Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Johor Bahru and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Johor Bahru is 13.7% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 11.7% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Johor Bahru is 12.2% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 4.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 MYR 13.83

$3.07 MYR 12.13

14.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 MYR 75.6

$21.19 MYR 83.7

-9.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 MYR 18.67

$4.20 MYR 16.58

12.62%

Cappuccino

$3.02 MYR 11.93

$2.96 MYR 11.71

2.03%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.08

$0.74 MYR 2.93

5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.91

$0.37 MYR 1.45

29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 MYR 13.83

$4.49 MYR 17.73

-22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 MYR 26.68

$4.40 MYR 17.40

53.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.37

$1.90 MYR 7.52

-1.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 MYR 3.77

$0.99 MYR 3.92

-3.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.14

$2.05 MYR 8.11

-36.59%

Eggs

$1.84 MYR 7.26

$2.15 MYR 8.48

-14.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 MYR 41.42

$17.37 MYR 68.6

-39.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 MYR 13.45

$5.00 MYR 19.74

-31.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.02 MYR 31.68

$14.88 MYR 58.8

-46.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MYR 11.00

$2.78 MYR 10.96

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.02

$1.47 MYR 5.80

3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 MYR 9.77

$2.58 MYR 10.21

-4.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.91

$2.19 MYR 8.66

-43.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.68

$1.14 MYR 4.50

3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.53

$1.20 MYR 4.75

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 MYR 3.78

$0.89 MYR 3.53

7.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MYR 2.03

$0.49 MYR 1.93

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 MYR 16.51

$4.35 MYR 17.18

-3.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.68 MYR 58.0

$19.52 MYR 77.1

-24.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 MYR 10.50

$2.62 MYR 10.34

1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MYR 11.96

$3.48 MYR 13.75

-12.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.85

$0.46 MYR 1.80

56.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 MYR 46.22

$17.36 MYR 68.6

-32.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 MYR 3.88

$0.68 MYR 2.68

44.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 MYR 4.07

$0.50 MYR 1.98

106.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.31 MYR 36.77

$7.19 MYR 28.39

29.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.80

$0.49 MYR 1.96

-6.12%

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

$35.5K MYR 140.3K

$34.0K MYR 134.2K

4.55%

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

$28.3K MYR 111.7K

$27.9K MYR 110.1K

1.47%

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

$41.48 MYR 164

$39.37 MYR 156

5.36%

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

$9.13 MYR 36.07

$10.01 MYR 39.54

-8.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.95 MYR 122

$31.45 MYR 124

-1.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.11 MYR 139

$33.02 MYR 130

6.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.05 MYR 23.90

$5.53 MYR 21.84

9.40%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 MYR 20.08

$4.81 MYR 19.01

5.61%

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

$187 MYR 740

$237 MYR 937

-20.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,960 MYR 27.5K

$6,252 MYR 24.7K

11.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.99 MYR 197

$54.3 MYR 214

-7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.17 MYR 75.7

$29.00 MYR 115

-33.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.3 MYR 215

$62.5 MYR 247

-13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.45 MYR 156

$52.4 MYR 207

-24.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 MYR 1,849

$394 MYR 1,556

18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 MYR 1,597

$230 MYR 910

75.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 MYR 3,267

$641 MYR 2,531

29.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 MYR 2,395

$517 MYR 2,042

17.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,142 MYR 8,459

$2,335 MYR 9,224

-8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,192 MYR 4,709

$1,191 MYR 4,703

0.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,153 MYR 4,553

$974 MYR 3,849

18.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

4.16

-2.16%

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

Last update for Johor Bahru: 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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