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

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 0.6% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 1.9% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 2.6% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 1.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 MYR 13.85

$3.07 MYR 12.10

14.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.61 MYR 73.3

$21.19 MYR 83.5

-12.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 MYR 18.52

$4.20 MYR 16.53

11.90%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MYR 10.30

$2.96 MYR 11.68

-11.82%

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

$0.64 MYR 2.53

$0.74 MYR 2.92

-13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.43

$0.37 MYR 1.44

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.16

$4.49 MYR 17.69

-48.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.01

$4.40 MYR 17.35

-19.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.61

$1.90 MYR 7.50

-11.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 MYR 4.90

$0.99 MYR 3.91

25.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.56

$2.05 MYR 8.09

-18.54%

Eggs

$2.93 MYR 11.54

$2.15 MYR 8.46

36.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.42 MYR 104

$17.37 MYR 68.4

52.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 MYR 13.59

$5.00 MYR 19.69

-31.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.14 MYR 28.15

$14.88 MYR 58.6

-52.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.47

$2.78 MYR 10.93

-4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.44

$1.47 MYR 5.79

-23.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MYR 12.60

$2.58 MYR 10.18

24.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 MYR 7.82

$2.19 MYR 8.64

-9.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.78

$1.14 MYR 4.49

28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 MYR 6.89

$1.20 MYR 4.73

45.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.41

$0.89 MYR 3.52

25.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 MYR 1.88

$0.49 MYR 1.93

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MYR 16.36

$4.35 MYR 17.13

-4.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.15 MYR 107

$19.52 MYR 76.9

39.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.51

$2.62 MYR 10.32

-27.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.40

$3.48 MYR 13.71

-53.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 MYR 6.08

$0.46 MYR 1.80

234.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.82 MYR 161

$17.36 MYR 68.4

135.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 MYR 7.32

$0.68 MYR 2.68

173.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 MYR 1.82

$0.50 MYR 1.98

-8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 MYR 22.83

$7.19 MYR 28.32

-19.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 1.95

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

$29.8K MYR 117.4K

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

-12.26%

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

$27.9K MYR 109.9K

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

0.08%

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

$51.8 MYR 204

$39.37 MYR 155

31.52%

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

$9.14 MYR 35.99

$10.01 MYR 39.44

-8.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.16 MYR 131

$31.45 MYR 124

5.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.77 MYR 169

$33.02 MYR 130

29.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.96 MYR 11.66

$5.53 MYR 21.78

-46.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$4.81 MYR 18.96

-4.99%

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

$132 MYR 519

$237 MYR 934

-44.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,466 MYR 17.6K

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

-28.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 236

$54.3 MYR 214

10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.69 MYR 89.4

$29.00 MYR 114

-21.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 MYR 278

$62.5 MYR 246

13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 MYR 364

$52.4 MYR 207

76.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 MYR 1,506

$394 MYR 1,552

-2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 MYR 652

$230 MYR 907

-28.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 MYR 2,585

$641 MYR 2,524

2.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 MYR 1,446

$517 MYR 2,037

-29.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MYR 7,524

$2,335 MYR 9,201

-18.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 MYR 4,426

$1,191 MYR 4,691

-5.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$609 MYR 2,401

$974 MYR 3,839

-37.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

4.16

-8.65%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 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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