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

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 22.5% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 1.2% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 0.6% cheaper than Penang without rent, and 4.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 MYR 13.92

$3.03 MYR 11.95

16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.10 MYR 75.5

$21.49 MYR 84.9

-11.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 MYR 18.93

$4.15 MYR 16.37

15.42%

Cappuccino

$2.67 MYR 10.53

$2.85 MYR 11.25

-6.32%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.69

$0.68 MYR 2.68

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.33 MYR 1.32

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MYR 9.22

$4.42 MYR 17.48

-47.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 13.72

$4.33 MYR 17.09

-19.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 MYR 6.63

$1.89 MYR 7.48

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 MYR 4.94

$1.04 MYR 4.10

20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.62

$1.98 MYR 7.81

-15.15%

Eggs

$2.91 MYR 11.50

$2.13 MYR 8.42

36.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.95 MYR 102

$17.65 MYR 69.7

47.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 MYR 14.36

$4.99 MYR 19.72

-27.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.09 MYR 28.01

$14.67 MYR 57.9

-51.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MYR 10.52

$2.79 MYR 11.03

-4.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 MYR 4.47

$1.49 MYR 5.90

-24.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 MYR 12.82

$2.70 MYR 10.68

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MYR 7.78

$2.15 MYR 8.51

-8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 5.99

$1.19 MYR 4.72

27.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.74

$1.18 MYR 4.65

44.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.45

$0.91 MYR 3.59

24.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.85

$0.49 MYR 1.95

-4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 MYR 15.88

$4.15 MYR 16.39

-3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.13 MYR 107

$19.76 MYR 78.1

37.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MYR 7.55

$2.69 MYR 10.62

-29.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MYR 6.44

$3.49 MYR 13.78

-53.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 MYR 5.97

$0.48 MYR 1.91

214.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.65 MYR 161

$17.54 MYR 69.3

131.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 MYR 7.37

$0.74 MYR 2.94

152.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 MYR 1.72

$0.54 MYR 2.15

-18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 MYR 23.69

$7.14 MYR 28.21

-15.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 MYR 1.83

$0.47 MYR 1.84

-2.13%

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

$29.6K MYR 117.0K

$33.0K MYR 130.5K

-10.31%

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

$28.1K MYR 110.8K

$27.3K MYR 108.0K

2.64%

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

$51.2 MYR 202

$38.95 MYR 154

31.37%

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

$9.14 MYR 36.11

$10.22 MYR 40.37

-10.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.66 MYR 129

$31.73 MYR 125

2.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.05 MYR 170

$32.71 MYR 129

31.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 MYR 11.33

$5.51 MYR 21.78

-47.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 MYR 18.80

$4.91 MYR 19.40

-3.05%

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

$133 MYR 524

$234 MYR 925

-43.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,434 MYR 17.5K

$6,126 MYR 24.2K

-27.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 MYR 233

$55.2 MYR 218

6.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.78 MYR 90.0

$29.37 MYR 116

-22.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 MYR 281

$60.3 MYR 238

18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 MYR 374

$51.8 MYR 205

82.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 MYR 1,492

$389 MYR 1,537

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MYR 641

$227 MYR 897

-28.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 MYR 2,548

$640 MYR 2,527

0.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 MYR 1,456

$526 MYR 2,078

-29.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,893 MYR 7,478

$2,321 MYR 9,167

-18.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 MYR 4,463

$1,188 MYR 4,691

-4.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 MYR 2,417

$949 MYR 3,749

-35.55%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Penang: April 11, 2026

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

Kota Kinabalu vs other spots: cost of living compared

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