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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 5.5% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 22.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 8.6% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 15.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 MYR 18.00

$3.07 MYR 12.10

48.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.75 MYR 113

$21.19 MYR 83.5

35.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 MYR 18.17

$4.20 MYR 16.53

9.76%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MYR 12.26

$2.96 MYR 11.68

5.07%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.61

$0.74 MYR 2.92

24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.07

$0.37 MYR 1.44

40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 MYR 16.35

$4.49 MYR 17.69

-7.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 MYR 22.78

$4.40 MYR 17.35

31.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 MYR 7.84

$1.90 MYR 7.50

4.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 MYR 3.94

$0.99 MYR 3.91

1.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 6.81

$2.05 MYR 8.09

-15.61%

Eggs

$2.17 MYR 8.55

$2.15 MYR 8.46

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 MYR 58.5

$17.37 MYR 68.4

-14.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.56 MYR 17.98

$5.00 MYR 19.69

-8.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 MYR 39.20

$14.88 MYR 58.6

-33.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MYR 11.61

$2.78 MYR 10.93

6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.42

$1.47 MYR 5.79

10.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 MYR 10.22

$2.58 MYR 10.18

0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.04

$2.19 MYR 8.64

-30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 4.87

$1.14 MYR 4.49

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 MYR 5.50

$1.20 MYR 4.73

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MYR 4.55

$0.89 MYR 3.52

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MYR 2.44

$0.49 MYR 1.93

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MYR 16.28

$4.35 MYR 17.13

-5.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 MYR 73.9

$19.52 MYR 76.9

-3.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 MYR 12.84

$2.62 MYR 10.32

24.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 MYR 17.26

$3.48 MYR 13.71

25.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 MYR 2.93

$0.46 MYR 1.80

60.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.98 MYR 47.19

$17.36 MYR 68.4

-30.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.70

$0.68 MYR 2.68

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 MYR 4.36

$0.50 MYR 1.98

122.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 MYR 18.51

$7.19 MYR 28.32

-34.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.47 MYR 1.87

$0.49 MYR 1.95

-4.08%

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

$40.2K MYR 158.2K

$34.0K MYR 133.9K

18.20%

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

$32.1K MYR 126.4K

$27.9K MYR 109.8K

15.10%

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

$63.4 MYR 250

$39.37 MYR 155

60.96%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.55

$10.01 MYR 39.44

12.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 MYR 99.7

$31.45 MYR 124

-19.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 MYR 184

$33.02 MYR 130

41.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 MYR 30.66

$5.53 MYR 21.78

40.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 MYR 21.05

$4.81 MYR 18.96

11.02%

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

$264 MYR 1,038

$237 MYR 934

11.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,254 MYR 36.5K

$6,252 MYR 24.6K

48.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 235

$54.3 MYR 214

10.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.87 MYR 145

$29.00 MYR 114

27.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 MYR 345

$62.5 MYR 246

40.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 MYR 319

$52.4 MYR 207

54.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 MYR 2,221

$394 MYR 1,552

43.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,449

$230 MYR 907

59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,295

$641 MYR 2,524

70.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 MYR 2,519

$517 MYR 2,037

23.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 MYR 15.9K

$2,335 MYR 9,201

72.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 MYR 6,058

$1,191 MYR 4,691

29.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,597 MYR 6,293

$974 MYR 3,839

63.91%

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: 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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