Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Terengganu and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $852 a month against $924 in Kuala Terengganu, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kuala Terengganu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
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Kuala Terengganu Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kuala Terengganu and in Penang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kuala Terengganu and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Kuala Terengganu versus $852 in Penang.

Kuala Terengganu $924
Penang $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,307 in Penang.

Kuala Terengganu $1,372
Penang $1,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu versus $1,763 in Penang.

Kuala Terengganu $1,821
Penang $1,763

Living in Kuala Terengganu is roughly 8% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kuala Terengganu 32% lower, Penang 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.49 MYR 10.15

$3.72 MYR 15.18

-33.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.06 MYR 94.1

$19.53 MYR 79.7

18.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 MYR 19.25

$4.53 MYR 18.47

4.19%

Cappuccino

$2.72 MYR 11.08

$2.92 MYR 11.89

-6.85%

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

$0.47 MYR 1.90

$0.78 MYR 3.17

-39.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 MYR 1.14

$0.40 MYR 1.63

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MYR 14.52

$4.12 MYR 16.81

-13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 MYR 17.05

$4.54 MYR 18.51

-7.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MYR 6.94

$1.88 MYR 7.65

-9.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 MYR 4.15

$1.08 MYR 4.41

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 MYR 5.22

$1.77 MYR 7.21

-27.68%

Eggs

$2.13 MYR 8.68

$2.17 MYR 8.85

-1.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.66 MYR 63.9

$13.69 MYR 55.9

14.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 MYR 17.73

$4.30 MYR 17.56

1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 MYR 34.29

$8.79 MYR 35.86

-4.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 MYR 13.73

$2.95 MYR 12.05

13.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 MYR 6.59

$1.71 MYR 6.96

-5.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 MYR 8.59

$2.75 MYR 11.21

-23.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MYR 6.13

$1.41 MYR 5.76

6.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 6.01

$1.07 MYR 4.36

37.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.45

$1.07 MYR 4.37

1.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$1.09 MYR 4.43

-8.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.17

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 MYR 18.18

$4.61 MYR 18.80

-3.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.84 MYR 72.8

$19.15 MYR 78.1

-6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 MYR 11.91

$2.91 MYR 11.88

0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 MYR 19.66

$5.19 MYR 21.18

-7.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MYR 2.75

$0.47 MYR 1.92

42.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.62 MYR 43.31

$12.23 MYR 49.87

-13.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 MYR 5.20

$1.68 MYR 6.86

-24.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 MYR 1.89

$0.41 MYR 1.66

12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.55 MYR 26.73

$7.14 MYR 29.12

-8.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 MYR 3.65

$0.93 MYR 3.80

-3.23%

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

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

$42.3K MYR 172.6K

3.59%

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

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-10.34%

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

$45.25 MYR 185

$37.07 MYR 151

22.07%

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

$8.79 MYR 35.87

$9.84 MYR 40.13

-10.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.10 MYR 102

$28.79 MYR 117

-12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.04 MYR 180

$38.22 MYR 156

15.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.97 MYR 32.49

$4.97 MYR 20.28

60.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 MYR 19.61

$4.82 MYR 19.67

-0.21%

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

$172 MYR 701

$423 MYR 1,726

-59.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

$10.8K MYR 44.1K

-35.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 MYR 235

$58.9 MYR 240

-2.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.37 MYR 148

$35.27 MYR 144

3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 MYR 353

$83.9 MYR 342

3.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 MYR 278

$71.0 MYR 290

-4.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 MYR 1,472

$406 MYR 1,658

-11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 MYR 1,275

$229 MYR 934

36.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$722 MYR 2,946

$612 MYR 2,496

18.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 MYR 1,923

$408 MYR 1,663

15.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,073 MYR 8,456

$2,223 MYR 9,070

-6.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,145 MYR 4,669

$1,070 MYR 4,365

6.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$907 MYR 3,702

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.04

0.50%

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

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8%

Penang

$229 26.9% 26.7% $84

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5%

Penang

$257 30.2% 1.2% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1%

Penang

$112 13.2% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4%

Penang

$113 13.2% 17.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6%

Penang

$76 8.9% 4.3% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8%

Penang

$48 5.6% 10.8% $5.8

Getting Around

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8%

Penang

$18 2.1% 5.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $361 in Kuala Terengganu and $406 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu vs $20.00 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $257, with Kuala Terengganu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

Same time as Kuala Terengganu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

375,424

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kuala Terengganu Penang 320 km

From you

Kuala Terengganu
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Terengganu vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuala Terengganu and Penang differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($924 vs $852 including rent). Penang is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu and $1,278 in Penang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $361 in Kuala Terengganu versus $406 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $924 per month in Kuala Terengganu versus $852 in Penang – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Penang runs roughly 15% less than in Kuala Terengganu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Penang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kuala Terengganu and Penang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Penang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Kuala Terengganu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.