Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $922 a month against $969 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$969

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Labuan 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 Labuan and in Penang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $969 in Labuan versus $922 in Penang.

Labuan $969
Penang $922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,507 in Labuan versus $1,412 in Penang.

Labuan $1,507
Penang $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,045 in Labuan versus $1,901 in Penang.

Labuan $2,045
Penang $1,901

Living in Labuan is roughly 5% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Labuan 28% lower, Penang 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 MYR 22.13

$3.77 MYR 15.33

44.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.74 MYR 100

$19.80 MYR 80.4

24.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 MYR 28.06

$4.70 MYR 19.07

47.02%

Cappuccino

$3.96 MYR 16.06

$3.02 MYR 12.26

31.13%

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

$1.07 MYR 4.33

$0.77 MYR 3.12

38.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.37 MYR 1.49

10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 MYR 15.53

$4.21 MYR 17.09

-9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MYR 18.79

$4.53 MYR 18.38

2.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MYR 7.18

$1.78 MYR 7.24

-0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.25

$1.05 MYR 4.28

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.86

$1.72 MYR 6.97

-16.28%

Eggs

$2.26 MYR 9.17

$2.23 MYR 9.05

1.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.79 MYR 68.2

$13.81 MYR 56.1

21.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.54 MYR 18.42

$4.45 MYR 18.08

2.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 MYR 38.14

$8.92 MYR 36.21

5.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.31

$3.03 MYR 12.29

8.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.80

$1.66 MYR 6.73

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 MYR 10.23

$2.62 MYR 10.64

-3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MYR 6.41

$1.41 MYR 5.73

12.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 MYR 4.93

$1.07 MYR 4.34

13.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MYR 5.58

$1.13 MYR 4.60

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$1.09 MYR 4.43

8.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.10

$0.54 MYR 2.19

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MYR 17.44

$4.65 MYR 18.89

-7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 MYR 77.5

$19.43 MYR 78.9

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.09

$2.99 MYR 12.14

-0.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 MYR 18.02

$5.39 MYR 21.89

-17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.51 MYR 2.07

37.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.19 MYR 49.50

$12.16 MYR 49.37

0.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.88

$1.70 MYR 6.92

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 MYR 2.34

$0.40 MYR 1.63

45.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 MYR 29.96

$7.52 MYR 30.52

-1.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$0.94 MYR 3.80

-18.09%

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

$44.4K MYR 180.4K

$44.7K MYR 181.5K

-0.63%

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

$35.9K MYR 145.8K

$36.3K MYR 147.4K

-1.07%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$37.54 MYR 152

30.26%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.23

$9.56 MYR 38.82

1.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 MYR 117

$29.23 MYR 119

-1.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.51 MYR 152

$39.42 MYR 160

-4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.74 MYR 27.35

$4.82 MYR 19.56

39.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MYR 17.82

$4.97 MYR 20.18

-11.67%

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

$241 MYR 979

$401 MYR 1,629

-39.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,912 MYR 28.1K

$11.5K MYR 46.6K

-39.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 MYR 224

$60.9 MYR 247

-9.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.25 MYR 139

$34.72 MYR 141

-1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 MYR 333

$82.9 MYR 337

-1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 MYR 310

$69.7 MYR 283

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 MYR 1,661

$414 MYR 1,682

-1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 MYR 1,181

$294 MYR 1,194

-1.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 MYR 2,972

$703 MYR 2,854

4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 MYR 2,261

$536 MYR 2,176

3.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,970 MYR 8,002

$2,142 MYR 8,697

-8.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,839

$1,255 MYR 5,095

-5.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 MYR 1,471

$927 MYR 3,763

-60.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

4.24

-4.25%

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

Last update for Labuan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Penang: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Labuan

$291 30%

Penang

$294 31.9% 1.1% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$268 27.6%

Penang

$258 28% 3.6% $9.7

Eating Out

Labuan

$146 15.1%

Penang

$115 12.5% 21.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$111 11.5%

Penang

$112 12.1% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$87 9%

Penang

$76 8.3% 12.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$46 4.8%

Penang

$49 5.4% 6.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Labuan

$19 2%

Penang

$18 1.9% 6.1% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Labuan and $414 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Labuan vs $20 in Penang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $258 per month, with Penang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

Same time as Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Labuan Penang 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
Penang

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

Labuan vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Labuan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $409 in Labuan versus $414 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $241 in Labuan versus $401 in Penang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Penang – a meal for two runs $20 versus $25 in Labuan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Labuan and Penang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.