Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: George Town is 16.8% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 2.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: George Town is 6.1% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 4.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 MYR 12.25

$3.11 MYR 12.61

-2.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.51 MYR 87.3

$21.15 MYR 85.9

1.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.12 MYR 16.75

$4.33 MYR 17.57

-4.85%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MYR 10.06

$2.86 MYR 11.63

-13.29%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.73 MYR 2.96

6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 MYR 1.49

$0.36 MYR 1.48

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 MYR 17.54

$4.29 MYR 17.41

0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MYR 19.42

$4.37 MYR 17.73

9.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.61

$1.88 MYR 7.63

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 MYR 4.39

$1.00 MYR 4.06

8.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.79

$1.99 MYR 8.07

-16.08%

Eggs

$2.03 MYR 8.24

$2.05 MYR 8.33

-0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.25 MYR 70.0

$16.99 MYR 69.0

1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 MYR 19.88

$5.18 MYR 21.02

-5.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.74 MYR 43.62

$14.97 MYR 60.8

-28.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MYR 11.33

$2.77 MYR 11.26

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.65

$1.44 MYR 5.87

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.70 MYR 10.96

-15.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 MYR 5.11

$2.09 MYR 8.47

-39.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$1.13 MYR 4.60

-22.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.89

$1.22 MYR 4.97

-1.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MYR 2.83

$0.95 MYR 3.84

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$0.45 MYR 1.82

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MYR 16.49

$4.22 MYR 17.12

-3.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.54 MYR 50.9

$19.31 MYR 78.4

-35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 MYR 10.68

$2.62 MYR 10.63

0.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 MYR 14.30

$3.50 MYR 14.21

0.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.46 MYR 1.85

-2.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.83 MYR 48.04

$17.42 MYR 70.7

-32.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 MYR 4.68

$0.70 MYR 2.83

64.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 MYR 1.74

$0.50 MYR 2.03

-14.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.29 MYR 25.52

$7.23 MYR 29.33

-13.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.00

$0.46 MYR 1.88

6.52%

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

$33.9K MYR 137.5K

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

-0.06%

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

$25.0K MYR 101.5K

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

-9.56%

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

$38.07 MYR 155

$38.60 MYR 157

-1.37%

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

$9.76 MYR 39.62

$10.03 MYR 40.71

-2.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.50 MYR 120

$30.91 MYR 125

-4.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.70 MYR 157

$32.64 MYR 133

18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.75 MYR 15.23

$5.52 MYR 22.40

-32.07%

Cinema Ticket

$3.95 MYR 16.05

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-19.39%

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

$152 MYR 618

$238 MYR 968

-36.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,565 MYR 18.5K

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

-25.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 MYR 211

$55.6 MYR 226

-6.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.68 MYR 116

$29.29 MYR 119

-2.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 MYR 245

-0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.3 MYR 213

$52.8 MYR 214

-0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,494

$380 MYR 1,543

-3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 MYR 1,059

$227 MYR 920

15.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 MYR 2,944

$649 MYR 2,636

11.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 MYR 2,022

$520 MYR 2,113

-4.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,172 MYR 4,757

$988 MYR 4,012

18.54%

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 George Town: 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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