Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Bharu and Penang

🙂 Solo nomad: Kota Bharu is 15.2% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 23.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kota Bharu is 18.6% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 16% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.78 MYR 7.24

$3.11 MYR 12.61

-42.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.13 MYR 85.8

$21.15 MYR 85.9

-0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.22 MYR 17.12

$4.33 MYR 17.57

-2.54%

Cappuccino

$2.40 MYR 9.73

$2.86 MYR 11.63

-16.08%

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

$0.49 MYR 2.00

$0.73 MYR 2.96

-32.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 MYR 1.10

$0.36 MYR 1.48

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.27 MYR 17.34

$4.29 MYR 17.41

-0.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.70

$4.37 MYR 17.73

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MYR 6.32

$1.88 MYR 7.63

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 MYR 3.04

$1.00 MYR 4.06

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 MYR 3.39

$1.99 MYR 8.07

-57.79%

Eggs

$1.54 MYR 6.25

$2.05 MYR 8.33

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 MYR 61.7

$16.99 MYR 69.0

-10.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.96 MYR 12.01

$5.18 MYR 21.02

-42.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.30 MYR 25.59

$14.97 MYR 60.8

-57.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.78

$2.77 MYR 11.26

-48.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.87

$2.70 MYR 10.96

-46.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 MYR 3.42

$2.09 MYR 8.47

-59.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 MYR 3.31

$1.13 MYR 4.60

-27.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.22 MYR 4.97

-0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 MYR 3.95

$0.95 MYR 3.84

2.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.63

$0.45 MYR 1.82

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 MYR 12.43

$4.22 MYR 17.12

-27.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.27 MYR 78.2

$19.31 MYR 78.4

-0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 MYR 5.67

$2.62 MYR 10.63

-46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 MYR 13.93

$3.50 MYR 14.21

-2.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 MYR 2.96

$0.46 MYR 1.85

58.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.83 MYR 48.02

$17.42 MYR 70.7

-32.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 MYR 2.98

$0.70 MYR 2.83

4.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 MYR 14.26

$7.23 MYR 29.33

-51.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.88

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

$31.0K MYR 125.9K

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

-8.45%

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

$27.7K MYR 112.5K

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

0.19%

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

$38.23 MYR 155

$38.60 MYR 157

-0.96%

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

$8.28 MYR 33.60

$10.03 MYR 40.71

-17.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.57 MYR 108

$30.91 MYR 125

-14.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.55 MYR 148

$32.64 MYR 133

11.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 MYR 23.86

$5.52 MYR 22.40

6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.33 MYR 17.59

$4.90 MYR 19.88

-11.63%

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

$120 MYR 486

$238 MYR 968

-49.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,149 MYR 25.0K

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

-0.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MYR 214

$55.6 MYR 226

-5.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.22 MYR 78.0

$29.29 MYR 119

-34.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 MYR 248

$60.4 MYR 245

0.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 MYR 215

$52.8 MYR 214

0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,049

$380 MYR 1,543

-32.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 MYR 580

$227 MYR 920

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 MYR 3,438

$649 MYR 2,636

30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 MYR 1,920

$520 MYR 2,113

-9.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 MYR 9,072

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 MYR 4,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$297 MYR 1,207

$988 MYR 4,012

-69.91%

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 Kota Bharu: January 11, 2026

Last update for Penang: January 13, 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

Similar cities

Algiers

🇩🇿 Algeria

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Tabriz

🇮🇷 Iran

Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia