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

🙂 Solo nomad: George Town is 21.4% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 3.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: George Town is 4.3% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 3.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.10 MYR 12.23

$3.07 MYR 12.13

0.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.04 MYR 83.1

$21.19 MYR 83.7

-0.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.15 MYR 16.39

$4.20 MYR 16.58

-1.19%

Cappuccino

$2.47 MYR 9.77

$2.96 MYR 11.71

-16.55%

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

$0.73 MYR 2.88

$0.74 MYR 2.93

-1.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 MYR 1.34

$0.37 MYR 1.45

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.17 MYR 16.47

$4.49 MYR 17.73

-7.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 MYR 18.52

$4.40 MYR 17.40

6.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.48

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MYR 4.47

$0.99 MYR 3.92

14.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.59

$2.05 MYR 8.11

-18.54%

Eggs

$2.03 MYR 8.01

$2.15 MYR 8.48

-5.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.53 MYR 69.3

$17.37 MYR 68.6

0.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.99 MYR 19.69

$5.00 MYR 19.74

-0.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 MYR 42.50

$14.88 MYR 58.8

-27.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 10.97

$2.78 MYR 10.96

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.63

$1.47 MYR 5.80

-2.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MYR 8.47

$2.58 MYR 10.21

-17.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.77

$2.19 MYR 8.66

-44.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 MYR 3.28

$1.14 MYR 4.50

-27.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 MYR 4.56

$1.20 MYR 4.75

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MYR 2.90

$0.89 MYR 3.53

-17.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.04

$0.49 MYR 1.93

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 MYR 16.37

$4.35 MYR 17.18

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 MYR 51.1

$19.52 MYR 77.1

-33.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 MYR 10.29

$2.62 MYR 10.34

-0.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 MYR 13.85

$3.48 MYR 13.75

0.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 MYR 47.14

$17.36 MYR 68.6

-31.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 MYR 4.56

$0.68 MYR 2.68

69.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MYR 1.85

$0.50 MYR 1.98

-6.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 MYR 25.74

$7.19 MYR 28.39

-9.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 1.97

$0.49 MYR 1.96

2.04%

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

$33.1K MYR 130.8K

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

-2.51%

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

$25.3K MYR 99.9K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

-9.26%

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

$39.38 MYR 156

$39.37 MYR 156

0.03%

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

$9.59 MYR 37.86

$10.01 MYR 39.54

-4.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.28 MYR 116

$31.45 MYR 124

-6.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.62 MYR 153

$33.02 MYR 130

16.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.86 MYR 15.25

$5.53 MYR 21.84

-30.20%

Cinema Ticket

$3.98 MYR 15.71

$4.81 MYR 19.01

-17.26%

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

$147 MYR 579

$237 MYR 937

-38.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,602 MYR 18.2K

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

-26.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 MYR 207

$54.3 MYR 214

-3.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.97 MYR 114

$29.00 MYR 115

-0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 MYR 238

$62.5 MYR 247

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 MYR 209

$52.4 MYR 207

1.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 MYR 1,423

$394 MYR 1,556

-8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,020

$230 MYR 910

12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 MYR 2,824

$641 MYR 2,531

11.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 MYR 1,971

$517 MYR 2,042

-3.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 MYR 9,224

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,703

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,216 MYR 4,803

$974 MYR 3,849

24.78%

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: 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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