Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $913 in Penang, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kedah 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 Kedah and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $877 in Kedah versus $913 in Penang.

Kedah $877
Penang $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,399 in Kedah versus $1,403 in Penang.

Kedah $1,399
Penang $1,403

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,920 in Kedah versus $1,894 in Penang.

Kedah $1,920
Penang $1,894

Living in Kedah costs roughly 4% less than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kedah 36% lower, Penang 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.13

$3.73 MYR 15.17

-0.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.2

$19.91 MYR 81.1

-38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.57

$4.78 MYR 19.45

-4.60%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.86

$2.98 MYR 12.13

-2.35%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$0.75 MYR 3.06

2.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.37 MYR 1.50

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.24

$4.06 MYR 16.53

4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.73

$4.38 MYR 17.81

-0.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.65

$1.86 MYR 7.59

1.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.31

$1.08 MYR 4.40

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.98

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-2.27%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.90

$2.22 MYR 9.03

-1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.1

$13.46 MYR 54.8

0.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.68

$4.45 MYR 18.12

-2.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 35.99

$8.70 MYR 35.42

1.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.97

$2.92 MYR 11.88

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$1.65 MYR 6.71

-1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.19

$2.61 MYR 10.62

5.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$1.40 MYR 5.69

3.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$1.05 MYR 4.28

4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$1.12 MYR 4.55

-2.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$1.10 MYR 4.47

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.33

$0.59 MYR 2.39

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.81

$4.69 MYR 19.07

-1.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.4

$19.31 MYR 78.6

-2.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.14

$3.00 MYR 12.23

-0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.70

$5.41 MYR 22.01

-1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$0.50 MYR 2.04

52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.3

$12.03 MYR 48.96

6.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.75

$1.66 MYR 6.77

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.67

$7.47 MYR 30.41

-2.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.46

$0.95 MYR 3.85

-36.84%

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

$45.6K MYR 185.8K

$44.2K MYR 179.9K

3.27%

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

$35.8K MYR 145.9K

$35.8K MYR 145.6K

0.24%

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

$36.47 MYR 148

$36.68 MYR 149

-0.57%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.31

$9.56 MYR 38.90

1.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$29.49 MYR 120

-0.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 141

$39.20 MYR 160

-11.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 27.89

$4.85 MYR 19.76

41.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.51

$4.78 MYR 19.45

0.21%

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

$388 MYR 1,578

$398 MYR 1,619

-2.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

$10.6K MYR 43.2K

0.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$60.9 MYR 248

-3.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 141

$35.45 MYR 144

-1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 332

$83.6 MYR 340

-2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 288

$70.2 MYR 286

0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,456

$408 MYR 1,661

-12.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,050

$287 MYR 1,169

-10.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,899

$698 MYR 2,839

2.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,469

$534 MYR 2,174

13.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,857

$2,117 MYR 8,615

-8.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,119

$1,261 MYR 5,132

-0.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,451

$931 MYR 3,791

43.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

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

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Penang

$287 31.5% 11.3% $29

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Penang

$257 28.2% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Penang

$113 12.4% 0.5% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Penang

$113 12.3% 1.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Penang

$76 8.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Penang

$49 5.3% 10.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Penang

$18 1.9% 9.5% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Kedah and $408 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kedah pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Kedah vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $257 per month, with Kedah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

Same time as Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Penang 83 km

From you

Kedah
Penang

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

Kedah vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $877 in Kedah and $913 in Penang, so Kedah is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Kedah, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Kedah versus $408 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Penang runs roughly 6% less than in Kedah. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $877 per month in Kedah versus $913 in Penang – Kedah is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Kedah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kedah and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.