Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Penang Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Lumpur and Penang

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 8.8% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 23.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 6.1% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 15.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 MYR 19.60

$3.11 MYR 12.61

55.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.81 MYR 117

$21.15 MYR 85.9

36.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.63 MYR 18.81

$4.33 MYR 17.57

6.93%

Cappuccino

$3.07 MYR 12.46

$2.86 MYR 11.63

7.34%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.53

$0.73 MYR 2.96

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.11

$0.36 MYR 1.48

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 MYR 17.09

$4.29 MYR 17.41

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 MYR 23.56

$4.37 MYR 17.73

32.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 MYR 8.12

$1.88 MYR 7.63

6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 4.07

$1.00 MYR 4.06

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.77

$1.99 MYR 8.07

-16.08%

Eggs

$2.27 MYR 9.20

$2.05 MYR 8.33

10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.87 MYR 60.4

$16.99 MYR 69.0

-12.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 MYR 18.32

$5.18 MYR 21.02

-12.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 MYR 39.99

$14.97 MYR 60.8

-34.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.77 MYR 11.26

3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.45

$1.44 MYR 5.87

10.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 MYR 10.49

$2.70 MYR 10.96

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$2.09 MYR 8.47

-30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 5.01

$1.13 MYR 4.60

8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 MYR 5.46

$1.22 MYR 4.97

10.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 MYR 4.71

$0.95 MYR 3.84

22.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.71

$0.45 MYR 1.82

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 MYR 16.92

$4.22 MYR 17.12

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 MYR 75.0

$19.31 MYR 78.4

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 MYR 13.84

$2.62 MYR 10.63

30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 MYR 17.39

$3.50 MYR 14.21

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 MYR 2.94

$0.46 MYR 1.85

56.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$17.42 MYR 70.7

-31.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$0.70 MYR 2.83

72.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.50

$0.50 MYR 2.03

122.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 MYR 19.43

$7.23 MYR 29.33

-33.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.48 MYR 1.95

$0.46 MYR 1.88

4.35%

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

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

$33.9K MYR 137.6K

20.20%

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

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

$27.7K MYR 112.3K

15.56%

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

$64.5 MYR 262

$38.60 MYR 157

67.12%

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

$11.58 MYR 47.01

$10.03 MYR 40.71

15.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.61 MYR 104

$30.91 MYR 125

-17.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 MYR 187

$32.64 MYR 133

41.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 MYR 32.52

$5.52 MYR 22.40

45.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.35 MYR 21.70

$4.90 MYR 19.88

9.18%

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

$266 MYR 1,080

$238 MYR 968

11.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

$6,150 MYR 25.0K

54.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 MYR 249

$55.6 MYR 226

10.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 MYR 150

$29.29 MYR 119

26.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 MYR 353

$60.4 MYR 245

43.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 MYR 325

$52.8 MYR 214

51.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 MYR 2,346

$380 MYR 1,543

52.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 MYR 1,482

$227 MYR 920

61.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MYR 4,284

$649 MYR 2,636

62.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,623

$520 MYR 2,113

24.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

$2,235 MYR 9,072

61.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 MYR 6,294

$1,156 MYR 4,693

34.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,500 MYR 6,090

$988 MYR 4,012

51.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

4.16

7.45%

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

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 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

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