 MYR 48.76

-9.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.81

$1.66 MYR 6.74

-28.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.52

$0.38 MYR 1.53

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MYR 19.64

$7.47 MYR 30.28

-35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 MYR 3.59

$0.95 MYR 3.83

-6.32%

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

$43.5K MYR 176.3K

$44.2K MYR 179.2K

-1.61%

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

$35.5K MYR 143.8K

$35.8K MYR 145.0K

-0.82%

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

$36.81 MYR 149

$36.68 MYR 149

0.35%

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

$8.61 MYR 34.89

$9.56 MYR 38.74

-9.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.45 MYR 107

$29.49 MYR 120

-10.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.93 MYR 133

$39.20 MYR 159

-15.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 MYR 23.90

$4.85 MYR 19.68

21.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.44

$4.78 MYR 19.37

0.21%

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

$240 MYR 973

$398 MYR 1,612

-39.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MYR 44.1K

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

2.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 242

$60.9 MYR 247

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 MYR 142

$35.45 MYR 144

-1.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 MYR 334

$83.6 MYR 339

-1.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MYR 282

$70.2 MYR 284

-0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 MYR 1,671

$408 MYR 1,654

1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 MYR 1,218

$287 MYR 1,164

4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 MYR 3,296

$698 MYR 2,828

16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 MYR 2,283

$534 MYR 2,165

5.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 MYR 7,969

$2,117 MYR 8,580

-7.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 MYR 4,886

$1,261 MYR 5,111

-4.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,776

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

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

Last update for Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Butterworth

$300 32.9%

Penang

$287 31.5% 4.4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Butterworth

$258 28.3%

Penang

$257 28.2% 0.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Butterworth

$113 12.3%

Penang

$113 12.4% 0.8% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Butterworth

$111 12.2%

Penang

$113 12.3% 1.3% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butterworth

$72 7.9%

Penang

$76 8.3% 5.4% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Butterworth

$43 4.7%

Penang

$49 5.3% 14.7% $6.3

Getting Around

Butterworth

$17 1.8%

Penang

$18 1.9% 5.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $412 in Butterworth versus $408 in Penang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Butterworth versus $20 in Penang. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Butterworth vs $257 in Penang – so Penang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

Same time as Butterworth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,132

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Butterworth Penang 14 km

From you

Butterworth
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

Butterworth vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,370 per month in Butterworth and $1,369 in Penang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $412 in Butterworth and $408 in Penang. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Butterworth and $398 in Penang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Penang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $913 in Penang to $913 in Butterworth. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.