Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Chisinau and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Chisinau is 4.4% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 44% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chisinau is 7.2% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 28.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.89 MDL 153
$3.07 MYR 12.13
189.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.59 MDL 631
$21.19 MYR 83.7
72.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 MDL 132
$4.20 MYR 16.58
82.14%
Cappuccino
$1.82 MDL 31.43
$2.96 MYR 11.71
-38.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 MDL 16.07
$0.74 MYR 2.93
25.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 MDL 11.98
$0.37 MYR 1.45
86.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.79 MDL 30.83
$4.49 MYR 17.73
-60.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 MDL 41.49
$4.40 MYR 17.40
-45.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 MDL 22.06
$1.90 MYR 7.52
-32.63%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 MDL 9.62
$0.99 MYR 3.92
-43.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 MDL 26.00
$2.05 MYR 8.11
-26.34%
Eggs
$2.49 MDL 42.87
$2.15 MYR 8.48
15.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.48 MDL 181
$17.37 MYR 68.6
-39.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.62 MDL 97.0
$5.00 MYR 19.74
12.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.01 MDL 155
$14.88 MYR 58.8
-39.45%
Apples (1kg)
$0.89 MDL 15.37
$2.78 MYR 10.96
-67.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 MDL 30.51
$1.47 MYR 5.80
20.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.72 MDL 29.64
$2.58 MYR 10.21
-33.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MDL 37.44
$2.19 MYR 8.66
-0.91%
Potato (1kg)
$0.84 MDL 14.42
$1.14 MYR 4.50
-26.32%
Onion (1kg)
$0.58 MDL 10.04
$1.20 MYR 4.75
-51.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 MDL 22.65
$0.89 MYR 3.53
47.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 MDL 14.12
$0.49 MYR 1.93
67.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.30 MDL 56.8
$4.35 MYR 17.18
-24.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.18 MDL 89.3
$19.52 MYR 77.1
-73.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 MDL 21.21
$2.62 MYR 10.34
-53.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 MDL 33.94
$3.48 MYR 13.75
-43.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MDL 5.78
$0.46 MYR 1.80
-26.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.44 MDL 232
$17.36 MYR 68.6
-22.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.02 MDL 34.79
$0.68 MYR 2.68
197.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 MDL 4.69
$0.50 MYR 1.98
-46.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.28 MDL 91.1
$7.19 MYR 28.39
-26.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 MDL 24.59
$0.49 MYR 1.96
191.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.2K MDL 554.8K
$34.0K MYR 134.2K
-5.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.7K MDL 530.2K
$27.9K MYR 110.1K
10.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 MDL 2,935
$39.37 MYR 156
332.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.70 MDL 133
$10.01 MYR 39.54
-23.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.01 MDL 190
$31.45 MYR 124
-64.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.28 MDL 764
$33.02 MYR 130
34.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.02 MDL 380
$5.53 MYR 21.84
298.19%
Cinema Ticket
$7.80 MDL 135
$4.81 MYR 19.01
62.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$388 MDL 6,692
$237 MYR 937
63.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,588 MDL 130.9K
$6,252 MYR 24.7K
21.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 MDL 1,150
$54.3 MYR 214
22.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.0 MDL 913
$29.00 MYR 115
82.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 MDL 1,974
$62.5 MYR 247
83.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 MDL 2,134
$52.4 MYR 207
135.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$654 MDL 11.3K
$394 MYR 1,556
66.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$468 MDL 8,077
$230 MYR 910
103.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,249 MDL 21.5K
$641 MYR 2,531
94.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$822 MDL 14.2K
$517 MYR 2,042
58.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,665 MDL 46.0K
$2,335 MYR 9,224
14.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,860 MDL 32.1K
$1,191 MYR 4,703
56.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chisinau
Penang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$842 MDL 14.5K
$974 MYR 3,849
-13.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.24
4.16
122.12%

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

Last update for Chisinau: March 2, 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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