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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 4.4% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 27.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 11.8% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 12% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 MYR 19.31

$3.10 MYR 12.54

53.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.37 MYR 115

$21.25 MYR 86.1

33.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 MYR 18.88

$4.28 MYR 17.34

8.88%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MYR 12.04

$2.94 MYR 11.92

1.02%

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

$0.87 MYR 3.51

$0.73 MYR 2.95

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.14

$0.36 MYR 1.46

47.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 MYR 17.08

$4.42 MYR 17.91

-4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 MYR 23.34

$4.39 MYR 17.76

31.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 MYR 8.38

$1.83 MYR 7.40

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 4.07

$1.02 MYR 4.15

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.68

$2.01 MYR 8.15

-17.91%

Eggs

$2.16 MYR 8.75

$2.14 MYR 8.69

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.49 MYR 58.7

$17.20 MYR 69.7

-15.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 MYR 19.01

$5.19 MYR 21.02

-9.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.56 MYR 38.72

$14.94 MYR 60.5

-36.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 MYR 11.55

$2.78 MYR 11.25

2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.54

$1.46 MYR 5.93

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 MYR 10.95

$2.67 MYR 10.81

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 MYR 6.15

$2.17 MYR 8.79

-29.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.15

$1.13 MYR 4.59

12.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.64

$1.22 MYR 4.92

13.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 4.91

$0.90 MYR 3.66

34.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.57

$0.45 MYR 1.82

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 MYR 17.52

$4.16 MYR 16.84

4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 MYR 75.8

$19.00 MYR 77.0

-1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 MYR 13.10

$2.69 MYR 10.90

20.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MYR 17.69

$3.37 MYR 13.64

29.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MYR 2.78

$0.48 MYR 1.95

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 MYR 48.01

$17.44 MYR 70.7

-32.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.84

$0.74 MYR 3.01

62.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 MYR 4.65

$0.50 MYR 2.02

130.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.83 MYR 19.56

$6.98 MYR 28.27

-30.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.05

$0.46 MYR 1.85

10.87%

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

$40.0K MYR 162.1K

$33.8K MYR 136.8K

18.48%

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

$32.4K MYR 131.2K

$27.6K MYR 111.9K

17.26%

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

$63.2 MYR 256

$38.88 MYR 157

62.50%

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

$11.26 MYR 45.62

$9.94 MYR 40.26

13.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.48 MYR 103

$31.03 MYR 126

-17.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.66 MYR 185

$32.57 MYR 132

40.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.61 MYR 30.81

$5.51 MYR 22.32

38.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 MYR 21.58

$4.97 MYR 20.13

7.24%

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

$262 MYR 1,061

$241 MYR 977

8.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,403 MYR 38.1K

$6,130 MYR 24.8K

53.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.4 MYR 244

$53.7 MYR 218

12.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.14 MYR 150

$28.83 MYR 117

28.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 MYR 343

$62.1 MYR 251

36.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 MYR 329

$53.3 MYR 216

52.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 MYR 2,293

$385 MYR 1,560

47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MYR 1,509

$229 MYR 927

62.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 MYR 4,413

$631 MYR 2,554

72.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 MYR 2,534

$519 MYR 2,103

20.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,673 MYR 14.9K

$2,249 MYR 9,110

63.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,502 MYR 6,082

$1,145 MYR 4,639

31.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,442 MYR 5,840

$977 MYR 3,956

47.61%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Penang: January 18, 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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