Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kangar, Perlis and Penang

For one person, living costs are similar in Kangar, Perlis and in Penang: $910 and $913 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kangar, Perlis
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Kangar, Perlis Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$910

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kangar, Perlis and in Penang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kangar, Perlis and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $910 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $913 in Penang, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $910
Penang $913

A couple spends around $1,427 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $1,403 in Penang, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $1,427
Penang $1,403

A family of three spends $1,944 per month in Kangar, Perlis vs $1,894 in Penang, rent included.

Kangar, Perlis $1,944
Penang $1,894

Kangar, Perlis and Penang have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Kangar, Perlis and Penang are more affordable than the global median – Kangar, Perlis 33% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 MYR 14.55

$3.73 MYR 15.11

-3.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.29 MYR 82.3

$19.91 MYR 80.7

1.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 MYR 20.37

$4.78 MYR 19.38

5.02%

Cappuccino

$2.59 MYR 10.51

$2.98 MYR 12.08

-13.09%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.75 MYR 3.05

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.90

$0.37 MYR 1.49

27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 MYR 17.73

$4.06 MYR 16.46

7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MYR 18.73

$4.38 MYR 17.74

5.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 MYR 7.47

$1.86 MYR 7.56

-1.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.29

$1.08 MYR 4.39

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.66

$1.76 MYR 7.16

-20.45%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.02

$2.22 MYR 9.00

0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.65 MYR 63.4

$13.46 MYR 54.6

16.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 MYR 20.30

$4.45 MYR 18.04

12.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 MYR 38.03

$8.70 MYR 35.27

7.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 MYR 11.50

$2.92 MYR 11.83

-2.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.38

$1.65 MYR 6.68

10.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 MYR 10.76

$2.61 MYR 10.58

1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.42

$1.40 MYR 5.67

-4.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.05 MYR 4.26

0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$1.12 MYR 4.53

29.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.53

$1.10 MYR 4.45

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 MYR 2.01

$0.59 MYR 2.38

-15.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 MYR 20.00

$4.69 MYR 18.99

5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.61 MYR 87.6

$19.31 MYR 78.3

11.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 MYR 11.38

$3.00 MYR 12.18

-6.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 MYR 18.13

$5.41 MYR 21.92

-17.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.16

$0.50 MYR 2.03

56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.74 MYR 47.60

$12.03 MYR 48.76

-2.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.01

$1.66 MYR 6.74

-25.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 MYR 2.43

$0.38 MYR 1.53

57.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 MYR 30.83

$7.47 MYR 30.28

1.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 MYR 3.26

$0.95 MYR 3.83

-15.79%

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

$50.2K MYR 203.7K

$44.2K MYR 179.2K

13.69%

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

$37.5K MYR 151.9K

$35.8K MYR 145.0K

4.79%

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

$49.46 MYR 201

$36.68 MYR 149

34.84%

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

$9.52 MYR 38.59

$9.56 MYR 38.74

-0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.47 MYR 124

$29.49 MYR 120

3.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.44 MYR 132

$39.20 MYR 159

-17.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.31 MYR 29.62

$4.85 MYR 19.68

50.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 MYR 17.98

$4.78 MYR 19.37

-7.11%

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

$208 MYR 842

$398 MYR 1,612

-47.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,103 MYR 28.8K

$10.6K MYR 43.0K

-33.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 MYR 242

$60.9 MYR 247

-2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 MYR 157

$35.45 MYR 144

9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 MYR 308

$83.6 MYR 339

-9.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 MYR 344

$70.2 MYR 284

21.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 MYR 1,792

$408 MYR 1,654

8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 MYR 1,072

$287 MYR 1,164

-7.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 MYR 3,098

$698 MYR 2,828

9.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 MYR 2,219

$534 MYR 2,165

2.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,900 MYR 7,703

$2,117 MYR 8,580

-10.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 MYR 4,586

$1,261 MYR 5,111

-10.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 MYR 3,776

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.04

0.50%

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

Last update for Kangar, Perlis: October 27, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Kangar, Perlis

$269 29.5%

Penang

$257 28.2% 4.3% $11

Accommodation & Living

Kangar, Perlis

$264 29%

Penang

$287 31.5% 8.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kangar, Perlis

$117 12.8%

Penang

$113 12.3% 3.5% $4.1

Eating Out

Kangar, Perlis

$111 12.2%

Penang

$113 12.4% 2.5% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kangar, Perlis

$89 9.8%

Penang

$76 8.3% 15.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kangar, Perlis

$41 4.5%

Penang

$49 5.3% 18% $7.4

Getting Around

Kangar, Perlis

$19 2.1%

Penang

$18 1.9% 7.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $442 in Kangar, Perlis versus $408 in Penang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Kangar, Perlis versus $20 in Penang. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Kangar, Perlis vs $257 in Penang – so Penang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kangar, Perlis

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

Same time as Kangar, Perlis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

284,853

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kangar, Perlis Penang 120 km

From you

Kangar, Perlis
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kangar, Perlis vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,365 per month in Kangar, Perlis and $1,369 in Penang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $442 in Kangar, Perlis and $408 in Penang. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Penang – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Kangar, Perlis and $398 in Penang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $910 in Kangar, Perlis and $913 in Penang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Penang has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $910 in Kangar, Perlis to $913 in Penang. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.