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

😐 Solo nomad: George Town is 9.3% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 2.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: George Town is 20.5% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 4.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 MYR 12.84

$2.97 MYR 12.54

2.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.23 MYR 89.5

$20.84 MYR 87.9

1.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.14 MYR 17.45

$4.34 MYR 18.32

-4.61%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 11

$2.84 MYR 11.97

-8.10%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.25

$0.69 MYR 2.89

11.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 MYR 1.41

$0.36 MYR 1.52

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 MYR 17.64

$4.23 MYR 17.84

-1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 MYR 20.41

$4.41 MYR 18.6

9.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MYR 7.97

$1.82 MYR 7.65

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 MYR 4.76

$0.99 MYR 4.18

14.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MYR 6.82

$2.04 MYR 8.62

-20.59%

Eggs

$2.03 MYR 8.56

$2.05 MYR 8.63

-0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.26 MYR 72.8

$17.11 MYR 72.2

0.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 MYR 21.22

$5.23 MYR 22.05

-3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MYR 44.94

$14.77 MYR 62.3

-27.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.96

$2.91 MYR 12.25

-2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.4 MYR 5.89

$1.46 MYR 6.18

-4.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MYR 9.23

$2.59 MYR 10.92

-15.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 MYR 5.29

$2.11 MYR 8.88

-40.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.9 MYR 3.8

$1.18 MYR 4.98

-23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.2 MYR 5.08

$1.21 MYR 5.1

-0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MYR 2.92

$0.91 MYR 3.82

-24.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.17

$0.45 MYR 1.91

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 MYR 16.99

$4.2 MYR 17.73

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.23 MYR 60

$14.1 MYR 59.5

0.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 MYR 11.08

$2.71 MYR 11.44

-2.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 MYR 14.86

$3.47 MYR 14.65

1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 MYR 2.07

$0.49 MYR 2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.73 MYR 49.47

$17.98 MYR 75.8

-34.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 5.12

$0.72 MYR 3.04

68.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MYR 1.99

$0.5 MYR 2.1

-6.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 MYR 26.84

$7 MYR 29.53

-9.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.98

$0.46 MYR 1.96

2.17%

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

$33K MYR 139.1K

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

-1.83%

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

$25.2K MYR 106.3K

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

-6.98%

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

$38.24 MYR 161

$39.21 MYR 165

-2.47%

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

$9.69 MYR 40.84

$10.33 MYR 43.55

-6.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.66 MYR 125

$31.17 MYR 131

-4.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.86 MYR 164

$32.59 MYR 137

19.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.82 MYR 16.11

$5.59 MYR 23.59

-31.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.07 MYR 17.15

$5.01 MYR 21.15

-18.76%

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

$150 MYR 631

$241 MYR 1,014

-37.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,628 MYR 19.5K

$6,174 MYR 26K

-25.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51 MYR 215

$55.3 MYR 233

-7.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.38 MYR 124

$28.42 MYR 120

3.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 MYR 254

$61.2 MYR 258

-1.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 MYR 222

$53.6 MYR 226

-1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,552

$388 MYR 1,637

-5.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 MYR 1,102

$230 MYR 968

13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 MYR 3,033

$640 MYR 2,700

12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MYR 2,066

$522 MYR 2,201

-6.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,676 MYR 7,067

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

-31.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 MYR 5,035

$1,481 MYR 6,247

-19.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,131 MYR 4,770

$1,101 MYR 4,643

2.74%

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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

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