Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipoh and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipoh and Penang

😐 Solo nomad: Ipoh is 4.7% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 5.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Ipoh is 14.7% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 MYR 11.12

$2.97 MYR 12.54

-11.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19 MYR 80.1

$20.84 MYR 87.9

-8.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.73 MYR 15.71

$4.34 MYR 18.32

-14.06%

Cappuccino

$2.23 MYR 9.39

$2.84 MYR 11.97

-21.48%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.29

$0.69 MYR 2.89

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.52

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.5 MYR 14.78

$4.23 MYR 17.84

-17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 MYR 19.13

$4.41 MYR 18.6

2.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MYR 8.04

$1.82 MYR 7.65

4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.37

$0.99 MYR 4.18

5.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.56

$2.04 MYR 8.62

-35.29%

Eggs

$1.89 MYR 7.95

$2.05 MYR 8.63

-7.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 MYR 54.3

$17.11 MYR 72.2

-24.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 MYR 22.15

$5.23 MYR 22.05

0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.79 MYR 32.83

$14.77 MYR 62.3

-47.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 MYR 12.12

$2.91 MYR 12.25

-1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 MYR 7.53

$1.46 MYR 6.18

21.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.87

$2.59 MYR 10.92

17.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MYR 8.8

$2.11 MYR 8.88

-0.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.5 MYR 6.33

$1.18 MYR 4.98

27.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.62

$1.21 MYR 5.1

9.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 MYR 6.95

$0.91 MYR 3.82

81.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 MYR 1.94

$0.45 MYR 1.91

2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 17.4

$4.2 MYR 17.73

-1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.43 MYR 69.3

$14.1 MYR 59.5

16.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.51 MYR 14.82

$2.71 MYR 11.44

29.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 MYR 18

$3.47 MYR 14.65

23.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 3.12

$0.49 MYR 2.05

51.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.83 MYR 49.9

$17.98 MYR 75.8

-34.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 MYR 4.83

$0.72 MYR 3.04

59.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MYR 4.78

$0.5 MYR 2.1

126.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 MYR 18.46

$7 MYR 29.53

-37.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.93

$0.46 MYR 1.96

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

$43.7K MYR 184.1K

$33.6K MYR 141.7K

29.93%

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

$31.1K MYR 131.2K

$27.1K MYR 114.3K

14.79%

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

$64.5 MYR 272

$39.21 MYR 165

64.40%

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

$9.63 MYR 40.59

$10.33 MYR 43.55

-6.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.28 MYR 119

$31.17 MYR 131

-9.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.18 MYR 97.7

$32.59 MYR 137

-28.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.03 MYR 25.43

$5.59 MYR 23.59

7.87%

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 MYR 12.75

$5.01 MYR 21.15

-39.72%

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

$119 MYR 503

$241 MYR 1,014

-50.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,370 MYR 9,994

$6,174 MYR 26K

-61.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 MYR 245

$55.3 MYR 233

4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.54 MYR 116

$28.42 MYR 120

-3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.1 MYR 313

$61.2 MYR 258

21.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.1 MYR 220

$53.6 MYR 226

-2.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 MYR 1,653

$388 MYR 1,637

0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 MYR 1,125

$230 MYR 968

16.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 MYR 2,770

$640 MYR 2,700

2.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 MYR 2,000

$522 MYR 2,201

-9.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,585 MYR 6,684

$2,431 MYR 10.3K

-34.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 MYR 5,185

$1,481 MYR 6,247

-17.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$932 MYR 3,929

$1,101 MYR 4,643

-15.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

4.16

-4.81%

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

Last update for Ipoh: October 29, 2025

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2025

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