Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lumut, Perak and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $922 a month against $983 in Lumut, Perak, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$983

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $983 in Lumut, Perak versus $922 in Penang.

Lumut, Perak $983
Penang $922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,412 in Penang.

Lumut, Perak $1,487
Penang $1,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,991 in Lumut, Perak versus $1,901 in Penang.

Lumut, Perak $1,991
Penang $1,901

Living in Lumut, Perak is roughly 7% more expensive than in Penang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lumut, Perak 27% lower, Penang 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.46

$3.77 MYR 15.26

-5.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.07 MYR 48.79

$19.80 MYR 80.1

-39.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 MYR 20.01

$4.70 MYR 18.99

5.32%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MYR 11.84

$3.02 MYR 12.21

-2.98%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$0.77 MYR 3.11

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.56

$0.37 MYR 1.48

5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 MYR 15.17

$4.21 MYR 17.02

-10.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 MYR 24.04

$4.53 MYR 18.30

31.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 MYR 8.67

$1.78 MYR 7.21

20.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 MYR 4.47

$1.05 MYR 4.26

4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.52

$1.72 MYR 6.94

8.14%

Eggs

$2.54 MYR 10.29

$2.23 MYR 9.01

13.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 MYR 57.4

$13.81 MYR 55.9

2.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.50 MYR 18.21

$4.45 MYR 18.01

1.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 MYR 41.15

$8.92 MYR 36.06

14.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 MYR 14.07

$3.03 MYR 12.24

14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 MYR 7.38

$1.66 MYR 6.70

9.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 MYR 9.50

$2.62 MYR 10.59

-10.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 MYR 6.33

$1.41 MYR 5.71

11.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 MYR 4.96

$1.07 MYR 4.32

14.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.36

$1.13 MYR 4.58

17.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 MYR 4.52

$1.09 MYR 4.42

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 MYR 2.87

$0.54 MYR 2.18

31.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MYR 17.73

$4.65 MYR 18.81

-5.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.26 MYR 77.9

$19.43 MYR 78.6

-0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 MYR 14.03

$2.99 MYR 12.09

16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 MYR 20.46

$5.39 MYR 21.80

-6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.02

$0.51 MYR 2.06

47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.06 MYR 48.76

$12.16 MYR 49.17

-0.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$1.70 MYR 6.89

-29.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 MYR 5.08

$0.40 MYR 1.62

215.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 MYR 19.29

$7.52 MYR 30.39

-36.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.54

$0.94 MYR 3.79

-7.45%

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

$44.5K MYR 180.0K

$44.7K MYR 180.8K

-0.39%

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

$35.0K MYR 141.6K

$36.3K MYR 146.8K

-3.48%

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

$61.7 MYR 249

$37.54 MYR 152

64.33%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.18

$9.56 MYR 38.66

-9.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.02 MYR 105

$29.23 MYR 118

-10.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.25 MYR 151

$39.42 MYR 159

-5.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.38 MYR 25.82

$4.82 MYR 19.48

32.37%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.54

$4.97 MYR 20.10

-2.82%

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

$237 MYR 960

$401 MYR 1,622

-40.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K MYR 52.1K

$11.5K MYR 46.4K

12.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 MYR 287

$60.9 MYR 246

16.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.11 MYR 166

$34.72 MYR 140

18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 MYR 342

$82.9 MYR 335

2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 MYR 383

$69.7 MYR 282

35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 MYR 1,690

$414 MYR 1,675

0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 MYR 1,197

$294 MYR 1,189

0.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 MYR 2,896

$703 MYR 2,843

1.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MYR 2,242

$536 MYR 2,167

3.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,015 MYR 8,150

$2,142 MYR 8,661

-5.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 MYR 4,829

$1,255 MYR 5,074

-4.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 MYR 1,528

$927 MYR 3,748

-59.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

4.24

-1.65%

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

Last update for Lumut, Perak: 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

Lumut, Perak

$296 30.1%

Penang

$294 31.9% 0.7% $2

Groceries & Markets

Lumut, Perak

$277 28.1%

Penang

$258 28% 6.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Lumut, Perak

$131 13.3%

Penang

$112 12.1% 14.8% $19

Eating Out

Lumut, Perak

$114 11.6%

Penang

$115 12.5% 1.1% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lumut, Perak

$96 9.8%

Penang

$76 8.3% 20.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Lumut, Perak

$47 4.8%

Penang

$49 5.4% 5.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3%

Penang

$18 1.9% 20.6% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $418 in Lumut, Perak and $414 in Penang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penang pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $12 in Lumut, Perak vs $20 in Penang. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $258, with Penang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

Same time as Lumut, Perak

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,595

158,336

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lumut, Perak Penang 130 km

From you

Lumut, Perak
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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

Lumut, Perak vs Penang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penang wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Lumut, Perak. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Penang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Lumut, Perak. 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: $418 in Lumut, Perak versus $414 in Penang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Lumut, Perak. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $983 per month in Lumut, Perak versus $922 in Penang – Penang is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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