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

😐 Solo nomad: Kuala Lumpur is 7.2% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 27.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kuala Lumpur is 9.3% more expensive than Penang without rent, and 13% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.82 MYR 19.04

$3.03 MYR 11.95

59.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.46 MYR 112

$21.49 MYR 84.9

32.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 MYR 18.71

$4.15 MYR 16.37

14.22%

Cappuccino

$2.99 MYR 11.83

$2.85 MYR 11.25

4.91%

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

$0.92 MYR 3.64

$0.68 MYR 2.68

35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.11

$0.33 MYR 1.32

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 MYR 16.33

$4.42 MYR 17.48

-6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 MYR 22.65

$4.33 MYR 17.09

32.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.07 MYR 8.16

$1.89 MYR 7.48

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 MYR 3.99

$1.04 MYR 4.10

-2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MYR 6.51

$1.98 MYR 7.81

-16.67%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 8.92

$2.13 MYR 8.42

6.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 MYR 57.6

$17.65 MYR 69.7

-17.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 17.78

$4.99 MYR 19.72

-9.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.46 MYR 37.38

$14.67 MYR 57.9

-35.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 MYR 11.78

$2.79 MYR 11.03

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.45

$1.49 MYR 5.90

9.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 MYR 10.55

$2.70 MYR 10.68

-1.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 5.83

$2.15 MYR 8.51

-31.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.07

$1.19 MYR 4.72

7.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.26

$1.18 MYR 4.65

12.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 MYR 4.78

$0.91 MYR 3.59

32.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MYR 2.47

$0.49 MYR 1.95

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MYR 16.92

$4.15 MYR 16.39

3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.74 MYR 74.0

$19.76 MYR 78.1

-5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 MYR 13.44

$2.69 MYR 10.62

26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 MYR 17.57

$3.49 MYR 13.78

27.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.76

$0.48 MYR 1.91

45.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.87 MYR 46.90

$17.54 MYR 69.3

-32.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.72

$0.74 MYR 2.94

60.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MYR 4.35

$0.54 MYR 2.15

103.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 MYR 19.12

$7.14 MYR 28.21

-32.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.01

$0.47 MYR 1.84

8.51%

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

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

$33.0K MYR 130.5K

21.32%

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

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

$27.3K MYR 108.0K

19.79%

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

$63.6 MYR 251

$38.95 MYR 154

63.16%

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

$11.31 MYR 44.66

$10.22 MYR 40.37

10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.49 MYR 101

$31.73 MYR 125

-19.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 MYR 180

$32.71 MYR 129

39.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.62 MYR 30.10

$5.51 MYR 21.78

38.29%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MYR 20.19

$4.91 MYR 19.40

4.07%

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

$272 MYR 1,073

$234 MYR 925

15.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

$6,126 MYR 24.2K

54.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 MYR 243

$55.2 MYR 218

11.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.67 MYR 145

$29.37 MYR 116

24.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 MYR 336

$60.3 MYR 238

41.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 MYR 313

$51.8 MYR 205

53.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 MYR 2,270

$389 MYR 1,537

47.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 MYR 1,486

$227 MYR 897

65.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 MYR 4,290

$640 MYR 2,527

69.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 MYR 2,492

$526 MYR 2,078

19.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

$2,321 MYR 9,167

69.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 MYR 6,125

$1,188 MYR 4,691

30.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,633 MYR 6,451

$949 MYR 3,749

72.07%

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: April 12, 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

Kuala Lumpur vs other spots: cost of living compared

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